My top breastfeeding tips

Yesterday marked the start of the National Breastfeeding Awareness Week. Despite a difficult start I breastfed Poppet for a year and am still breastfeeding Little. I am aware that breastfeeding can often be a emotive subject and something that doesn't come easily to many, but I wanted to share some tips that I have gathered from my breastfeeding journey in the hope they might help someone just starting out.

So here are my top tips!

• Watch your baby not the clock. Feeding on demand is best for breastfeeding, so feed your baby at the first sign of hunger. Even if this was just an hour ago.  It does not mean you are not producing enough milk.

• From my experience, it really hurt for the first 6 weeks. Really hurt. So be prepared that you may experience pain and this does not necessarily mean that your latch is wrong. Your nipples have to get used to a lot (my second baby didn't cause me any pain at all).

• Try sipping iced water through a straw to distract yourself from that initial latching on pain. I also had a big bag of sweeties and as a special treat had one during each feed. This stopped me dreading those early feeds so much.

• Fashion a boob tube out of a muslin cloth for wearing at night, comfier than a bra and stops you leaking milk everywhere!

• Buy a tube of Lansinoh nipple cream for the early days. It is really hard to get out of the tube, so keep it under your pillow or in your pocket so your body heat melts it and it squeezes out a lot easier.

• On days two and three post-birth your baby will cluster feed to bring your milk in - this means non-stop feeding. It does not mean your baby is hungry and you are not satisfying them, it is your baby stimulating your milk supply, just keep feeding.

• For the first few days post-birth, breastfeeding brings on after pains (contractions of the uterus as it shrinks back to it's pre-pregnancy size).  These can be VERY painful, reminiscent of contractions! Make sure you have painkillers on hand and take regularly.

• There are many lactogenic foods (foods that can help with milk production). Oats are one. I ate lots of porridge, ReadyBrek, flapjacks, Hobnobs, oaty raisin cookies - you get the idea.  Contented Calf is a great cookbook full of nourishing recipes using lactogenic ingrediants for breastfeeding mums.

• Make sure you continue your vitamin regime post-birth. I drank a lot of fortified drinks like Ovaltine as well.

• Buy lots of cereal bars! I went through boxes of them. Keep a box by your bed for night feeds, a few in your handbag. Breastfeeding makes you hungry.

• Avoid strong scented products on the chest area for the first wee while.

• You don't really need breastfeeding bras, you can just use normal non-wired ones and pull them down. But if you want some anyway, the best ones are Hot Milk.

For more breastfeeding help or support contact your GP, health visitor or midwife or the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212.