*Doulacare Ireland support diversity and are inclusive with unbiased, non-judgemental support. We support your choices every step of the way. For the purpose of this blog we reference “mothers” and “breastfeeding” but understand all families will have their own unique structure and are here to support you all.

1. Support- surround yourself with as much breastfeeding support as possible. If breastfeeding doesn’t seem to be going well at the start, get help as soon as possible from the hospital midwives or hospital Lactation Consultant. Some private Lactation Consultants are doing home visits and many are doing Zoom appointments. See https://www.alcireland.ie/find-a-consultant/ to find out who is available in your locality.

Many voluntary breastfeeding support groups are holding online meet-ups and breastfeeding counsellors are still available to contact for phone support. 

www.cuidiu.ie/supports_breastfeeding_breastfeedinggroups

www.lalecheleagueireland.com/groups/ 

Ask your close family and friends to support you by preparing meals for you and dropping them at your front door! If you are lucky to be in a ‘Support Bubble’ ask them to help as much as possible with household chores or minding older children over the first few days and weeks so you can concentrate on recovering from pregnancy and labour and getting breastfeeding off to a good start.

1. Information- try to source good research based breastfeeding information from reputable sources such as ‘The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding’ book, ‘The Positive Breastfeeding Book’ by Amy Brown or websites such as www.kellymom.com, www.laleche.org.uk, http://www.nancymohrbacher.com/, https://ibconline.ca/.

2. Join a breastfeeding support group online meet-up while pregnant- this has helped many local mothers / parents as they have found out lots of good information by attending an online meet-up before their baby arrives. They also get to ‘meet’ the local Breastfeeding Counsellor or La Leche League Leader which sometimes makes it easier to contact her to ask for help and information if the need arises! It’s a great way to meet other mums in a lovely, supportive setting (even though everything is online at the moment!)

3. Positioning- resent studies have shown that many babies breastfeed very well in a more Laidback or Natural Breastfeeding position. (Think puppies or piglets lying across their mum!) We too are mammals and in the early days this position seems to stimulate certain reflexes located on the front of a baby’s body which in turn encourages baby to open their mouths wide to get a good latch. www.youtu.be/diuGQhbjC6s

4. Preparation- Before baby arrives, batch cook and freeze as many meals as possible to make life as easy as possible in the early weeks! Have some snacks on stand-by such as crackers, rice cakes, yogurts, fruit, hummus, peanut butter, flapjacks, etc. Many families find hiring a Postpartum Doula in the early days and weeks after the baby arrives really helpful. Check out https://doulacare.ie/ for more details or email info@doulacare.ie

If you have Irish Life Health Insurance you may be entitled to free Postpartum Doula hours with Doulacare Ireland so check out your insurance just in case!  We are proud to be the only doulas in Ireland covered by health insurance.

This blog was written by Maura O'Shea who covers Waterford and surrounding areas. If you would like to know more about Maura and how she can support your feeding or early parenting journey please get in touch on info@doulacare.ie