How to Support a Breastfeeding Mom

Breastfeeding is not always easy for mothers. They may need help dealing with fatigue, social stigma, pressure to "cover up" and other issues. Fathers can play an important role in making life easier for nursing moms.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Educate yourself on the benefits of breast feeding. Support it earnestly for your own reasons, not just because she wants to do it.
2. Work together with the mother to find a doctor who is knowledgeable about breast feeding and who is comfortable with parents making their own informed choices. Take the time to find the right pediatrician for both of you.
3. Allow the baby to sleep with you. Recent research indicates co-sleeping is not nearly as dangerous or disruptive as many people assume. Having the baby in bed with mom and dad not only facilitates better sleep for the whole family, bit it also makes it easier for the mother to nurse during the night at her discretion. If co-sleeping is not an option, at least share the burden of going to get the baby in the middle of the night.
4. Sit with the mother while she nurses in public. Some mothers are self-conscious or nervous about other people's reactions. Simply staying by her side is one way to provide reassurance.
5. Respect the mother's right to have the final say about weaning. Extended nursing has many documented health benefits and is becoming more common. At the same time, do not pressure her to continue nursing if she feels ready to finish.

Tips & Warnings

• Many fathers experience jealousy over the bonding experience between mother and child that occurs during breast feeding. Find a constructive way to deal with these feelings or your relationship will feel the strain.