Breastfeeding your baby provides lifelong health benefits for both you and your child, is convenient and cost effective, and creates a loving bond between you and your baby from the beginning. The following suggestions address how you can approach breastfeeding your baby with confidence and knowledge by preparing in advance of the baby’s birth.
In our culture, we often hear stories about how challenging breastfeeding is. As a result many women doubt that they will be successful at nursing their infants. This self-doubt becomes the most common reason why breastfeeding is experienced as challenging. Numerous studies show that a common reason for weaning is the perception that there is a problem with the baby getting enough to eat when in fact the babies in the studies were thriving.
Preparing in advance to not only understand the process of breastfeeding and signs that your baby is growing and healthy but also knowing how to feel supported goes a long way to making breastfeeding work for you!
Preparing in advance will help you feel on top of how breastfeeding works, which will help you make sound decisions once your baby is here.
Refer to evidence-based sources. The advice of your co-workers, friends, and even health care providers who do not specialize in lactation, as well as popular books or websites written by lay persons might not be well researched and accurate. While anyone can tell you what worked for them and their baby, your best bet at avoiding complications is to follow well-researched recommendations from lactation experts. That said, there is valuable wisdom from those that have nursed their babies.
Connect with other breastfeeding mothers. While it’s important to understand the evidence regarding lactation, you still have much to gain in confidence and insight from nursing mothers. You can attend a La Leche League meeting in your community, find events that draw both new as well as expectant parents, or otherwise seek out nursing mothers that are friends or family members who had good experiences breastfeeding.
Take a breastfeeding class. Find out what resources are available in your community. Private lactation consultants, new parent centers, and hospitals often have classes for expectant parents.
Enlist the support of family and friends. You will be building a lifetime of support networks as you enter into parenthood. It is helpful to identify who your primary support people will be in the first weeks and to consider how familiar they are with breastfeeding. Include your partner and family in your education process, so that they can be supportive and on the same page when it comes to breastfeeding information. Buffer yourself from those who don’t understand your desire to breastfeed or who are otherwise unsupportive.
Choose a pediatrician who is supportive of breastfeeding. The evidence is indisputable that breastfeeding is best. Still, pediatricians will vary in how involved and encouraging they are of the breastfeeding relationship. As you interview, the best sign of a great doctor for breastfeeding mothers is that they recommend and partner with lactation consultants to ensure breastfeeding success.
Contact a lactation consultant. If you have risk factors, it is particularly important to contact a lactation consultant (LC) before the birth. Many hospitals have an LC on staff, but they aren’t necessarily able to see everyone before they go home. An independent LC can visit you in the hospital if someone is not available to you (or if you prefer to get your support from one source) and at home.
Hire a doula. Many times, the challenges of breastfeeding are really just the challenges of new parenthood. The first weeks are full of learning new things, transitioning into your new role and learning about your baby. All parents, breastfeeding or not, will find that this time presents them with some hurdles. The support of a postpartum doula includes knowledgeable guidance regarding breastfeeding, newborn wellbeing, and your own postpartum concerns, plus practical assistance with meal preparation, laundry, errands, and more. Not all doulas have the same training and education. Inquire during your interview how extensive their breastfeeding education and experience is and if there is a lactation consultant in their group with whom they consult. They, too, need to be grounded in evidence-based practice, not just what worked for them when they were nursing.
Do I need both a doula and a lactation consultant? What’s the difference? If you are at low risk for breastfeeding challenges, planning on doula support can help you get off to the best start and will ensure that you get early guidance and referrals if problems develop.
If you have had a history of breastfeeding problems, breast surgery or injury, flat or inverted nipples, conditions or diseases that affect your endocrine system (such as thyroid problems or polycystic ovarian syndrome for example) or will be breastfeeding multiple infants, lining up an LC in addition to a doula makes sense. If you have unexpected complications, such as a premature birth or a baby who is admitted to the nursery, plan on consulting with an LC. Otherwise, your doula will refer you if she notices any issues out of the ordinary.
A lactation consultant is someone with the skills and experience to identify and solve lactation problems, such as slow weight gain in the infant, nipple soreness, persistent latching problems, and more. A private lactation consultant will meet with you at your home or their office for approximately 1-1 1/2 hours, during which she will take a detailed history, observe a nursing session, weigh your baby and complete a physical exam as needed, provide you with recommendations, and report to your pediatrician or other healthcare providers that are also involved in working with you and your baby. The LC will follow up with a combination of phone calls and visits until your problem is resolved. The cost is typically $100-175 for a visit.
A doula is skilled and trained to meet a broader range of the needs that come with early parenthood. While less specialized than an LC, the postpartum doula should be knowledgeable and experienced with breastfeeding issues. She will serve as the first line of support, helping with breastfeeding initiation and generally supporting you with positioning and answering questions, offering reassurance and encouragement—all the while making life with baby easier by meeting the practical needs of your family. When a lactation problem arises, she can refer you to an LC if you don’t already have one, work together with the LC to understand what might be the source of the problem, and help on a daily basis to support your breastfeeding in-between your visits with your LC or other health care providers. The doula helps families make the most of all of their health care providers.
The doula provides support in a schedule determined by the family, but typically every day or every other day for a number of weeks. The postpartum doula costs between $25-30 per hour and provides care in 4-12 hour shifts. If you have a labor doula, their fee is generally $500-800 for prenatal support and care during birth. Find out in advance how much postpartum and breastfeeding support the labor doula includes in their package.