One very important part of preparing for your new little one is preparing to breastfeed. By preparing, you can feel much calmer and in control when the time comes, thus making it a more enjoyable and successful experience. Thankfully, there are several things that you can do to prepare.

Purchase Clothing You Can Breastfeed In 

In order to make breastfeeding easier, you should consider purchasing some clothing that are easy to breastfeed in. Thankfully, there are so many options now for tanks, tee shirts, and hoodies that are nursing-friendly. These tops have hidden slits in them that allow you to breastfeed your baby without ever having to remove any of your clothes.

These tops are so convenient when you are nursing in a public location, such as a restaurant, the park, church, etc. They can also allow you to start nursing your baby much faster, which can reduce a lot of stress for you when you have a hungry baby who wants to nurse right away. 

If you are baby wearing, these tanks can snap down for easy nursing access and make baby wearing and breastfeeding much more possible.

Sometimes being a new mom, it's harder for some to adjust to nursing in public spaces. The fears and concerns are real, and clothing that offers privacy can certainly relieve the anxiety and nerves for mothers just getting used to it. 

Make preparing for breastfeeding easier by packing your hospital bag with nursing friendly tops like this mom in her Cozy Nursing Hoodie.

Bun's Ribbed nursing tanks are stretchy for wearability during pregnancy and well into postpartum, creating coverage and comfort for nursing in public.

Visit With A Lactation Consultant 

Another great way to prepare for breastfeeding is to meet with a lactation consultant or take a lactation class before you give birth. A lactation consultant is a professional breastfeeding specialist who will let you know what to expect in terms of your milk coming in, pumping, helping your baby get the right latch for the first time, showing you how to hold your baby when nursing, and much more. They can also answer all of your questions and put a lot of your worries at ease.

Set this up at the hospital you give birth in because most of the time, a lactation consultant will come visit.  You can start breastfeeding within the first hour of giving birth and it will be essential for you to garner as much support and expertise as possible to be off to the right start. Discuss that this is part of your birth plan to breastfeed. 

Prior to this, you can attend a group breastfeeding class taught by a lactation consultant or you can choose to have a one-on-one consultation. Taking a lactation class before the baby arrives can boost your confidence and give you the much needed knowledge to prepare you for your nursing journey.  If you so desire, you could meet with the lactation consultant again after you've had your baby for even more help hands-on help with nursing your baby.  Many have mommy meet up lactation support groups that are even free to attend. 

It's just not always that easy and doesn't always come naturally for many.  Reaching out can be very empowering and even relieve potential for PPD. 

Talk With Other Breastfeeding Moms 

Some of the best advice that you can get in terms of preparing to breastfeed is from other moms. You can join a mom group in your local area, or even find one online. You could also do something as simple as calling up some of your friends who breastfeed and discussing with them some of your questions and concerns. 

Ask them what they are eating. What is their schedule. How long did it take them to get the hang of everything. 

The support of other moms can also come in handy when your baby arrives and you begin to actually breastfeed because they will be there to encourage you and help you as you begin your breastfeeding journey with your little one.

Keep in mind, everyone has a different experience. Take everything with a grain of salt and use this opportunity to be selective and gather all kinds of information to make your best judgements for what would work best for you. It's okay if someone has less than positive advice to vent to you, but then move on to the next support person that can offer more useful and encouraging words to you.

Purchase The Appropriate Supplies

There are a few different nursing supplies that you can purchase that make nursing more convenient for you and more enjoyable for you and your baby.

• One thing that you may want to consider purchasing is some soothing cream for your nipples. In fact, start now, well before you give birth!  Every time you moisturize your growing belly, do the same to your nipples.
• Well moisturized skin and nipples will save you heartache from pain and dry, cracked nipples.  Use 100% shea butter, natural oil, or lanolin. These creams are safe for your baby and you can easily spread them on your nipples after your baby is done nursing.
• If you have inverted or flat nipples, you may want to consider purchasing a nipple shield, just in case your baby has a hard time latching on. This can help them to get better suction at first and then you can stop using the shield once they have a good latch.
• A nursing pillow is a great thing for you to buy because it puts your baby at the perfect height for nursing. It also allows your arms to rest because they don't have to hold the baby up.  We would say that this is a mama must have!
• Nursing pads. Your breast will leak, so keep these handy.  Be sure you have a bra or sports bra ready as well.  Something without wires is best, to avoid clogged milk ducts and further complications.
• Call your insurance for your breast pump! Do this a month away from the due date.  Your insurance should provide the pump fully covered, but this can depend on your insurance so make this part of your to do list.
• Don't forget those game changing nursing tank tops and hoodies for ultimate ease, convenience, comfort, and style.

Summary

In order to prepare to breastfeed your baby, it is important that you purchase the appropriate clothes for breast feeding, you visit with a lactation consultant to learn more about the process of breastfeeding and what to expect, that you talk with other moms for first hand experience and advice, and that you purchase the appropriate supplies for nursing.

To learn more tips about preparing to nurse your baby, you can visit us here. 

Breast milk has many advantages that can do wonders for your baby’s health. While you were at home, managing to breast feed the baby was not as difficult. Sure, it took you a couple of tries but you had all the privacy and all the time to be able to nurse them.

However, now you are supposed to resume your job.

The thought of balancing work and continuing to breastfeed your baby can be intimidating for most mothers  Pumping at work as a mom can seem challenging, but it does not have to be.

There’s a whole bunch of things that you can do to help manage this task at hand. Follow our simple steps and pretty soon you will get the hang of it.

Step 1: Pause Everything and Buy a Really, Really Good Pump:

The number one step for a breastfeeding mom who is about to go to work is to get herself an excellent hospital grade electric pump. Yes, we know they are expensive, but believe us when we say that an electric pump can help you get the job done so much faster than the manual one. Pump both breasts at the same time. As a breastfeeding working mother, you are short on time already so you need all the help you can to help you save as much time as you possibly can.  If time is money, then this will be a great return on investment for you as mom pumping at work when time is of the essence.

Step 2: Buy the Right Tools:

An electric pump is not the only thing you will need to save time; you will also need tools to clean the pump, bottles etc. faster. A good idea here would be to invest some money in microwave sterilizer bags, breast pump wipes and other cleaning tools. This way, you can pump the milk, store it in bottles and clean everything too without having to spend an hour near the sink.  Oh and don't forget your water bottle.  That's a tool too because you'll need to stay hydrated all day.

Step 3: Know Your Workplace:

Most organizations allow their employees to breast pump at work, but still it is always better to visit your boss and ask them about any particular policies they might be having regarding breastfeeding moms at work.

A really helpful tip here would be to look for other breastfeeding moms at your workplace and get their two cents on the issue. If your workplace does not have a proper place where you can pump, you might even be able to put up a stronger case for having one.  

Note to self, employers should provide a place for moms to pump, and we don't mean the bathroom. Get to know your rights as a breastfeeding mom in the workplace if you need questions answered.

Your workplace needs a refrigerator so you can store your milk in a secure lunch bag or bring a good, we mean very good, cooler such as a YETI cooler, with some ice packs so you can keep your milk at the proper storing temp till you get home.

Step 4: Set Yourself a Routine:

Once you have all the tools, it is important to figure out a routine which allows you to keep the milk stash full and not stress yourself out too much. This routine is just as important as all the other things you have scheduled throughout your day.

A standard example of this could be that you pump the milk in the morning before heading out to work and keep a set bag with all the pumping tools necessary ready to go. Grab that bag on your way out, pump some more milk when you are at work.

When you get back home, freeze that milk and wash all the pumping tools and set your bag for the next morning.

Repeat.

Step 5: Schedule it All In:

Work can be very demanding and with all that usually goes on at work, it is very likely that a pending pumping session might just slip out of your mind completely. It is best to have install an app or even put some markings on your calendar to remind you that you have a pumping session coming up so you can prepare for it beforehand.

An extremely helpful tip here would be to just simply put an alarm on your smart phone or iphone which will act as a reminder that you need to pump milk for your baby at home.

Step 6: Get the Right Nursing Clothes:

You need to be dressed right to be able to pump the milk anywhere, anytime. For starters, invest in some nursing bras and nursing tank tops that come with proper straps that let you do all the adjusting that you have to do while nursing the baby, or even while you are pumping the milk to feed the baby later.

While you were at home, you could wear anything you wanted but now that you are at work, you need to look professional too. Just because you are a breastfeeding mom at work, doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your style.

For example, if you want to wear a dress to work, you absolutely can! You just need to pick something which is made from a stretchy material (like cotton knit!) that can be easily used for nursing like the robertwilsonassociates Cross Top Maxi Dress which looks great layered over with a blazer, chunky necklace, and stylish ballet flats. A lil' accessorizing can take your nursing wear to a whole new level of casual work chic.

Nursing tank tops like these are a breastfeeding mom’s best friend because both straps come down, the chest stays covered, you can keep your blazer on, and you can pump away anywhere with ease. Not only do they allow you the easiest (as well as the best) access to your breasts, but they also help you look super professional as a layering piece under any cardigan or jacket.  This is a must for any nursing mom's capsule wardrobe and if you're pumping at work you'll need to get to both breasts at the same time and quickly.

Step 7: Practice and Patience:

Just like it took you some time to get the hang of breastfeeding, similarly it will take some time and practice before you get used to managing breastfeeding and your work schedule as well. It will take some time before you are able to manage pumping breast milk and still show up for your meetings in time. It is easy to feel exasperated and for the moments when you do, just remind yourself why you are doing it.

Many moms suggest watching videos and pictures of your babies, or having baby's onesie on hand while you are pumping milk, it helps staying motivated when you see the reason why you have put your clients on hold.  It also helps the milk flow become stimulated when seeing or smelling your baby's items.  Ahh new baby smell is so wonderful! 

These are the 7 simple steps you can follow to help manage both, breastfeeding your baby and work. A concluding tip that we would like to give to our readers is that tell your caregiver to avoid feeding the baby during the last hour of the workday IF it is okay and baby isn't fussing yet.  This way, when you get back, your baby will be looking forward to you and you two can have a warm union after a long day's work.  Continue to breastfeed whenever you can to keep your milk supply going.

Keep going mama! You're doing amazing! Being mom and working is a rewarding position to be in! Challenges only make you stronger and value what you have even more.  You can do this.  You will do this.

Product suggestions are things we just love and Non-sponsored.

Shop our cozy Nursing hoodies.

Check out our perfect layering pieces like these nursing tank tops.

Try the robertwilsonassociates Breezy Nursing Poncho as a wear alone top.