61 tips for a successful breastfeeding relationship

This amazing list is from the Lactivist Facebook page – if you can think of anything else you would like to add please just add a comment, it would be great to make it up to 100!

1.     Mummy baby cuddle time and a partner who understands…

2.     Support (but determination is right up there too)

3.     Determination and drive

4.     Frequent feeding is what you WANT your baby to do!!

5.     Ask for help from a breastfeeding consultant if you’re having any wobbles. They are worth their weight in gold.

6.     Confidence in your bodies ability to nourish your baby

7.     Throw away formula samples.

8.     Relax…..don’t let what anyone else thinks about breast feeding bother you…enjoy! They don’t stay babies long enough

9.     ASK ASK ASK ASK ASK MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOSPITAL (IF YOU GO HOSPITAL)

10.  Determination & confidence in your own body and its abilities an understanding/supportive partner is a godsend too!

11.  Allowing proper time to establish, realizing the necessity of those many early hours (in the early hours!) on the couch with pillows, lansinoh, good books and chocolate…..obviously

12.  Forgot about putting your baby on any kind of feeding schedule and just feed on demand!

13.  Know where to get the help from in case you have any questions or problems and don’t buy bottles in ‘just in case’.

14.  Having an educational support system built up!

15.  Give it time, very few things worth doing come easily. Breastfeeding is natural but so is having a few teething troubles and it is worth the effort.

16.  Never give up!

17.  If in doubt breastfeed and when in doubt, ask for help!

18.  Listen to your gut because you are more likely right.

19.  From a male point of view, to have a partner who is determined to succeed through thick and thin, when mastitis kicks in, when the little one wants feeding constantly day and night, to have the confidence to feed in public, and give the little one the best start in life they possibly can!! Oh and a supportive husband/boyfriend and family!!!!! You all do a fantastic job and my wife has been amazing in feeding our little boy and still is at 16 months!

20.  Push through the first 6 weeks AND read/watch/listen about BFing as much as you can BEFORE baby is here. =]

21.  Skin to skin x

22.  Feed on demand, co-sleep and ignore idiots

23.  Be with your baby. Seems obvious, but so many mom’s are being pulled away, or are anxious to get their life back, and don’t realize that it is sabotaging the bfing relationship!

24.  Determination and support most definitely

25.  Determination – in the first weeks anyway. The first 2 weeks were a nightmare for me – I got through mastitis, severe pain but kept going because I was DETERMINED to provide my son with what he needed. Here I am 3 and a half years later still going strong

26.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help and find out where the help is before you need it!

27.  Making your mind up that you WILL breastfeed! I have a petite baby girl that was slow gaining weight. Everyone kept saying “if you have to supplement its ok…” but it wasn’t’ ok with me! Thank God I had a Pediatrician never told me I needed to do anything but keep feeding as frequently as she wanted it. She’s 13 months old now she’s starting self-led weaning and I’m proud to say she’s NEVER had formula!

28.  Surrender to your baby in the early days. Accept that breastfeeding is a commitment and relax into it as much as you can. They are only babies for a little while.

29.  Lansinoh, chill out, ignore weight growth charts just be aware of weight loss, baby feeds on demand not timed, not in a toilet unless your bursting and its your choice, no one else matters but that wee bubba needs you, your body will be the size it needs to to feed your child so don’t give a damn about losing weight or training we store the necessary things the milk needs, enjoy it while it lasts x

30.  Be prepared to be feeding A LOT and see that as a good thing to be enjoyed! Ah all those lovely cuddles!

31.  Truly believing you are doing THE best thing you possibly could to give your LO the best start in life.

32.  Feeding on demand. Don’t worry about how frequent it is, just give ‘em the boob. Sometimes it was every half hour, sometimes baby’d go for 4 or 5 hours. BF Health Visitor told me if they’re weeing, pooing, gaining weight and sleeping (a little!), then they’re doing good.

33.  This is from my husband; “Just keep going, just keep feeding, no matter how long it takes, just keep going because you are giving your baby the best.” He watched me express and cup feed our 2nd child for 3 weeks solid before he re-latched.

34.  keep going is the biggest one, 3b and 3bf baby was the only one that I got cracked sore and bleeding but I fed through the discomfort and here she is 1yr on and still bf x

35.  Keep it up ladies. When our children have children we will be there to give the help and support they really need and we can pass our experience on to them. Something a lot of us never got from our mothers. Bfing will hopefully be the norm …in the next couple of generations. Be determined but don’t beat yourself up if u don’t get it right straight away. Mother and baby have to learn to feed. I have 5 kids and found it difficult with all of them to begin with in different ways but I knew that it would get easier in a couple of weeks. BREAST IS BEST. See more

36.  Absolute commitment

37.  Forget everything you have been told and use your instincts!! )

38.  Co-sleeping!

39.  Throw away your expectations and go with the flow (pun intended). Take up offers of support, we all have insecurities and there will always be people to play on our worries. Have confidence in yourself and your bodies ability to provide what your child needs. Remember weight loss at first is normal no matter what your feeding choice and that with exclusive bf’ing your baby will grow in their natural way. Let your baby feed for as long as they want as often as they want and enjoy the enforced rest. Don’t expect it to be easy, especially at first! Listen to your baby and your body and marvel at how in sync they become. The first few weeks of motherhood are so hard, allow yourself to cry and no matter what others may say, formula is not the easy option, once you get through those first few weeks and you and your baby become more confident, competent breastfeeders you’ll be so glad you stuck at it! Enjoy, you are doing a wonderful thing for your baby.

40.  Feed, feed, feed…… And feed again!!!

41.  Use your peers.

42.  Relax! Physically and mentally. Get really comfy, enjoy all the cuddles and try not to stress about how much/little baby is feeding.

43.  It’s so easy to listen to everyone around you saying “just give them a bottle, you were bottle fed and you’re fine”. Like what Lactivist said above, it can be hard in the beginning but longer term, bottle feeding can be just as hard. It gets …so much easier as you go along and is a really good excuse to sit on your butt I think most of us breastfeeding mama’s would all say the same thing, Enjoy it! Our babies are only babies once.

44.  Don’t expect your midwife (wives) to be pro-breastfeeding. I got very little support from my community team and was asked if I was breastfeeding ‘because I wanted to or because I thought I should and if it was the latter to just put him on the bottle!’ I got support from a good friend and a cousin who had both bf their children and would really recommend having an experience breast feeder who you can ring or e mail whenever you have a question or just need a chat. My two got me through the hellish first week and over a year later my son and I have never looked back.

45.  I’ve always said I breastfeed because I’m too lazy to bottlefeed!

46.  Nurse on demand, wherever you are; bed, grocery shopping, relative’s house. I still love nighttime nursing with my 2 y/o:-)

47.  Support and determination. Formula is NOT an option attitude!

48.  Skin to Skin. Helps in so many ways, increasing milk, relaxing both you and baby, builds confidence, puts baby in best place to get at breast.

It is not always easy, it can take work, keep trying, get experienced support, if you want to breastfeed don’t let people pressure you into giving that one bottle. I am UNCEF trained and supported more Mums to breastfeed I knew it was not always easy and thankfully knew ways around problems and was able to fight for what I wanted (ok read that as bloody minded), I still cried buckets when my daughter would not feed (she sadly was not UNICEF trained and did not know what I wanted her to do LOL), Doctors still knocked my confidence and made me feel neglectful (basically see you up on special care then) although I made a evidenced based plan as I would when I worked on a NICU which worked.
My daughter will be 3 on 1st July and never expected to say she is still very much breastfeeding mainly at night but also if unwell and god it fells so good to still be able to satisfy her needs and now also calm the raging toddler. And yep I too breastfeed because I am too bloody lazy to do all the crap that comes with bottle feeding.

49.  Plenty of skin to skin at birth. I put all our success down those first vital hours of my little girls life.

50.  Books can’t tell you when your baby is hungry, only baby can! Follow your baby’s lead, ask for support if you need it, if you’re struggling always remember ‘this will soon pass, it will get easier’ Going in with the utter determination that you WILL breastfeed and that nothing is gonna stop you!

51.  Trust your own body!

52.  Perseverance and find your local bf support group/bf cafe

53.  Self belief and not listening to those who tell you otherwise

54.  Be determined, double check everything healthcare professionals tell you on kellymom, feed on demand. Remember you are doing the best thing for your baby- providing a service that only you can- be empowered by that! x

55.  Have a partner well-informed and determined as you – so he will happily cook meals after his long day at work, do the housework, go shopping, bring you snacks/drinks – say ‘I will do this you sit down and feed him – that’s your most important job’ have him (dp turn to you ‘and say you are doing a marvelous job, you’re brilliant, you’re beautiful’ in short have the back up support you need – it is a hard hard job if you are trying to breastfeed AND cook, clean shop etc

56.  Feed on demand and lots of love.

57.  If nipples become sore use nipple shields until they recover.

58.  Trust your motherly Instinct, surround yourself with positive people and breastfeeding mummies…and don’t make rash decisions at ‘low’ times XX

59.  Have faith in your boobs and have faith in your baby

60.  Remember both you and baby have to learn this new skill, that can take time-persevere.

61.  Go to bfing groups. support when u need it

All the photos on this page are of t-shirts from www.lactivist.co.uk