Breastfeeding essentials
Article
Oct 23, 2020
5 mins
Planning to breastfeed but not sure what you’ll need? Here is a list of our first-time breastfeeding tips to help you prepare.
- Buy nipple cream. It will help with those first tender feeds.
- Stock up on nursing pads. Be prepared to buy in bulk.
- Buy several nursing bras.
- Buy nursing covers or nursing tops if they make feeding more comfortable.
- Consider sticking up on cabbages! Apparently, putting chilled cabbage leaves on your breasts may help to relieve tenderness.
- Talk to friends and family who have breastfed before for advice.
- Consider taking an antenatal class about breastfeeding.
- Find out about local lactation experts or breastfeeding support services in case you don’t get the hang of breastfeeding straightaway.
- Find out about local breastfeeding cafes with experts and other moms.
- Research the best foods to eat while breastfeeding.
- Look into healthy snacks that could keep up your energy while breastfeeding.
- Take a daily multivitamin.
- Cut down your caffeine intake if you need to—there’s a recommended limit of 200-300mg a day.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Consider buying a breast pump so others can help with feeds at some point.
- Buy a breastfeeding pillow to make feeding comfier.
- Buy burping cloths (sometimes called muslins). Breastfeeding on demand can mean a lot of leakage.
