As a certified breastfeeding counselor (CBC), you will provide practical support for clients. More than just knowing about breastfeeding, you must help new breastfeeding parents understand how to navigate the early days and weeks. These new breastfeeding parent hacks can help.
Each family is unique. This means not every hack is right for every family. However, some of these new breastfeeding parent hacks will help many clients.
Prepare The Night Before
If a client is going to be solo parenting for some of the day, preparing the night before is key. Encourage the client and their partner or support people to set things up for them.
Having an easy to grab breakfast and lunch can make the difference between a good day and an impossible one. If there are any doctor’s appointments or errands, be sure the diaper bag is already packed.
Have All Essentials Within Arm’s Reach
For the early days, getting up and down can be exhausting. This is especially true for c-section parents. One way to make things easier is to set up “nursing stations” throughout the home.
Having a spot or basket within arm’s reach which contains:
- Diapers
- Wipes
- Extra onesie or sleeper
- Extra blanket or swaddler
- Diaper creams
- Non-perishable snack for parent
- Water for parent
- Burp clothes
Can make things easier. Whether middle of the night feeds, the fourth feed in the last hour, or when they are home alone in the afternoon – everything is within arm’s reach. Partners and support people can set these up in the bedroom, living area, etc., and keep an eye that they are well stocked.
Encourage Clients to Try Babywearing
Babywearing allows baby to be content even while caregivers are busy. Closeness is vital for newborns, but many parents also enjoy having their hands free and an ability to do simple tasks.
As a CBC, you can also explain to them how the frequent closeness of babywearing benefits their milk supply.
Share the Benefit of Meal Planning
Being a new breastfeeding parent often means putting baby’s needs first. It is easy to pick up the fussing baby and immediately feed and forget to grab your own lunch.
As a CBC, it is important to remind parents they cannot pour from an empty cup. Encourage parents to plan for meals. This could look like freezer meals, takeout, a meal train, or the partner prepping food for the breastfeeding parent.
Lighten the Cleaning Load and Have Realistic Expectations!
There are many ways for clients to keep their household organized while saving time. Keeping a home organized with little ones can feel impossible, but there are ways to make it doable.
Remind clients their home will not be pristine like pre-kids, and that is okay! Household organization with a baby around is more about function than perfect cleaning. Remind them they are not cleaning for show, guests, etc. They are cleaning and organizing for function, to make things easier.
Let parents know they can:
- Soak stained clothes so there is no scrubbing when they are ready to throw a load in.
- Have designated spots for everything. I talk to my children about each toy, shoe, article of clothing having a “home.” When people know where everything goes, it makes staying organized easier. In the crazy stage of newborn life, an “everything” basket or junk basket is perfectly reasonable.
- Invest in simple all-purpose cleaning products. Having just a couple items to grab at the store and not needing to search through a cabinet can make quick after meal clean ups easier.
- Encourage partners and support people to clean as they go about the day. They do not need to wait until they have time to clean a room from top to bottom. Encourage partners to take a moment to wipe the toilet or sink whenever they pop in to go to the bathroom. Wipe out the shower when they finish in there. Tell them to try a simple mini vacuum or broom to clean up small messes rather than waiting for a moment to do the entire floor.
Many new parents also find it worth the investment to get a bit of cleaning help here and there for the big tasks. I cannot tell you the last time I made it to a stylist. However, I have zero regrets about some of that budget going towards a cleaning help.
Remind Parents to Rest, Rest, Rest!
It can seem counterproductive to getting things accomplished, but rest is vital for new parents. Without rest, burn out is real. And early parent burnout can make everything harder. You cannot accomplish much of anything when you are extremely burned out.
Encourage parents to rest as often as they can in the early days and weeks. Even as baby is older and they heal, remind them that breastfeeding burns a lot of calories. Taking an extra nap, going to bed a little earlier, or even sleeping in when they can, can be immensely helpful.
New Breastfeeding Parent Hack – Encourage a Bedtime Routine
Listen, we are not expecting a 2-week-old baby to have a routine and settle for the night. However, when we teach clients about breastfeeding and sleep hygiene, we help set them up for future easier nights.
The first couple weeks, literally just survive. We do not need to chat sleep hygiene and such with clients. However, as they get beyond a couple of weeks, and definitely by a couple months, we can share some simple tips with them.
Some sleep hygiene for breastfeeding parents might look like:
- A nightly routine with a bath
- Infant massage to help settle baby and meet their sensory needs
- Feeding at the breast then having partner rock and settle if not already asleep
- Reading books, music, etc.
As a CBC, it is not just about helping with breastfeeding initiation. Some of your role is to help parents navigate breastfeeding during everyday life.