Breastfeeding Prep Before Baby Arrives: What You Actually Need to Know
Breastfeeding Prep Before Baby Arrives: What You Actually Need to Know
If your due date is getting close, you may be wondering what you are supposed to do now to “prepare” for breastfeeding.
The answer is less about buying gear and more about understanding the basics before you are learning them while sleep-deprived with a newborn in your arms.
At a glance
- Breastfeeding is a learned skill for both parent and baby
- Early milk is called colostrum
- Knowing feeding cues is more useful than watching the clock alone
- Identify lactation support before you need it
Start with realistic expectations
Breastfeeding may be natural, but that does not mean it always feels intuitive immediately.
Your baby is learning how to latch, suck, and swallow. You are learning positioning, your baby's feeding cues, and how your own body responds.
That learning curve is normal.
Know what colostrum is
Colostrum is the thick early milk your body produces around birth. Only small amounts are produced at first, which fits the early feeding needs of a newborn.
Milk volume typically increases over the following days as feeding continues.
“Preparing for breastfeeding means preparing for a learning curve — not expecting perfection on day one.” — Due Date Prep
Learn your baby's early hunger cues
Crying is generally a later hunger cue. Earlier signs may include bringing hands toward the mouth, rooting, increased alertness, and mouth movements.
Responding before a baby becomes very upset can sometimes make positioning and latching easier.
Build your support list now
Save contact information before delivery for:
- Your hospital or birth center's lactation team
- An IBCLC or lactation professional
- Your baby's pediatrician
- Your obstetric clinician
- A trusted friend or family member who can help with meals and household tasks
What do you actually need to buy?
You can keep it simple.
A practical starter kit
- Comfortable nursing bras or tanks if desired
- Reusable or disposable nursing pads
- A few clean bottles if pumping or combination feeding is part of your plan
- Your pump, if you already know you will need one
- A large water bottle
- Easy snacks within reach
Everything else can be added later based on what you and your baby actually need.
Most importantly, remember that feeding success does not have one appearance. Breastfeeding, pumping, combination feeding, and formula can all be part of an individualized feeding plan.
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Notes
- Contact your baby's healthcare professional or a lactation professional if you have concerns about feeding, latch, milk transfer, hydration, or weight gain.
- Individual feeding recommendations may vary based on parent and infant medical needs.
- General educational information only.