What you'll need for breastfeeding

Simply follow our step-by-step guide to breastfeeding.

What you’ll need

• Breast pads – to absorb excess milk and avoid stains on your clothes.

• A nursing bra – go for practicality and accessibility with plenty of support.

• Breast pump – expressing by hand can be tiring, a manual or electronic breast pump will get the job done much more quickly.

• Bottles and teats – to store your expressed breast milk.

• A steriliser – to thoroughly clean your baby’s bottles.

Step 1

Sit upright, with one pillow to support your back and another for your baby. Use your hand to support your baby’s head and neck.

Step 2

Help him to find your breast by touching his lip and nose with your nipple.  When he opens his mouth bring him to your breast, not the other way round.

Step 3

Once he’s latched on, you should be able to see more of your areola (the dark area around your nipple) above his mouth than below it and his bottom lip will curl back towards his chin.

Step 4

You might feel a tingling sensation as he sucks your nipple and squeezes it against the roof of his mouth and the milk begins to flow.

Step 5

He’ll suck quite quickly to start with, then you’ll hear a soft swallowing sound as he relaxes into a slower sucking rhythm.

Step 6

He’ll probably stop feeding when he’s had enough, but if you need to help him unlatch, sliding your little finger into the corner of his mouth will break the suction.

10 things to remember

1. If your baby makes a clicking sound while breastfeeding, he hasn’t latched on properly and is gulping his milk.

2. The size of your breasts has nothing to do with your ability to breastfeed.

3. Your baby will usually need six to nine feeds a day until he’s at least six weeks old.

4. Try using one breast for one feed, and the other for the next, so that your baby gets the benefit of your rich hind milk, as well as the watery foremilk.

5. It’s important that you get plenty of rest, food and fluids to maintain your milk supply.

6. Keep a glass of water next to you, breastfeeding is thirsty work for you too!

7. The consistency of your breastmilk changes daily, so your baby always gets the nutrients he needs for growth.

8. Breastfeeding won’t make your baby immune to colic, but it’s easier to digest than formula.

9. Antibodies in your breastmilk will help your baby to resist infection during the first few months, before he builds up his own immunity.

10. Your breastmilk is always at the perfect temperature for your baby and it’s absolutely free, saving you hundreds of pounds during the first six months.