Pregnancy is an exciting time full of plans for your new life as part of an expanded family. You may be decorating a nursery or carefully folding tiny new baby clothes when your thoughts turn to more practical elements. You’ve always wanted to breastfeed, so what can you do to get it off to the best start while you’re still pregnant?

First of all, even having this thought is already huge—many of us are so involved in the details of pregnancy and birth that we forget there’s an actual baby on the way!

Your body doesn’t forget though, and right from around the 16th week of pregnancy, your breasts have already built the milk-making capacity and are in a ‘holding pattern’ waiting for their hungry customer to arrive! While your body has been busy setting up the milk-making tissue within your breasts, the best thing you can do is educate yourself on what feeding a newborn is like and what to expect.

Things to prepare

Antenatal colostrum is expressed. Getting to know your body and how to express your milk will be a valuable skill throughout your breastfeeding journey. As long as you have an uncomplicated pregnancy with no threat of early labour, it is perfectly safe to start expressing colostrum from around 36 weeks of pregnancy. Small volumes (up to 1 ml) are about what we would expect to be able to express in a single session, and this can be stored in the freezer in sterile colostrum collection syringes. These syringes of colostrum can be helpful in the early days as a small top-up should you face any of the common challenges (see episode 6 of this package) of early breastfeeding.

Learn the technical aspects of breastfeeding. The other lessons in this journey will help you learn how to latch your baby, how to manage the feed frequency and pattern, how to recognise when things are going well, as well as many other aspects of breastfeeding. You will be tired and possibly a little overwhelmed when the baby arrives, so going through these things beforehand will help you remember what to do at the big moment!

A comfortable place to sit. You don’t need an official ‘nursing’ chair (in fact, many on the market are too narrow to be good nursing chairs beyond the newborn days). What you will want is somewhere comfortable where you can recline slightly back. If you are also able to have your feet up, that’s ideal. For most families, this can simply mean snagging the best spot on the sofa or having extra pillows in the bed for back support!

Breastfeeding-friendly clothing This is usually a well-fitting nursing bra, which is often better if not underwired. If you go for an underwired bra, you need to make sure it fits exceptionally well and that the wires aren’t pushing pressure on any breast tissue. For other clothing, you don’t need to buy specialist clothes; just make sure that it can be easily lifted up or down to release your breast. Many women go for the two-top system: a strappy vest that can be pulled down under the breast and another top or jumper above that can be pulled up over the breast. In this way, you are not exposing more of your body than is necessary, and you can still wear all your old favourite outfits!

A good boxset on TV When breastfeeding is going well, new mothers spend an average of 60–80 hours a week feeding their babies. This is the equivalent of nearly two full-time jobs! So, while staring into your baby’s eyes during a feed is amazing, there will also be moments when you are looking for something else to do, and a great series of something light and entertaining can be perfect! If you’re not a TV person, then maybe stock up on new books or new music to keep you company.

A lactation consultant is on standby. If you do find yourself facing any of the common challenges in early breastfeeding, then very often a single session with a lactation consultant can make all the difference. Ask around and have the details of one to hand so that you’re not scrambling if you end up needing them.

Things not to prepare

This may sound like a strange heading, but there are so many gadgets and tools out there that are supposed to support breastfeeding that you could spend a fortune before the baby arrives and before you know if any of them are necessary in your personal situation.

A breast pump Although many mothers will eventually find a pump useful, we advise holding off on this purchase until you know what form your pumping needs will take. Each pump has a specific purpose and advantage (or disadvantage), and when you do make the investment to buy one, you want to make sure it’s the right pump for your needs. Assuming breastfeeding is going well and there’s no medical need to pump, we usually recommend waiting 6 weeks or so after birth to pump for reasons of convenience.

Nipple shields. Again, there are specific times when these can be helpful, but they are never recommended until at least your milk comes in and should be used in conjunction with skilled support to ensure that there is adequate milk transfer.

Breastfeeding cushions. For most women, a breastfeeding cushion is not only unnecessary, but it can also be the reason you are only getting a shallow latch or why your back aches during a breastfeed. If the cushion causes you to hunch over your baby while they lie on their backs, this is not helpful for either of you. See lesson 5 for further tips on comfortably latching your baby.

Any other gadgets or gizmos. In its simplest form, all you need for successful breastfeeding is a mother and a baby! It is wonderful that aids and gadgets have been developed to help families through breastfeeding challenges, but there is no need to pre-emptively buy any of them. Sometimes the unnecessary introduction of complications in the first few weeks can cause more issues than they solve.

Is there anything I can do in pregnancy to prepare for breastfeeding?

For our Baby Feeding Journey, Unii Expert Wendy Lever shares breastfeeding preparation advice for pregnant women.