Breast feeding

There’s not really much in terms of preparation when it comes to breastfeeding 😅. Milk doesn’t come until a few days after the baby is born, however Sometimes towards the end of pregnancy you can leak colostrum and it’s advised to collect it in a syringe for when baby is here

If you send me your email I have a article I can forward to you it’s called a gentle guide to a pain-free breast-feeding. It’s worth a read.

Biggest advice would be to make sure you get all the help you can get on the ward and don’t leave until you’re 100% happy with the feeding. Also look for a local breastfeeding support group

Read the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding from La Leche League. Find your local La Leche League group, you can go attend meetings while pregnant. It will be nice.
99% of what you need is information.

These 2 books are amazing

• The Positive Breastfeeding Book
• You’ve Got It In You - A Positive Guide to Breastfeeding

I definitely recommend reading up or going to a support group ahead of time. If you’re lucky enough that breastfeeding is straightforward for you and baby then is right, preparation isn’t really needed, but if things aren’t going well then it massively helps to know and understand how breastfeeding works beforehand, rather than trying to learn it all when you’re sleep-deprived and have a hungry baby!
I would also advise, if you can, that you put aside some money for a lactation consultant. If you then don’t need one, you’ll have the extra money to splurge on something else. I spent too many of the early weeks thinking that I couldn’t justify the cost of a lactation consultant, I always felt we were on the verge of “cracking it”, but what actually happened is that my baby gained weight too slowly, I ended up paying for a lactation consultant anyway, and by then I hadn’t established enough of a milk supply for baby and had to supplement with formula.
Good luck!

https://globalhealthmedia.org/videos/attaching-your-baby-at-the-breast/

This video was the best thing for me in the early days.

second this!!

1. Buy My Brest Friend nursing pillow
2. Buy a good pump (I like momcozy and medela)
3. Research breastfeeding techniques and positions and how to increase supply
4. Search for breastfeeding support groups near you or a lactation consultant
5. Be prepared to push through the first couple weeks as you are likely to experience pain and frustration

You don’t really need anything to get the ball rolling. When you get to 36/37 weeks you can try to express some colostrum, check with the midwife first. I would also say ask the midwives for assistance and to check the latch while you’re in hospital.

If you ever have any questions or challenges then I highly recommend getting in touch with the National Breastfeeding Helpline. I’ve had many challenges along the way but with their help and advice I have overcome all of them and am 18 months into our breastfeeding journey.
http://www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk

I also recommend this free breastfeeding course online. They also do a more in-depth breastfeeding course that you can pay for if you like the free one.
https://mybabyacademy.co.uk/free-class/free-breastfeeding-preparation-class/

Lucy Webber (I think that’s her name) on fb/ insta is SO informative!

https://youtu.be/wjt-Ashodw8?si=ndXqzCkN6zG241Iq

This is super useful

Search for you local breastfeeding groups attend in pregnancy.

Attend a breastfeeding course or workshop La Leche League do these for free.

Research your local IBCLC some have Antenatal packages that include support once baby arrives. You can look this up on the lactation consultants of Great Britain website.

Ask your local hospital if they offer course.

See if you have any locals groups runs by LLL, ABM, NCT or BFN.

Watch videos on global health media, baby friendly initiative uk website, Jack Newman has some great videos he’s in Canada.

Everyone’s advice looks great. Also buy a decent nipple cream (I use lansinoh) and put it on after every feed to start with. Otherwise you end up with raw very sore nipples.

Highly reccomend a friendly feeding group. Found mine invaluable last time. Get yourself some lovely comfy nursing bras and plenty of breast pads/or reusable ones. Lanolin nipple cream!!!!

https://laleche.org.uk/antenatal-courses/

When your milk comes in around day 3/4 after birth your breasts will become quite engorged and it might hurt a little...it's normal, you can hand express or massage them to get a little relief alongside feeding baby. It'll calm down!

Have extra snacks and drinks to hand while you're feeding

Some suggestions to buy - nipple cream, breast pads and some sort of breast pump

Definitely look into all the support you have available to you - ask the midwives in the hospital to watch you latching baby, ask about specialist feeding teams, look into local breastfeeding support groups, there's also the helpline mentioned above

I experienced a lot of pain in the beginning but after learning better latch techniques and feeding positions from a feeding specialist things are so much better. If you do get some pain, just know its normal and will improve - its a skill you and your baby are both learning (I'm only on week 4 of this, it's all still very new!).

I don’t know why no one is mentioning things you can prepare to help when the time comes. Get some silver nursing shields to combat potential soreness, lanolin ointment, a large water bottle to get you through long stretches, healthy snacks and either electrolyte drinks or powders to add to your water to maintain your milk supply. Read about how many dirty and wet diapers baby should have daily at different ages so you don’t have to worry constantly that they’re not eating enough. Get yourself a bathroom scale so you can weight yourself, then you holding baby, and the difference will be their weight so again you don’t have to worry they’re not gaining. I suggest this method because it’s typically cheaper to buy a normal scale rather than a baby scale that you may not get much use of.

Make sure you have a night light/dimmable light for middle of the night feeds. Get yourself some nursing pads for leaking. I liked using the haakaa to catch let down from the side baby wasn’t currently feeding on. I actually built a freezer stash by doing just that. Get yourself milk storage bags and a simple bottle feeding set just incase. Or even put these things on your registry. A nursing pillow makes a world of difference. Nursing bras/nightgowns/clothing can be really helpful. A coverup if you think you’ll find yourself in public at times when you need to nurse and would like some privacy.

If milk doesn’t come until 3 days after delivery how will the baby survive or will the baby be placed in formula?

this is one of my questions, I feel like nobody really talks about it x

milk doesn’t come in for a few days but colostrum is there right away. It’s calorie dense and baby only needs very little, they have tiny stomachs. Colostrum will nourish baby for first days.
But, I’m in Canada and I was pressured to give baby formula till my milk came in. I think in UK there will be better support.

you make colostrum the first few days. The colostrum is super concentrated and the baby’s stomach is super tiny in the beginning.

If you can’t get them to latch try a nipple shield. Only thing that worked for me and meant I could finally breastfeed her. They have nipple shields in hospital

My neice told me that what she is getting me because I told her I wanted to breastfeed and she said it was a life saver for her