It takes a village to raise a family.
In a perfect world, all parents would feel supported in their infant feeding decisions and practices, but that often is not the case. Even those with the best intentions can sabotage a lactating parent’s journey with an unsupportive statement or unthoughtful question.
So, how can you make sure you're getting the support you need from your partner, healthcare providers, and community to help you experience the best lactation journey possible?
Open Communication with Your Partner
Teamwork: Start by sharing your chest/breastfeeding goals with your partner. Establish yourselves as a united front and make decisions together. This joint effort helps in setting a strong foundation for your chest/breastfeeding journey. Together, inform family members about your goals and ask for support as needed.
Education Together: Consider taking a prenatal chest/breastfeeding class as a couple. This will equip both of you with the knowledge and understanding of the chest/breastfeeding process, making your partner feel more involved and prepared to support you.
Regular Check-ins: Encourage your partner to ask how they can support you, whether it’s through moral support, running errands, or simply being a sounding board. Sometimes, a kind word, a snack, or a gentle back rub can make a world of difference.
Bonding Time:Help your partner build their own unique bond with the baby during exclusive chest/breastfeeding by actively interacting, carrying, cuddling and caring for the baby. Find soothing techniques, like babywearing and infant massage, that they feel confident using with the baby.
Support from Your OBGYN/Midwife
Finding the Right Practitioner: Choose an OBGYN or midwife who is lactation supportive, knowledgeable, and unbiased. This person will be crucial in guiding you both before and after the birth of your baby.
Understanding Your History: Your practitioner should be aware of your medical or personal history that may impact chest/breastfeeding and provide strategies to overcome potential challenges.
Accurate Information: Ensure they are up-to-date with the latest information on medications and chest/breastfeeding to avoid unnecessary interruptions or recommendations to discontinue.
Community Connections: They should also connect you with community-based lactation support to provide continuous care and support, when needed.
Choosing a Supportive Pediatrician
Aligned Values: Select a pediatrician who respects and supports your chest/breastfeeding goals. This alignment will ensure you don’t have to filter through unsupportive advice during your visits.
Informed Recommendations: Your pediatrician should provide you with well-informed current rationales for formula and/or donor milk supplementation and not prescribe infant formula without a proper medical indication or your desire.
Collaborative Care: A pediatrician willing to work with your entire care team ensures a cohesive support system for you and your baby.
Working with a Judgment-Free Lactation Consultant
Your Goals Matter: An unbiased lactation consultant will start each interaction by asking what YOU would like to accomplish in your appointment and what YOUR overall goal is for chest/breastfeeding/providing human milk and tailor their support accordingly.
Continuous Learning: Choose a consultant who is committed to expanding their clinical knowledge to provide you with the best possible recommendations and care.
Coordinated Support: They should be able to connect you with other healthcare providers to offer comprehensive and coordinated infant feeding care when additional support is needed.
Feeling Heard: Most importantly, you should feel seen, heard and supported throughout your chest/breastfeeding journey. Any challenges you experience should be addressed with a clear, achievable plan.
Providing your milk to your child is a beautiful, yet sometimes challenging journey that becomes so much more rewarding and accomplishable with the right people by your side. Embrace open communication with your partner, choose healthcare providers who truly understand and champion your goals, and find a knowledgeable lactation consultant who inspires confidence. By surrounding yourself with a nurturing network, you create an empowering environment for you and your baby to thrive. You deserve all the love, encouragement, and empowerment every step of the way.