Everybody wants to give you their best breastfeeding tips in the early days, but how do you sort the must-nots from the must-knows? Well, to give you a nudge in the right direction we’ve compiled our top five breastfeeding tips to enhance your early breastfeeding journey!

Breastfeeding Tips

Try to breastfeed on demand

Newborns are hungry little creatures who are constantly on the hunt for sustenance, so you will be feeding between seven and twelve times in 24 hours. This will settle over time but frequent and effective feeding early on will help you to make enough milk for your baby.

While getting bub into a routine is a good idea long term, try not to focus on it during the early days as it’s best to just follow baby’s cues and go with the flow (pardon the pun!).

Also, remember that breastfeeding can make you really hungry so be sure to stock up on easy-to-chomp snacks. We simply love Unrefined Bakery and their delicious Almond Butter Flapjack bars. These babies are plant-based, gluten free and all natural!

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a sweet treat to dip in your lactation tea, try Boobbix Lactation Cookies. As well as containing Oats, Brewer’s Yeast, Fenugreek and Flaxseed, key ingredients that are used to help milk supply, these delicious cookies are also made with the best quality ingredients possible.

Breastfeeding Tips

Stay hydrated

You needn’t count your cups of water, but drink enough so that you rarely feel thirsty throughout the day. Did you know you lose about 25 ounces of water in breast milk every day?

Therefore, it’s very important to keep yourself topped up with the wet stuff. A good tip is to fill a water bottle and take it everywhere you go.

Extra points if it has measurements on it, so you can see exactly how much you’re drinking. Remember, if you don’t like the taste of water, it’s perfectly okay to add a bit of flavouring for extra taste.

Breastfeeding Tips

Pump in between feeds

Most mothers find that pumping every 2-3 hours maintains their milk supply and does not cause them to become uncomfortably full.

If you’re on the go, we recommend the Fraupow Wearable Breast Pump which is lightweight and wire free! Added to this, in the early days of breastfeeding, pumping helps you to build your milk supply even before baby needs more milk.

Breastfeeding Tips

Do skin-to-skin after birth

Skin-to-skin is beneficial for all babies, whether they are breastfeeding or formula feeding. However, a newborn’s instincts to breastfeed are particularly strong after birth. So holding your newborn skin-to-skin can help them start to breastfeed from the get-go.

And don’t feel you have to stop the skin-on-skin snuggles after you leave the hospital because some experts recommend it for at least three months for full-term babies and six months for premature babies.

It’s not like we needed to give you an excuse to cuddle up with your baby, but here is just one more reason to enjoy those special snuggles.

Breastfeeding tips

If you’re struggling, ask for help

No, it’s not just you. Breastfeeding is actually really hard and can really push us to the brink during those early days and weeks. For that reason, we recommend that if you need help, you ask for it.

Whether it’s in the capacity of a lactation consultant or your best friend, it’s important to reach out.

Never be afraid of asking for advice of letting your loved ones know when you are struggling with breastfeeding. The NHS has an array of wonderful resources online. Alternatively, La Leche League GB offers friendly advice on breastfeeding from pregnancy onwards.

 

AND… What should you not do while breastfeeding?

This is a big one but there are certain things you should avoid while breastfeeding. Here are just a few:

1) Avoid too much caffeine

2) Limit alcohol (or avoid it completely)

3) Don’t smoke