Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms: 7 Tips You Must Know

Breastfeeding is a beautiful journey to be on with your baby. It can also be a very challenging journey, so in this blog I’m sharing breastfeeding tips for new moms you must know to succeed!

First off, mama, I want to say I’m so proud of you for choosing to breastfeed your baby! It is an amazing experience and there is truly nothing better than having that special time with your baby. As someone who breastfed 3 babies and had 3 completely different experiences, I wanted to share my best breastfeeding tips for new moms to help you succeed!

When I was pregnant with my second baby, I worked at a maternal health and wellness club, became a CLC, and immediately knew that I wanted to help new moms with breastfeeding and just help with the overall transition to new mom life in general. It’s such a fun and exciting time but can also be extremely difficult. Once I become a full time stay at home mom, I decided to start this blog so I could reach lots of mamas. So make sure to click the button below to get on my email list so you never miss a thing! You’ll also get my free Mama Mindset download when you opt in:

*This blog contains affiliate links. Learn more here. Thank you for your support!

What should a new mother know about breastfeeding?

First off, I want you to know that most women struggle with breastfeeding in the beginning. My favorite quote that I heard from a colleague years ago was “Breastfeeding is the most unnatural, natural thing you’ll ever do.” That’s because we all know it is a biological thing women can do, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy or comes naturally to anyone. It takes a lot of practice because you AND your baby are learning how to do it!

Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

I’m so, so excited to share these tips with you! I hope you find these nursing tips super helpful while you’re on your breastfeeding journey. When you’ve read all these tips, please let me know in the comments section if this was helpful for you!

Tip 1: Ask for help

I really can’t stress this tip enough! If you are struggling, ASK FOR HELP from a lactation consultant/IBCLC. Don’t be embarrassed if you’re struggling either. It’s so normal for breastfeeding to be challenging in the beginning so if breastfeeding is something you want to continue doing long term and you have your heart set on it, seek help, please!

When I had my first baby I wanted to breastfeed so bad, I thought there’s no way it will be that difficult or hurt that bad because women breastfed for millions of years before us. But I was so wrong. I struggled and was in so much pain from it, I gave up after a few weeks. And I didn’t get help because I was so embarrassed that my nipples were cracked and bleeding. Which is not supposed to happen, but it’s way more normal than you think!

And if you’re thinking, how do you have any experience breastfeeding if you gave up, don’t worry…I breastfed my second and third children over 1 year successfully! But anyway, giving up with my first child is something I still regret to this day (although I don’t dwell on it, I still feel bad that I didn’t give my son breastmilk as long as I gave my two daughters.)

Tip 2: You don’t need a freezer stash

If you’ve been hearing the chatter that you need a freezer stash of milk, you really don’t. This is true even if you’re going back to work! In my opinion, this is just a way to stress out new moms. You don’t need to pump, especially early in postpartum, and you definitely don’t need to fill your freezer with frozen milk.

If you are planning to go back to work, you also don’t need a freezer stash. I won’t get too into this, but what you’ll end up doing is pumping at work, then the milk you pump that day will then be the milk your baby will drink the next day. Yes, it can be that simple! So if you’re reading you need to stock up, just take it with a grain of salt. If you have some extra milk, great! But please don’t think you need a huge stash.

Tip 3: Breastfeeding is supply and demand

When you first come home with your baby you will feel like all you are doing is breastfeeding. And I know it can feel overwhelming and exhausting and like you must be doing it all wrong, but you’re not! Breastfeeding is best summed up as supply and demand. The more your baby nurses, the more they are telling your body to produce. So your baby nursing = more milk you’re making for him/her and that is a good thing!

When you first start nursing, you are going to be doing it around the clock because you need to tell your body to keep making milk for your baby. So your baby is not starving or not not getting enough, they are simply growing, hungry, and tell you to keep producing that liquid gold! But my next time will help you distinguish if your baby isn’t getting enough.

Tip 4: Knowing how to tell if your baby isn’t getting enough milk

Of course, there are signs to watch out for that will signal your baby is not getting enough breastmilk. If your baby is nursing around the clock, they should be gaining weight and peeing a lot. So if you notice your baby is having lots of dry diapers and they don’t seem to be gaining a lot of weight, you should make an appointment with a lactation consultant ASAP. She will be able to help you figure out what could be going on!

Tip 5: It’s not always gas

I hear so many stories about babies who cry and breastfeeding is difficult and moms are told that their baby probably has gas. My opinion is, moms don’t like hearing their baby cry and gas drops don’t hurt a baby, so pediatricians chalk up a fussy baby to gas just do mom has an answer. (Note: I am NOT diminishing pediatricians, I think they are great!) But here’s the thing…babies cry! It is the only way they can communicate with us. So don’t just assume that because your baby is crying that something is wrong. It doesn’t always mean they aren’t getting enough food or they’re in pain/uncomfortable. It could possibly just be your baby being a normal baby.

Tip 6: Breastfeeding around the clock is normal

Newborn babies are going to breastfeed around the clock. It’s typical for them to nurse every 2 hours, and it’s also normal for a nursing session to last close to an hour. So once you finish nursing, you have about an hour before the baby wants to eat again because you start timing the feed from the beginning of that session. That’s a lot so let me give you an example:

Say your baby starts feeding at 7 AM. That’s when the “clock” starts. Your baby nurses from 7-7:45. Your baby will then be looking to eat again around 9:00. This is normal and it’s good! Remember I said earlier that breastfeeding is supply and demand? This is your baby telling you to make more milk and continue making it! I know it’s a lot and it can be so hard, but this is normal breastfeeding behavior for babies!

Tip 7: Breastfed babies can’t be overfed

Let me say this again: Breastfed babies cannot be overfed! A bottle fed baby (regardless if it’s formula or breastmilk CAN be overfed) because you fill a bottle to a certain point and you feed it to a baby quickly and therefore they finish it. This can lead to belly pains, reflux, and spitting up. But a baby who breastfeeds from the breast cannot be overfed and here’s why:

The way a baby lays at the breast, helps her to drink slower and at a better pace. This helps babies stop when they are full. And since you don’t have a bottle and have no idea how much your baby got, you can’t force them to “finish” like you can with a bottle. While breastfeeding your baby can take as much or as little as they want, but babies are much better at knowing when they are full and stopping than adults are! So amazing right? Therefore, you just can’t overfeed your breastfed baby!

Final Thoughts: Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

I hope you enjoyed these breastfeeding tips for new moms and found them super helpful! I always love to share the answers to the most popular questions I get from family and friends about breastfeeding. Women have been breastfeeding for millions of years, but through the 1900s it wasn’t as popular. Our generation is breastfeeding more often and a lot of us didn’t grow up that way. So we don’t always have moms and aunts to go to for help. These 7 tips are so important to keep in mind and they will help you relax and feel more confident about your breastfeeding journey!

Use this image to share these breastfeeding tips for new moms to Pinterest!

Related Blogs:

• Hospital Bag Checklist: The Most Basic List
• Every Breastfeeding Mom Actually Needs These Items Postpartum
• 4 Insanely Easy Things To Gift A New Mom When She Brings Home Her Baby
• Tips for New Moms: 10 Must-Read Secrets I Wish I Knew Sooner

*This is not meant to be medical advice. This is for informational purposes only and is my experience. It does not substitute professional medical advice.

Sharing is caring! Use the social buttons below to share this blog with your breastfeeding friends! Thank you for the support!