Go read the Disclaimer again. I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. Seriously.
Bad things happen to interfere with our ability to attain goals we cherish, and sometimes, we have goals we attain that we bitterly regret when we learn better. Be compassionate of other people, their choices and their outcomes.
That said, this particular document is intended to help readers understand how breastfeeding interconnects with other decisions so they can figure out what goals will work well for them. I'm very much in favor of extended, intensive breastfeeding for everyone who has a baby to care for, so I while I'll point out the interconnections, I'll be doing so in an effort to help people attain that goal. If you want to use this information to pursue a different goal (say, sleeping eight hours a night as soon as possible after delivery or having another baby within a year, or even consciously sabotaging breastfeeding because people are nagging you and you don't like that and you want a particularly spectacular failure story to hold up when the lactivists look disapprovingly at that bottle), that's entirely your business.
The first, and possibly most helpful thing you can do to make sure breastfeeding works for you, is to watch it in action.
Read The Breastfeeding Cafe and, if you feel adventurous, Fresh Milk. They are collections of stories along with information about breasts and breastfeeding. They cover more territory than any of the breastfeeding bibles, and they made me feel very much a part of a crowd of normal people doing something very worthwhile. Fresh Milk in particular will make you feel downright boring, if you are a pregnant woman planning to breastfeed your own baby.
Have Breastfeeding Made Simple or Bestfeeding on hand to answer questions that might come up.
Accustom yourself to the idea that you might have problems like plugged ducts or mastitis and have in mind what you will do to correct them should they occur. Also adjust to the idea that you may have to call in outside help to solve some problems. If you have a friend or friends who successfully breastfed for months or, better, years, get their breastfeedinig stories.
Get Lilypadz, for leaks, and Lansinoh Lanollin for sore nipples, both of which you may well have during the first few weeks, and may have for longer. Make sure you get these before the birth, because you might not be able to get out to shop for them after the birth. A lot of drugstores carry Lansinoh; the Lilypadz you can mail order.
Plan to cue feed on early cues, and do not plan to do anything else for the first few weeks. That way, if you do get to do other things in the first few weeks, it will be a pleasant surprise, and you won't have to be panic-cancelling a ton of things.
Plan to sleep with or near your baby, with flexible sleeping locations available in case that does not work for for a time or at all. Try to get side lying nursing working, but be patient, and try to be happy with what does work for you.
Prioritize eating for yourself. Your food makes milk.
Do not feed the baby any other way for at least a month, ideally two, unless you must. Any feeds not at the breast should be pumped breastmilk (or hand expressed colostrum) if at all possible. Pump every time the baby eats other than at the breast, unless you are completely out of commission due to problems of your own. Hopefully, that will not happen.
Wear bras with caution and ongoing attention to fit and comfort.
Learn how to hand express before or at least in addition to, pumping.
Use LAM for interim birth control, with a barrier method of birth control as a backup. Find a non-hormonal birth control you can deal with and trust for when your period returns.
If your baby squirms a lot while nursing, remember to check the diaper. While burping most breastfed babies is largely pointless, yours could be an exception. If the diaper is dry at the beginning of the squirm, and wet or poopy when the squirming stops, your baby is doing a clear potty dance in arms, and you have a agolden opportunity to consider trying elimination communication.
Some comments on nursing clothing, and nursing gear.
Copyright 2006 by Rebecca Allen.
Created February 4, 2006 Updated March 8, 2006