Getting Breastfeeding Off to a Good Start: Expert Tips from a Postpartum Doula & Registered Nurse
Breast/chestfeeding is an incredible way to take care of and bond with your baby, and it’s also something many people know nothing about until they try to do it for the first time! The best path to success is to educate yourself before your baby arrives, keep your baby close once they are born, and build a great support system. Sometimes this means ignoring input from others. We receive so much confusing, and not to mention emotionally loaded, messaging around feeding our babies:
Breastfeeding helps you lose weight (spoiler alert: this isn’t true for everyone)
Make sure you don’t over/under feed
Formula will help you get more sleep
And the list goes on! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed before you even begin! If you decide that you want to chestfeed your baby, read on to learn about some tried and true ways to get you both off to a good start.
THE SHORT VERSION
The best path to breastfeeding success is to educate yourself before your baby arrives, keep your baby close once they’re born, and build a great support system.
Before baby arrives, know your local options for help when you begin chestfeeding. Start with asking around in local parent groups, find a class, or look for support groups in your area.
Once baby is born, the best thing you can do to promote a successful nursing relationship is to keep your baby close. Keep baby in the room with you and, if you can, consider doing skin-to-skin for baby’s first hour of life.
The more you latch, the more practice your baby gets and the more likely you both will be successful. Also, feeding on demand gets your body in tune with baby’s needs so milk production will eventually match baby’s hunger.
Keep expanding your support system as you and baby get used to breastfeeding. You can depend on lactation consultants and educators, but also utilize your other medical professionals, family members, friends, and neighbors as long as they offer positive support!
Babywearing can be a good tool in your chestfeeding journey. Get good at both skills separately before combining them.
Table of Contents
Prenatal Chestfeeding Preparation: What to Do Before Baby’s Arrival
As a birth and postpartum doula, I often find that so many people spend a lot of time preparing for birth and almost no time preparing for postpartum. There are so many possible reasons for this, but I’m thankful to my doula and IBCLC mentors who have taught me that yes, it’s important to prepare for birth, but birth is just one day. Postpartum is forever! And breast/chestfeeding your baby is something that takes up a lot of time postpartum, especially in the early days.
How do I get ready to breastfeed?
Find an Expert to Help
A really great place to start is to talk to your local parents groups about lactation providers they have worked with, usually an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC, for short). If you’re not sure where to find local parents groups, ask a neighbor or trusted friend with kids. It gives people a way to be helpful. In a pinch, you can even search for your town or neighborhood name on Facebook or Reddit. Buy Nothing groups can even be a helpful place to ask. Where I live in NYC, there are parent groups for many neighborhoods that communicate via Whatsapp. Once you get some names of local IBCLCs, you can further decide who feels like the right fit by reviewing their website and even interviewing with them. Many accept insurance, which can be an important piece of the search process. If you’re having difficulty figuring out which lactation providers take your insurance, you can also get a list of covered providers from your insurance company itself. For many people, a prenatal visit with an IBCLC is covered, as well as multiple postpartum follow up visits. During this visit, you’ll receive 1:1 attention and education, completely tailored to your health history and feeding goals.Taking Classes and More
Another option that my clients find beneficial is to take a breastfeeding education class. They are commonly offered by hospitals and birth centers. La Leche League is another incredible resource, and you can search their website to find your closest chapter to see what offerings they have. Some may ask, “But what about our pediatrician? Won’t they help with breastfeeding?” Pediatricians are an important part of the care team, but many of them do not receive in-depth training about chestfeeding during their medical schooling. They know what signs to look out for in baby to ensure they are growing, but they often aren’t able to troubleshoot beyond that.After Baby Arrives, Keep Them Close for Breastfeeding Benefits
Once your baby is born, you get to finally practice all of the things you learned preparing for this moment! The most helpful thing to do is to keep your baby close to you at all times. There are of course extenuating circumstances where separation may be necessary, but in general you want your baby to be in the same room as you, both in the place you give birth and at home, so that you can bond and snuggle (hello oxytocin!), learn your baby’s feeding cues, and latch your baby early and often.
Skin-to-Skin and the Golden Hour: Impacts on Nursing
When your baby is first born, it’s recommended to try and have the “golden hour” where you do uninterrupted skin to skin so you can bond and your baby can acclimate to their new environment. Having your baby physically close to you in this way continues to be important even after the initial golden hour is over! Having your baby on your chest, especially doing skin to skin, promotes milk production and physiologic infant feeding behavior. Skin to skin can be performed with your baby wearing nothing, or only a diaper, and your baby being placed directly in the center of your bare chest.
How Do I Know if My Baby is Hungry?
Another important thing about having your baby physically close to you is that you can observe what their hunger cues look like, so you can feed them early and often.
First signs that your baby is interested in feeding
I joke often with my clients that a newborn being awake is a solid hunger cue, because they’re so sleepy in the early days. Other early signs that your baby is interested in feeding are opening their mouths, smacking their lips, or putting their hand or fingers in their mouth. (Bonyata, 2017)More obvious cues
More obvious cues include rooting or nuzzling a nearby body part of whomever is holding them, and sometimes even gentle headbutting as well.A late-stage hunger cue
Many people don’t know that crying is actually a late-stage hunger cue. Just like us, a hangry baby is less likely to want to work on learning the skill of breastfeeding! Keep baby close and observe their cues to try to catch them in an earlier stage.Latch, Latch, and Latch Some More! The Key to Chestfeeding Success
Latching often is so much more than just about feeding. In the early days of chestfeeding, the more often you can latch your baby, the better for both of you because you’re learning a new skill! The more reps, the more you’re both likely to get comfortable and good at it. Additionally, your baby will want to nurse a minimum of 8-12 times a day. Sometimes it’s for food but it’s also because you’re their main source of comfort and they may be overwhelmed, tired, need help passing gas, or just something in this bright, loud world makes them want additional security. It’s okay if it feels like a lot, and it’s also okay if you need to take a break from it from time to time. But please know that it’s normal. Feeding on demand sets you up for success in terms of milk production, but also healthy attachment for your baby.
Building Your Chestfeeding Support System
At the end of the day, breastfeeding is actually so much more than the work of just you and your baby; you really need a village. What I mean is that having a strong support system matters. In this modern day your support system can take all kinds of shapes and forms but it may or may not include: your partner, your friends and family, your IBCLC/CLC, your pediatrician, a postpartum doula, your neighbors. Research demonstrates time and time again that having a strong support system is one of the biggest predictors for having a successful bodyfeeding journey, so don’t be afraid to ask for help (Kalhor et al., 2025)! Tell others that their positive reinforcement is what would be most helpful to you. This also means they should keep additional suggestions to themselves unless you explicitly ask. People often mean well, but sometimes their suggestions, or sharing their personal experiences, can feel unhelpful while you are on your own journey with your baby.
If you were able to connect with an IBCLC prenatally, having a follow up appointment can be very reassuring even if things are going well. Additionally, if you run into any “speed bumps,” you have that relationship established and can more quickly troubleshoot what's going on. Even if you aren’t sure if you need help, having another set of eyes can be beneficial and will reinforce the positive things that you’re doing.
All in all, remember that you and your baby are learning and growing together every day. You both deserve to be loved and supported throughout the process. You likely have so many people in your lives that are chomping at the bit to help. They just might need a little direction on what works best for you. Ask for help, keep practicing, and when in doubt, you can always go back to skin to skin. We sometimes refer to it as the “newborn reset position.” It allows you both to snuggle, calm down, and reminds you that you’re in this together.
How Can I Use Babywearing to Support Breastfeeding?
Babywearing is a great tool to support breastfeeding. Some people choose to use a carrier to assist their nursing positions. Others are able to babywear to nurse on the go. Once you are comfortable both chestfeeding AND babywearing as two separate skills, you can try putting them together.
Follow these simple steps to chestfeed in any carrier
And whatever you pick, you can rest assured that hope&plum makes comfortable, size-inclusive carriers for you that are designed with your baby’s safety and development in mind.
Beginning Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding FAQ
What should I do to prepare for breastfeeding/chestfeeding before baby is born?
Before baby arrives, know your local options for help when you begin chestfeeding. Start with asking around in local parent groups, find a class, or look for support groups in your area.
What’s the most important factor in breastfeeding success after baby is born?
Once baby is born, the best thing you can do to promote a successful nursing relationship is to keep your baby close. Keep baby in the room with you and, if you can, consider doing skin-to-skin for baby's first hour of life.
What’s the “golden hour” and how does it benefit us?
The “golden hour” is one hour of uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with your baby when they’re first born. If you can, it’s a great step in promoting chestfeeding! The golden hour allows you both to bond and helps your baby acclimate to their new environment. Having your baby on your chest, especially doing skin-to-skin, promotes milk production and physiologic infant feeding behavior. But don’t worry if your particular birth story does not include the golden hour. A partner or other loving support person can provide a similar experience right after birth even if the birthing parent is unavailable, and you always do skin-to-skin throughout infancy.
How will I know when my baby is hungry?
When you keep them close from birth, you’ll learn your baby’s hunger cues! Some common signs are baby opening their mouth, smacking their lips, or putting their hand or fingers in their mouth (Bonyata, 2017). Babies will cry when hungry, but this is actually a late-stage hunger cue.
Who should I seek out for the best advice for nursing success?
Your support system can take all kinds of shapes and forms but it may or may not include: your IBCLC/CLC, your partner, your friends and family, your pediatrician, a postpartum doula, or your neighbors. A really great place to start is to talk to your local parents groups about lactation providers they have worked with.
Can I chestfeed while babywearing?
Yes! Babywearing is a great tool to support breastfeeding. Once you are comfortable both chestfeeding AND babywearing as two separate skills, you can try putting them together.
References
Bonyata, K. (2017, January 5). Hunger cues - when do I feed baby? KellyMom.Com. https://kellymom.com/bf/normal/hunger-cues/
Harris, N. (2025, September 3). CLC vs. IBCLC: What’s the difference? Perinatal Health Equity Initiative. https://perinatalequity.org/clc-vs-ibclc-whats-the-difference/
Kalhor, M., Yazdkhasti, M., Simbar, M., Hajian, S., Kiani, Z., Khorsandi, B., Sattari, M., Ezadi, Z., Nazem, H., & Jafari, M. (2025). Predictors of exclusive breastfeeding: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Breastfeeding Journal, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-025-00744-2
UNICEF UK. (2023). Skin-to-skin contact. UNICEF. Baby Friendly Initiative. https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/baby-friendly-resources/implementing-standards-resources/skin-to-skin-contact/
Meet the Author
Caitlin Dougherty
Caitlin Dougherty (she/they) is a birth and postpartum doula, IBCLC student, home birth assistant, and registered nurse (x14 years). As an RN, they spent over a decade working in cardiology and intensive care, before officially making the switch to birthwork in 2022. Following the birth of her first child, she dove head first into learning all things lactation. To this day, they are happiest when learning about birth and bodyfeeding.
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