As a mother who’s about to give birth, you need to learn as much about breastfeeding as possible. It’s an experience like no other, but new mothers-to-be, unfortunately, aren’t the most educated on it. This is a shame as there are countless guides for it – there are even classes conducted by lactation experts. We ran through everything you need to know below.
Find Formulas
Breastfeeding is great, but formulas make things easier. The best baby formulas come with the most nutrients – they are also the easiest to whip up. The thing is, there are many formula brands around. As you want the best for your child, you should be mindful of the name you’re buying from. It’s recommended that you find the right one before your baby arrives as you’ll be too busy otherwise. Depending on its form (powder or not), how easy it is to mix would defer too.
A lot of mothers think breast milk is superior to formulas, so they’re not worth it. Producing adequate milk may not be easy for you, so having the powders by your side would be your saving grace.
Practice Positions
When you’re at the hospital and it’s time to feed your child, you may think you know what you’re doing, but you don’t. It’s not until you put him into your arms that you figure out how awkward it is to find the right position. How do you practice? With things around your home that are the size of an infant. Things like football work amazingly. You’ll also find countless guides on how to find the right position – make sure to watch tutorials.
Have a Baby Registry
If you don’t have a baby registry, you’re making a grave move. It would be a list of items, most likely on Amazon or other online stores – it would consist of products that will help when your baby arrives. Breastfeeding equipment is a great thing to include in it. Specifically, ask for nursing bras, feeding pillows, hand pumps, pumping adapters, and formula – formula can be expensive, which is why getting as much as it for free is smart.
Mentally Prepare
When people say having a newborn is hard, much of the difficulty they’re talking about is the breastfeeding schedule. Your baby will need to be fed every 2 hours all day long. This will take place until he reaches his birth weight. If this makes you panic, know that it’s a schedule that won’t last long – babies grow rapidly. However, once you’re on it, it will feel like a rollercoaster – especially since you’re tired from just giving birth. The best way to prepare is to get excited – getting off the schedule is a major milestone.
Anticipate Pain
If you didn’t know, breastfeeding can be painful. During the first few weeks, it will string. Countless mothers don’t expect this, giving up on breastfeeding. It’ll especially be uncomfortable if you weren’t expecting the stinging sensation. Luckily for you, taking deep breaths while your baby latches on makes it easier. The pain goes away quickly when you don’t delve on it – your body quickly adjusts.
Find Breast Feeding Classes
Breastfeeding classes have always been around. Unfortunately, many don’t realize they exist – mothers rather go to Lamaze as they’re the most popular. The classes are held by lactation experts, in hospitals. If you speak to the one you’re going to give birth in, you’ll probably find out that they offer the classes too.
What’s great about them is that you can take them online – if you’re late in your cycle, getting dressed and going outside does not sound fun.
If you’re going to sign up for a breastfeeding class online, make sure it’s done by an expert – there are many scammers online. They need to be physicians, nurses, or midwives that are lactation consultants.
Learn How to Have a Good Milk Supply
A lot of things affect your milk supply. In general, the more you pump, the more milk you will produce. The amount of water affects it as well. You’re supposed to drink plenty of it! One of the most important things is ensuring you maintain enough calories – having a specific diet is not required.
Remember that your milk is full of nutrients that your infant needs – without enough food, you won’t be nourishing him as well as you need to. If you want to make sure your little one gets the best milk, get a hold of milk bars. They’re specifically made for breastfeeding mothers – they can be taken twice a day.
Although you may be producing an ample amount of breast milk, your baby may not be latching on. This could be because you gave him a pacifier too soon. It’s recommended that you wait a month until you introduce pacifiers to newborns.
Know The Law
You’ll be taking your newborn out with you in no time. Unfortunately, how easy it would be for you to breastfeed depends on the place you live. Not just the country, the specific state. By not being mindful of any restrictions, you could find yourself in a sticky situation when breastfeeding. If you have to pump at work, you need to know what the law says to – some states let you pump depending on the number of people that work with you.
Final Thoughts
Breastfeeding is something you have to prepare for. Unfortunately, some mothers don’t know much about it – this makes for a very chaotic experience when their baby arrives. Countless mothers have no idea that breastfeeding hurts. It is uncomfortable for the first few weeks, but your body quickly adapts. They also need to find the right formulas as purchasing ones with the right nutrients would be a hassle with an infant around.
More importantly, practicing positions and knowing what the laws on breastfeeding in public are, is very important.
With those points out of the way, you know everything that you need to.