💻 Antenatal resources
La Leche League Antenatal Online Course
This course was super helpful and informative, and they set up a little support group so that you can ask the volunteers and other mums questions. Sign up online.
A Judgement-Free Guide to Feeding Your Baby by Olivia Hinge
A truly balanced and kind approach to feeding your new baby – whether you plan to breastfeed, formula-feed, or both. Buy the book.
📱 Instagram accounts
I found a couple of accounts by midwives / lactation experts especially helpful for following once breastfeeding started. They’re fairly balanced and non judgemental, and often do Q&As with followers which are super informative
- Mother Shaheda – so helpful, I keep referring back to her old posts for info, and have even bought her e-book
- Olivia Lactation Consultation
- Mamas Milk
- Lucy Webber IBCLC
- The Breastfeeding Network
There are also some nice accounts for general breastfeeding support and encouragement:
🍼 Pumping
Two pumps I’ve found useful are:
- Haakaa – a cheap, easy, hands free and gentle place to start for expressing small amounts of milk
- Pippeta – straightforward and easy to clean pump that charges by USB-C.
💬 Troubleshooting
The Breastfeeding Network is an amazing charity that runs free, drop-in local groups in many areas where you can go for a bit of moral support, help with latch, or support finding local support services.
Their National Breastfeeding Helpline is an amazing resource you can use 24/7.
And their Drugs in Breastmilk service is run by volunteer pharmacists to help you make informed decisions about medication. The reason all medicine packets say they’re not advised for breastfeeding mothers is because no one has studied the effects, not because they’re necessarily unsafe. These amazing pharmacists understand how different medication works, and can offer informed guidance on how likely anything is to pass into your milk.
My bible for troubleshooting has been the La Leche League website, which has tonnes of useful info dealing with different questions and issues that may come up.
I also found the infant feeding specialists at our local health visiting team among the most useful and non-judgemental support available, including with tongue-tie assessments. Ask your midwife or Health Visitor to be referred.
👚 Breastfeeding clothes
Regular clothes
As with maternity wear, I found a lot of dedicated breastfeeding clothes to be dull and frumpy. However there are lots of ‘normal’ clothes styles that work well for breastfeeding access and will serve you both before and after breastfeeding. My favourites include:
- High waisted leggings or shorts and a cropped top or jumper that can be lifted
- Shirred tops that can easily stretch
- Dresses with buttons or a zip down the front
- Wrap dresses
These can easily be found very cheaply second hand on Vinted.
Breastfeeding-specific clothes
There are also brands that create clothes specifically designed for breastfeeding, which are more expensive than regular clothes, but are handy to have. Two of my favourite brands are:
- Juno Jacks – for stylish ‘normal’ looking clothes like dresses and sweatshirts, with hidden zips for feeding
- Natal Active – good sportswear with nursing access
🎧 Makes Milk podcast
A nice alternative to reading books, and a podcast that covers all kinds of feeding journeys – including extended breastfeeding and troubleshooting. Listen now.
🎁 Breastfeeding mementos
If like me you want to remember your journey, these are some things to consider:
Photos
As well as taking a few selfies/photo myself when feeding, we requested a couple of feeding photos to be included when we had some baby/family photoshoots. Most family photographers are very happy to accommodate, and it means you have some beautiful, classy images.
Jewellery
I only came across the idea of breastmilk jewellery once before becoming a mother, and thought it was an odd concept – ‘each to their own’. But after experiencing the importance of feeding, I wanted to capture it in a personal way, much like people used to have a lock of hair of a loved one in the past. I ordered a necklace for myself as a memento from Boobie Jewels, but have heard good things about Mamas Milk.