How to Prepare for Breastfeeding Before Your Baby Arrives

If you’re nearing the end of your pregnancy, your feet are probably swollen, you pee 30x a day (or maybe 30x an hour), and all you want is for your baby to come out and be in your arms. Those first few newborn snuggles will rock your world, but then some of the realities of being a mama set in. You have to actually try to feed this beautiful baby!

I know it’s not easy, which is why I have some insider tips that I hope help you on your breastfeeding journey.

Take a class

At the hospital where I gave birth, they offered a breastfeeding class and luckily a few weeks before my due date a friend convinced me to go. It was so helpful! I was certain it would be a colossal waste of time, but I learned a lot, like what baby’s mouth should look like once she latched. I swear knowing this helped me unlatch her if she wasn’t on correct, which probably saved my nipples from a lot of unnecessary pain.

Order your insurance covered breast pump

Having my pump ready and waiting for me at home was a huge relief when I left the hospital. I thought that I wouldn’t need it right away, but I did. I had some engorgement and if I hadn’t had my pump to relieve the pressure and pain, I probably would have ended up back at the hospital to either use their pump or because of mastitis.

See if your insurance will cover one of our brand name breast pumps by clicking here!

Find the breastfeeding hold that works best for you

There are a ton of different ways to hold your baby while nursing. You can check out an article here to see. At the hospital, the nurses were really pushing the football hold on me. I HATED it! It was uncomfortable and painful. Finally after some experimenting I found that the cross-cradle hold worked much better for me.

And once I was home and my baby was a little older, I fell in love with the side-lying position. I loved lying down while nursing. It felt so snuggly and sweet.

Download an app to help time and track feedings

At the beginning, the nurses and doctors will want to know what time your baby ate and how long he/she nursed for. I found an app very helpful for that. I also used it to track which side the baby finished eating on as that was the side I started on for the next feeding. That way I was sure not to forget a boob which could lead to engorgement.

There are a ton of great apps for this, but here is one that I used.

Understand your boobs need time to adjust

I’ve done this three times now and each time I had to deal with 4-5 days of intense engorgement and pain when my milk came in. Some of my most vivid post-partum memories are standing under a scalding hot shower trying to relieve some of the pressure and pain.

It sounds awful, but I’m here to tell you it doesn’t last! Just use cabbage leaves and heating pads and one day you’ll wake up to normal boobs again. I promise.

At Insurance Covered Breast Pumps, we know that the pumping life is mom life. And we want you to be successful!

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