Preparing to Breast Feed

Old wives tales suggest women try to "toughen up" their nipples before their baby is born in an attempt to prepare their breasts for breastfeeding their baby; this is unnecessary and would serve no point, breasts don't get callused from breast feeding, but they may become sore.

The Best solution to preparing breasts for breastfeeding is to wear a good maternity bra before the baby is born and a nursing bra packed for the hospital a size too big; also Lansinoh for Breastfeeding Mothers is a secret weapon against breast feeding pain.

Lansinoh is pharmaceutical grade pure lanolin, it will soothe, condition, and protect the delicate skin on the nipples; use the lanolin before the baby is born to condition the sensitive skin, and after every feeding the first month or so after the baby is born.

Lansinoh is completely tasteless and non toxic, it is safe to be left on while the baby nurses and should be reapplied as soon as the baby has finished nursing.
Buying A Nursing Bra

Buying a nursing bra can be difficult, one a woman has decided to breastfeed she may get excited and go buy the bras, nursing pads, books, and nursing clothes in preparation for her new arrival.

Most women should wait to be fitted for a nursing bra until they are in their last month of pregnancy; they may want to start with only one or two. At least one of the nursing bras should have soft support rather than an underwire; this is because the underwire can clog milk ducts and will be extremely uncomfortable the first week or so of breastfeeding.

Also one of the nursing bras, probably the soft support bra, should be a size too big in the cup or maybe two; Motherhood has bras with adjustable cups that can really help in the first few weeks.

The key to any nursing bra, besides the size of course, is how well the mother can open the bra's cup-catch one handed; this should be tested out in the store, practice with it strapped over the shirt so the effect is a bit more realistic than on the hanger where it can be seen easily.

In The Hospital

In most hospitals after a typical vaginal birth the mother is allowed to hold the baby for about thirty minutes to an hour; this is a perfect time to introduce the baby to breast feeding. Many alert babies will take right to breastfeeding with out much prodding.

Simply hold the baby in the crook of one arm (the side for the first attempt of the nurse), some babies look for the breast as soon as skin touches their cheek, other babies need a little help finding it, the mother can lightly touch the babies lip with her nipple to encourage the baby to latch on.

If the baby doesn't latch on and doesn't open its mouth to do so, the mother shouldn't be discouraged, she can simply let the baby rest his or her face against her breast at first; sometimes when the baby has been able to smell the breast for a time they will become more interested in nursing.