10 Ways to Support Breastfeeding Mothers

If your partner has just had a baby, you might be wondering about the best ways in which you can offer breastfeeding support.

Breastfeeding should be a team effort, especially if you have older children. For some mums, breastfeeding might be easy, but others might need a little more help. Either way, remember that everyone benefits from strong support from family when it comes to breastfeeding.

Feeling clueless when it comes to breastfeeding? Don’t worry, there are simple, practical things you can do to help support breastfeeding mothers.

Encourage Her To Seek Help With Breastfeeding If Needed

It can be common to run into problems with breastfeeding, and some parents need support and guidance with feeding. The good news is that support is available to help them overcome any challenges, so encourage your partner to speak to her midwife or health visitor. They will be very happy to give advice and also share their top breastfeeding tips for partners too.

Make Sure She Has Everything She Needs

Babies breastfeed often, so it’s important to make sure your partner is as comfortable as possible. As soon as she sits down to feed, make sure she has everything she needs - as she might be there for a while! Fetch her the remote control, muslins, a drink, snack, feeding pillow or anything she needs.

Prepare Meals

In the hectic early baby days, it can be tricky to find the time to eat, but when you are breastfeeding it is important to eat regular, healthy meals. One of the most simple but important jobs for partners is to make healthy and nutritious meals for everyone to eat.

Have A Good Supply Of Healthy Snacks

Breastfeeding can make new mums ravenous, so make sure you are all stocked up with nutritious snacks. Good snacks for breastfeeding include fruit like bananas, yoghurts, flapjacks or carrot sticks with hummus.

Make Sure She’s Hydrated

It is important to stay hydrated while breastfeeding. For your breastfeeding partner, make sure you fill up her water bottle or fetch her a drink regularly.

Be Supportive

Strong breastfeeding support is positive for everyone! Make sure you are supportive of her wishes – listen to her and remind her that she’s doing a good job.

Manage Visitors

Everyone to want to visit a new baby immediately, and it’s lovely for the baby to meet new family members. However, this can be overwhelming for new mums, especially if they are trying to establish breastfeeding and may be self-conscious in front of other people. Make sure you are not overrun with visitors. Remember it is fine to tell people to come in a couple of weeks instead.

Look After Older Children

If you have older children, make sure you’re in charge of looking after them. A new baby can be a big adjustment for siblings, and it can help to spend one-on-one time with older children to reassure them. You can provide fun activities for them to do while the baby is feeding – for example you might bring out some puzzles or books just for during this time.

Make Sure You Bond With The Baby Too

There are lots of ways partners can bond with the baby that do not involve feeding them. Hold them, change them, bathe them, wear them in a sling – there are lots of small but important ways you can get to know each other.

Take Care Of Everything You Can

This would be one of the most important breastfeeding tips for partners! Breastfeeding can take up a lot of time when babies are little, and it is important that your partner and the baby spend as much time as possible time together, without having to worry about the day-to-day jobs.

Our Breastfeeding Supplements

A healthy, varied diet is vital for new mothers, to help produce nutritious breast milk and maintain their own health during the demanding postnatal period. Pregnacare Breast-feeding tablets contains essential vitamins and minerals including calcium which contributes to the maintenance of normal bones. Plus, 10mcg vitamin D, which is recommended by the Department of Health during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It also includes an Omega-3 capsule which provides DHA. Maternal intake of DHA contributes to the normal brain and eye development in breast-fed infants*.

If you have taken Pregnacare in pregnancy, then Pregnacare Breast-feeding is an ideal follow-on once your baby has arrived.

To find out more about the Pregnacare Breast-feeding, visit the Pregnacare page on our website.

* A beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 200mg DHA in addition to the recommended daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids for adults.