0-3 Months Pregnant

¨ Get inspired. Read some accurate and motivating material on why to breastfeed, and especially, what to expect!   It is really important to have realistic expectations, short-term goals, and a plan.  Talk to other babes and visit our chat rooms to talk to other babes who have succeeded with breastfeeding.  

¨ Get honest. Examine your feelings about breastfeeding and talk to someone you trust and respect about any reservations, fears, etc.   You’ll be able to debunk myths, and get clarity and confidence, and you’ll have an ally to help you succeed!

¨ Start your A-Team. Find and choose a truly breastfeeding-friendly doctor (Obstetrician, GP or Midwife) and hospital/birth center.  If your current team is not breastfeeding friendly, switch! Having the right team in place can make for smoother sailing, and make the whole experience wonderful the way it should be.   Consider creating a birth plan; how you give birth can impact how easy it is to start breastfeeding.

3-6 Months Pregnant

¨ Watch a pal breastfeeding or check out breastfeeding videos to get comfortable with it; most of us have never seen another mother feeding up close.

¨ Enroll your spouse/partner. AFTER delivery is where they can really be a hero! Support from your partner is crucial to success...

6 Months Pregnant

¨ Build your team. Find a breastfeeding-friendly pediatrician who will help keep breastfeeding and your confidence going. Find local resources – lactation specialists, consultants, breastfeeding support groups. See our listing on where to find help.

¨ See and believe success. Begin doing imagery exercises to engender positive beliefs about your upcoming breastfeeding experience & boost your confidence.

¨ Start reading reliable and inspiring breastfeeding “how-to” information.

¨ Prepare relatives for your breastfeeding plans.

7 Months Pregnant

¨ Do your homework. Take an excellent breastfeeding class. Attend a breastfeeding support group at least once. See"Where to find help" there are some excellent consultants available in Ireland.

¨ Create a birth plan that includes immediate skin-to-skin cuddling and nursing within the first hour and go over it with your doctor or midwife. Familiarise yourself with some common issues with breastfeeding and know the facts about supplementing, and issues such as jaundice that can cause problems in hospitals.

¨ Continue doing imagery exercises to engender positive beliefs about your upcoming breastfeeding experience.

¨ Research breastfeeding policies at your place of employment and talk to your boss about accommodations to continue breastfeeding. Know your rights.

¨ Start scoping out places to feed when you’re on the go—you have a legal right to breastfeed in public in most states. But you still want to feel comfortable!

¨ Get in touch with one of the lactation specialists in your area and introduce yourself – reaching out now may make it more comfortable to call later.

8 Months Pregnant

¨ Prepare siblings for your plans to breastfeed, there are many wonderful books for toddlers. See our listing in our reading list for recommendations.

¨ Continue doing imagery exercises to engender positive beliefs about your upcoming breastfeeding experience.

¨ Shop! Although you only need your baby and your boobs, a few things can make nursing easier and more convenient, and some will downright give you mama mojo. See "what youll need" article for advice on what to wear, and tips to make your life as a breastfeeding babe in public all the easier.

–  Start asking for help:   Enlist anyone you can who is positive about breastfeeding, engage friends who have breastfed to get their advice. The more information you have before birth, the more likely it is that you will succeed.

9 Months Pregnant

¨ Review your birth and breastfeeding plan with your doctor/ carer.

¨ Continue doing imagery to stay in the belief that you can do it and that you can stay flexible and adapt to any twists and turns in your path to success! It’s important not to try to control the outcome; you will feel good about having prepared.

Read up on issues that you might encounter such as sore nipples, cracked nipples... the more you know, the more prepared you'll be, and the more equipped you will be to deal with these common and short lived issues. 

Birth

Relax and trust. You and your baby are wired for breastfeeding, and you have prepared yourself for any challenges and empowered yourself to make it work, regardless of what happens. Acknowledge yourself for doing your best to be prepared, and remind yourself that birth is an amazing mystery, and then let go!