How Dads Can Support Breastfeeding
There are many ways that fathers like you can help their babies grow strong and healthy, while also building a father-child and partner bond. One way is by starting babies with breast milk in their first year of life and supporting your partner through the breastfeeding process. Dads have a role in breastfeeding too!
Tips for Supporting Your Partner in Breastfeeding
Successful breastfeeding benefits from teamwork, being supportive of each other, and viewing breastfeeding as a learning experience. Some helpful tips include:
- Be encouraging. Encourage your partner if she seems unsure or is having difficulty breastfeeding. For instance, babies sometimes have trouble latching onto the nipple or refuse it. This can be very painful, emotional, and frustrating.
- Burp and hold. Help burp your baby after feedings or hold them between feedings. You can also help calm or create a stronger bond with your baby with skin-to-skin contact (take off your shirt and place baby on your chest or tummy).
- Bottle feed. Help your partner by bottle-feeding baby pumped milk or formula milk if your partners is feeling discomfort or needs a break.
- Learn your baby’s hunger signs/cues. Observe your baby to learn what she or he does when starting to get hungry. For instance, some babies will stick out their tongue, rub their mouths or cheeks on your chest, or shake their fists when they are hungry. Catching these signs early can help prevent your baby from crying.
- Help with chores. While your partner is breastfeeding, help with cleaning the house, cooking, and doing laundry or any other tasks that need to be done.
It is important to understand that sometimes breastfeeding won’t work out. A lot of moms have trouble breastfeeding, or your partner may prefer to use formula to replace or supplement breast milk. That is perfectly fine.
Challenges of Breastfeeding
It is also important that you are aware of the challenges that mothers face when breastfeeding in order to better support them. These may include:
- Low milk supply. Sometimes mothers are not able to make enough milk (or quickly enough).
- Sore nipples. Nipples may feel tender when women first start breastfeeding. You can help by purchasing some gel pads or run a cloth under cold water for your partner to place on her nipples.
- Plugged ducts. This is where milk comes out of the breast, and it can be uncomfortable for your partner. You can help by running a cloth under warm water and have them place it on their breast or encourage them to take a warm bath while you care for the baby.
- Enlarged breasts. When breasts become filled with milk, it can be painful. You can help by encouraging your partner to pump (if the baby is not hungry at the moment) and take a warm shower or apply heat to the breast.
- Infected breasts. This infection is called mastitis, and it can also be very painful. You can help by encouraging your partner to take a warm bath and then call the doctor. A bad infection can also lead to flu-like symptoms.
- Exhaustion. Initially, mothers may feed babies every 2-3 hours, and this can be very tiring. For this reason, assisting with some daily tasks can be helpful.
Why Breastfeeding is So Beneficial
Breast milk is basically a super food as it contains all the nutrients your baby will need for the next 6-12 months (while starting them on other foods once the doctor says it is OK). Antibodies and nutrients in breast milk can help protect your baby from illness and infection, help with food digestion, reduce the risk of allergies later in life, and help with mental and physical development. Breastfeeding can also help your partner recover more quickly from giving birth and reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancers and some chronic diseases like diabetes.
How to Keep Milk Fresh
Freshly pumped milk can stay fresh by:
- Storing it in the fridge within 4 hours of being pumped
- Using or storing it in the freezer within 4 days after being in the fridge
- Using frozen milk within 6-12 months (never refreeze breast milk)
Why Formula is a Good Option, Too
If breastfeeding is not an option, infant formula is a good alternative to breast milk. When bottle-feeding formula or pumped milk make sure to clean and sterilize bottles and to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
