On the Coast – Families Issue 96 I October/November 2019 | Page 8

Preparation for
breastfeeding
success
By Jessica Moran
D
uring your pregnancy, you will need to
consider how you would prefer to feed
your baby once it is born. Some women
may have never considered this thought
before their pregnancy; some women will
feel like they have always known, while
others may take a ‘wait and see’ approach.
For those who choose to or are considering
breastfeeding there is a lot, you can do during
your pregnancy to prepare.
Your body’s preparation: from the
moment your baby is conceived your
body will start preparing to produce
milk to breastfeed. One of the earliest
pregnancy symptoms is breast
tenderness or tingling. You may also
notice your breasts start to increase in
size; this is due to the increase in blood
supply to the breast and the increasing
size of your milk ducts and cells. Your
areolas will become darker and larger,
with small lumps forming, called
Montgomery’s tubercles.
From around 16 weeks onwards you
may start to leak colostrum. Colostrum
is the type of breastmilk that the baby
consumes in the first few days of life.
It is yellow in colour and some women
may need to wear breast pads during
their pregnancy. If you don’t notice any
breast changes in pregnancy, then it
is important to discuss this with your
midwife or obstetrician.
Educating yourself: Exposure to
breastfeeding has reduced significantly
in modern culture. With lack of
exposure, comes lack of knowledge and
an increase in ill-informed advice. The
best thing you can do during pregnancy
is to educate yourself with as much
knowledge as possible.
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KI DZ O N T H E C OA S T
It is crucial to understand normal
newborn behaviour, such as early
hunger cues. It is also important to
understand the challenges that you may
face on your breastfeeding journey and
the possible solutions to these.
All general antenatal classes will cover
general breastfeeding topics however
if you would like a specialised class the
Australian Breastfeeding Association is a
great place to start. Classes can be booked
at www.breastfeeding.asn.au/classes. It
is a good idea for your partner to attend
these classes as well. You may like to
consider writing a ‘feeding preferences
plan’ for when you are in the hospital.
Once you are home from the hospital,
you may like to visit your early childhood
centre and attend a drop-in breastfeeding
clinic or see your midwife for further
support and advice.
Trust in your body: Your body has
been successful in conceiving and growing
your baby. Have trust in your body that it
will be able to nurture your baby as well.
For some women, breastfeeding will be a
very natural and easy process.
Other women may experience many
challenges with breastfeeding, and it is
crucial that you believe in your body’s
ability while you work to overcome
these. It is important to remember that
if you feed your baby on demand, with
unlimited access to your breast, then it is
very rare not to produce enough milk to
feed your baby adequately.
What to buy: During pregnancy, you
may find that you need to purchase larger
bras from around 16 weeks gestation. As
your breasts change size throughout the
day it is generally recommended that you
don’t wear bras with underwire.
However some maternity bras now
have a flexible and soft wire. You will
need to buy some maternity bras or
singlets to wear while breastfeeding.
Breast pads are useful to stop leaking
onto your clothes, and you can purchase
disposable or reusable versions of these.
It is not necessary to purchase nipple
creams, breast pumps, nursing pillows,
breastfeeding covers, dummies/pacifiers,
sterilising equipment, bottles or formula.
Lots of women who breastfeed will
never need to use these items, and they
may be an unnecessary expense for you.
These products are all easily available to
purchase or hire if you ever need them
following the birth of your baby.
Antenatal expressing: During your
pregnancy, you may like to express
colostrum to store for your baby. In