It isn’t as easy to breastfeed as it seems. Many times, a mother who wants to breastfeed and even has a good supply of milk is unable to successfully breastfeed her baby due to lack of support. Apart from a good milk supply and latching, the single most important thing that a breastfeeding mother needs is support from her family.
A woman’s life completely changes once her baby arrives. She is emotionally and physically weak and is still healing. She now has the responsibility of a baby and the entire focus shifts on to the baby. A mother needs unconditional support from her family and especially from her partner.
Here are 6 ways to support a breastfeeding mother:
1. Constant encouragement - Emotional …show more content…
Hold the baby at other times – While breastfeeding, mothers need to hold the baby for long durations and it becomes very tiring at times. They need to hold the baby as long as the baby is feeding. So, whenever the baby is not feeding and needs to be held or wants to play, family members should come forward to hold and play with the baby. Not only will this give a break to the mother; it will also help the baby to get familiar with other members of the family.
5. Ask her if she wants to resume work and support her – Having a newborn means she has to take time off work but it doesn’t mean that a woman needs to give up her career. Once the baby is a few months old, family members and husbands need to ask her if she wants to resume work and support her in her decision. They should offer to help in taking care of the baby while she is away. As a husband, you need to understand that you too need to take care of the baby and you must make adjustments to your work schedule if your wife wants to work.
6. Help her in pumping milk - It is very common to find that mothers are not allowed to go out or they are asked to go anywhere they want but they need to take the baby along with them. According to me, there should be no restriction on the mother if she wants to go out. Agreed that the baby is dependent on her for his food but then, one can easily pump milk and store it and someone else can give the bottle to the baby in the absence of the