Location:
Call: 040 4488 5333
[email protected]

10 June, 2019

Tips to Prepare for Breastfeeding when you’re Pregnant

Breastfeeding has several benefits for a baby. Those babies who are only fed breast milk for the first six months of their lives can gain antibodies that are present in the breast milk. These help babies fight off any virus or bacteria that may infect them.

However, not all women might want to breastfeed and that’s completely ok. Breastfeeding your child is a personal choice and you need to make that decision before your baby is born. Although experts will advise you to exclusively breastfeed your child for six months, you may even go for formula milk on the advice of your doctor.

If you do decide to breastfeed, here are some ways to prepare for it when you’re pregnant:

Preparing for Breastfeeding

Although many may think that breastfeeding comes naturally to women, the reality is that it may not always be as easy as you think. A few things can be done in advance to make it easier for new moms. Here are a few ways in which you can prepare for breastfeeding while you’re still pregnant:

  • Massage your breasts
    When you go for your prenatal check-up, your doctor will advise you to massage your breasts regularly. During the last six weeks of your pregnancy, massaging your breasts can clear your milk ducts. Apart from this, you should also try to keep your breasts well moisturized to prevent any cracking. Cracked nipples can cause a lot of pain during breastfeeding so taking the right precautions can ease the process. If you have flat or inverted nipples, you can think about investing in Breast shells.
  • Keep your supplies ready
    Even before your baby arrives, it might be a good idea to invest is breastfeeding supplies and keep them ready. You will need nursing bras, pads, ointment for sore and cracked nipples, and comfortable clothes to nurse in. These are the bare necessities of breastfeeding. You should also consider investing in a good nursing pillow as it can greatly ease the physical pain mothers experience while breastfeeding. You can also try more positions when you have a good breastfeeding pillow.
  • Create your nursing space
    Before your baby arrives, make sure you create a comfortable space at your home where you can easily nurse your child. Add a comfortable chair or allocate a place in which you can sit while breastfeeding your little one. Put some pillows around and make space to put things away. You can also keep things for yourself, like books or music, so that you can enjoy these little comforts while your baby is breastfeeding.
  • Try for a natural birth
    Studies have shown that babies who are born naturally with very little medical intervention are more likely to breastfeed well. On the other hand, babies born with more medical assistance have lower rates of successful breastfeeding. However, that doesn’t mean if you have a C-section your baby will not have breastfeeding success. Many women who have had C-Section deliveries have nursed their babies successfully for a long time. One way of ensuring breastfeeding success is to try your best to have your baby nurse from your breast within the first two hours of birth.

Tips for Breast and Nipple Care during Pregnancy

Many women do not follow a proper breast care routine during pregnancy. This can make it difficult for them when their baby arrives and is ready to breastfeed. Here are some tips for proper breast care during pregnancy:

  • Choose your bra carefully
    Your breasts will continue increasing in size right from the first trimester. This means you may have to change your bra size a couple of times during your pregnancy. Make sure you wear the right sized bra to avoid suffocation and discomfort. Avoid tight-fitting bras and go for softly padded cotton ones. Stay clear of underwired bras as they tend to block milk ducts and hamper milk production.
  • Maintain Hygiene
    During the last trimester, nipples tend to leak colostrum which is a yellow milk substance. This can happen often and you must maintain your hygiene by changing your bra frequently. This prevents your nipples from being too wet and avoids cracks and infections from forming. You can also use breast pads to keep your nipples dry. Remember to wash your nipples regularly to prevent the liquid from forming a crust around it.
  • Protect your nipples
    After stepping out from your shower, apply moisturizing cream on the nipples if they feel too dry. Some women may also suffer from sore nipples. In this case, nipple protectors can be used as a pad between the clothing and the nipples. These are some of the many ways in which you can care for your nipples when you’re pregnant.
  • Other precautions
    While some changes in the breasts are a part of pregnancy, others can be avoided with proper care and precautions. Here are some of them:
  1. Use warm water to wash your breasts.
  2. Change your bra on a regular basis, at least once in a day. This prevents discomfort due to sweat and leakage from the nipples.
  3. Check your breasts every day for any changes. If you notice any irregular changes that cause you worry, contact your doctor.
  4. Try simple exercises like arm rotations and make them a part of your everyday work out. This prevents your breasts from sagging during pregnancy.

Pregnancy can be a testing time for new mothers and many may not take care of their bodies. It is important to pay attention to your breast and nipple health during this time. Not only does this help keep your post-pregnancy body in a good shape for many years, it also ensures breastfeeding success. If you need to know more about breastfeeding tips and ways to overcome common discomforts during breastfeeding, get in touch with our lactation experts in KIMS Cuddles.

SIMILAR ARTICLES

blog featured image

29 July, 2026

Irregular Periods: When to Investigate

Period irregularity is something many women experience at some point, and most learn to live with it, at least for a while. A late period during a stressful month, a lighter cycle after illness, a missed period after a long flight. These variations are common and usually self-correcting. The problem is that irregular periods are also how the body signals conditions that genuinely need attention, and because the irregularity can feel familiar, it is easy to keep waiting for things to normalise when they never will without proper evaluation.Knowing where the line sits between normal variation and something worth investigating is genuinely useful.What counts as irregularA normal menstrual cycle runs anywhere from 24 to 38 days, measured from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. Variation of up to eight days between the shortest and longest cycle is considered normal. Lengths ranging between 8 and 20 days of variation are considered moderately irregular, and variation of 21 days or more is considered very irregular.Changes outside the cycle length are also irregular. Periods that are either much heavier or lighter than normal, periods that are much longer or shorter than normal, periods between periods, and periods that are absent altogether, in a woman not pregnant, breastfeeding, or in menopause,
Read More
blog featured image

29 July, 2026

Fertility Decline: What Women Should Know

Conversations about fertility tend to happen too late. Women often begin thinking seriously about their reproductive timeline only when they are ready to conceive. At this point, some of the most important biological facts have already been playing out for years without their awareness. The decline in female fertility with age is one of the most consistently misunderstood aspects of reproductive health, and the gap between what women know and what the biology actually shows is significant.This is not about creating anxiety. It is about giving women accurate information early enough to make genuinely informed decisions.The Fundamental BiologyA woman is born with all the eggs she is going to have in her lifetime. Her eggs age with her, decreasing in quality and quantity. Age is the single most important factor affecting a woman's fertility.Females are born with a finite number of oocytes. The number of oocytes peaks in the womb at around 20 weeks of gestation and subsequently declines steadily until approximately age 32, after which the number decreases at a greater rate until age 37, beyond which oocyte numbers drop even more rapidly.This is not something that can be slowed by fitness, diet, or general good health. Even though women today are healthier and taking better care of themselves than ever before, improved
Read More
blog featured image

29 July, 2026

PMOS: Causes Beyond Hormones

Most patients understand Polycystic Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, or PMOS, as a hormonal condition. Irregular periods, elevated androgens, and ovarian cysts on an ultrasound. The hormonal picture is real, but it is only part of the story. Decades of research have made it increasingly clear that PMOS is far more complex than a hormonal imbalance in isolation. It involves the metabolic system, the immune system, the gut, and genetics, all interacting in ways that produce a condition that looks different in every woman who has it.Understanding the fuller picture of what causes PMOS matters because it changes how the condition is managed and why lifestyle interventions work as well as they do.What PMOS Actually InvolvesPolycystic Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome is a complex endocrine and metabolic disorder, typically characterised by hirsutism, hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, menstrual disorders, and infertility. The name itself reflects what the condition truly is. The metabolic component is not secondary to the ovarian and hormonal picture. It is central to it. Treating the hormonal symptoms without addressing the underlying metabolic drivers is one reason PMOS management often produces only partial results.Insulin Resistance Sits at the CentrePMOS insulin resistance, where cells throughout the body fail to respond normally to insulin, is considered the primary pathological basis for the reproductive dysfunction seen in PMOS.
Read More
Loading booking..