Version June 2024
| Planning and self-care |
| Plan to nap and rest during the day whenever possible to make up for interrupted sleep at night. |
| Set up "feeding stations" around your home. These should include diaper-changing materials as well as anything you might need while breastfeeding, such as water, snacks, reading materials, or music. This will make each breastfeeding session easier and more relaxing. |
| Try not to do too much. Prioritize activities that make you feel good. This may include talking with family or friends, going outside, or taking an uninterrupted shower or bath. |
| Feeding techniques |
| Allow your baby to feed whenever they show signs of being hungry, rather than on a schedule. This is known as feeding "on cue" or responsive feeding. Babies will often feed several times over a short period, followed by a longer sleep period, and this is OK as long as they feed well at least 8 times in 24 hours. |
| At each feeding, encourage your baby to feed until they appear full and content, rather than feeding a smaller amount ("snacking"). Signs that a baby feels full and content are relaxed arms or appearing "milk drunk." |
| If your baby is sleepy during a feeding, provide some stimulation, such as changing their diaper or burping or massaging them. This will encourage them to stay alert and feed enough to be full and content. Keeping your baby alert will also help them to get all the milk out of at least 1 breast, which will help you keep up your milk supply. |
| During the feeding, you can use techniques to help your baby get more milk, such as gentle breast compression to stimulate milk let-down. This will help your baby get a full feeding so they might sleep a bit longer before waking again to feed. You can also express some milk by hand after the feed to stimulate your breasts to make more milk. |
| Support from partner and others |
| Ask your partner, family, and friends to help with household duties and baby care other than breastfeeding. Give them specific jobs so they know how to be helpful. |
| Consider home nursing or postpartum doula services. Ask your health care provider or doula if you are interested in learning more about this. |
| Emotional support |
| As a mother, you have been "born" into a new role and it is normal to go through a period of adjustment. |
| Feelings of difficulty, exhaustion, and being overwhelmed are very common and normal, especially in the first few days and weeks after birth. Caring for a newborn baby is exhausting as well as amazing and rewarding – and it will get easier. |
| If you don't start feeling more like yourself after the first few weeks, discuss this with your health care provider. Many people have problems with mood and/or anxiety during the first few weeks and months after birth, and it's important to reach out for support. If you are really struggling or think you might be depressed, get help right away. |
| Additional resources |
Join a breastfeeding or postpartum support group either online or in person:
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