How to Prepare for Breastfeeding While You're Pregnant
Written by Demi Lucas, IBCLC
You're growing a baby and somewhere between the nursery furniture and the hospital bag checklist, breastfeeding preparation might feel like one more thing to figure out later. But here's what the research shows: the families who do the most before baby arrives are the ones who struggle the least after. Preparing for breastfeeding during pregnancy is one of the most powerful things you can do to set yourself and your baby up for long-term success.
As an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), I work with families every day who wish they had started preparing sooner. This post is your roadmap for doing exactly that.
Why Preparing for Breastfeeding Before Birth Actually Matters
It might seem counterintuitive to learn about breastfeeding before your baby has even arrived, but the evidence is clear: prenatal breastfeeding education significantly improves outcomes.
A 2025 study published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth found that prenatal education independently and significantly increases the duration of exclusive breastfeeding and reduces the risk of early weaning. A meta-analysis of 40 randomized controlled trials showed that breastfeeding education significantly improves maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy — one of the strongest predictors of breastfeeding duration — with a standardized mean difference of 1.20.
Research also shows that access to an IBCLC makes a measurable difference at the population level. A 2025 cross-sectional study found significant positive associations between IBCLC density and breastfeeding initiation, exclusive breastfeeding at three months, and exclusive breastfeeding at six months, even after adjusting for income, education, and insurance status. And according to IBCLC Care Award data, mothers who received prenatal education, postpartum hospital visits, and follow-up support from a lactation consultant were more likely to breastfeed through week 20 and at a higher breastfeeding intensity than those who did not.
Put simply: learning now changes what happens later.
The Benefits of Breastfeeding: A Quick Overview
Before we talk about how to prepare, it helps to understand why so many families choose breastfeeding in the first place. Breastfeeding offers well-documented benefits for both baby and parent, including:
For baby:
Optimal nutrition tailored to your specific baby's needs
Antibodies and immune protection that formula cannot replicate
Reduced risk of respiratory infections, ear infections, and gastrointestinal illness
Lower risk of SIDS, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes
Potential cognitive and developmental benefits
Reduce risk of childhood cancers
Reduces risk of breast cancer later in life for female infants breastfed
For the birthing parent:
Faster uterine recovery after birth
Reduced risk of postpartum hemorrhage
Lower long-term risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and Type 2 diabetes
Reduces risk of PPD/PPA
Hormonal benefits that support bonding and mood regulation
Reduces risk of heart disease
More on health benefits
Common Challenges in the First Two Weeks (And Why Knowing About Them Helps)
The first two weeks of breastfeeding are often the most challenging and unfortunately, the time when many families give up, not because breastfeeding wasn't possible for them, but because they didn't know what was normal or who to call.
Here are some of the most common issues that come up early:
Latch difficulty — Baby may need help finding an effective latch, which can cause nipple pain and affect milk transfer
Nipple pain and soreness — Some discomfort in the first days is common, but significant pain is a signal that something needs to be assessed
Engorgement — As your milk comes in (typically days 2–5), your breasts may become very full and firm, making it harder for baby to latch
Concerns about milk supply — Many parents worry they aren't making enough milk; most of the time, supply is sufficient, but knowing the signs of adequate intake matters
Jaundice and sleepy feeders — Jaundiced or sleepy babies may not feed well on their own, requiring more frequent waking and feeding support
Weight loss concerns — Newborns lose weight in the first days of life; knowing what's normal versus what requires attention helps you act quickly
Tongue and lip ties/Oral Dysfunction — Oral restrictions in baby can affect latch and milk transfer and are often missed without a trained eye
Knowing that these things exist and that they are manageable, means you won't be caught off guard. You'll recognize what you're looking at, and you'll know exactly who to call.
Resource on newborn feeding cues / what to expect in the first week
Think of It Like Building a House: Every Brick Matters
I tell my clients that preparing for breastfeeding is like building a house. You don't build a house with one brick — you layer them, one on top of the next, until you have something strong and sturdy enough to hold up under pressure.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
🧱 Read a book on breastfeeding. That's one brick. You're laying a foundation of knowledge before you ever need to use it.
🧱 Take a breastfeeding class. That's another brick. A good class covers the basics of latch, positioning, milk production, and what to expect in those early days.
TinyHood Free Breastfeeding Class
First Droplets Educational Website and Videos
🧱 Find your local peer support resources. La Leche League, breastfeeding support groups, and community meetings are another brick. Hearing from people who have been through it — and finding community — matters more than most people realize.
🧱 Connect with an IBCLC before baby arrives. This is the cornerstone brick. More on this below.
Each layer builds on the last. The more you stack up before your baby is born, the stronger your foundation when things get hard and they will get hard, at least for a little while.
- I can see families in Northern Virginia in person and families across the US virtually. you can book a prenatal consultation with me here
Why You Should Connect with an IBCLC Before Baby Arrives
Here's the most important piece of advice I give every pregnant person: don't wait until you're struggling to find your lactation consultant. Find them now.
When you're sleep-deprived, engorged, and your baby won't latch at 3 a.m., the last thing you want to do is Google "lactation consultant near me," read reviews, wait for a callback, and hope they have availability. You want to already have a name and a number saved in your phone. You want to already have a relationship.
That's exactly what a prenatal IBCLC consultation is designed to create.
What Happens in a Prenatal Consultation?
A prenatal consultation is an in-depth, one-on-one appointment specifically designed to prepare you for breastfeeding before your baby arrives. During this visit, we:
Review your full health history — including any conditions, medications, surgeries, or breast changes that could affect lactation
Discuss what's happening in your current pregnancy — because how your pregnancy progresses can impact milk supply and early breastfeeding
Talk about birth and early postpartum — including how interventions, medications, and the timing of skin-to-skin contact can affect breastfeeding establishment
Prepare you for the first few days at home — what to expect, what to watch for, and when to reach out
Create a personalized game plan — so that the moment you arrive home with your baby, you already know exactly how to book a follow-up appointment and get ahead of any issues before they become bigger problems
This appointment is full of preventative care education — the kind that helps you avoid the most common pitfalls, rather than just react to them after the fact.
The research supports this approach. A study on IBCLC access through the WIC program found that mothers who had access to an IBCLC had 37% greater odds of breastfeeding at 2 months, 68% greater odds at 6 months, and 118% greater odds at 12 months compared to mothers without IBCLC access. Another systematic review found that lactation consultant support that began prenatally or at birth and continued postpartum more than doubled the odds of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months (RR = 2.04).
Having a prenatal consultation, establishing a relationship with an IBCLC, and coming into those first weeks with a plan, this is what statistically increases the likelihood that you'll successfully establish breastfeeding and provide milk for your baby for as long as you choose.
Choosing the Right Breast Pump: Another Place Where Expert Guidance Pays Off
If you plan to return to work, pump regularly, or supplement your direct breastfeeding, choosing the right pump matters more than most people realize. There are dozens of options on the market, and there is a lot of marketing noise around them.
Some pumps are genuinely more effective clinically. Others are beautifully designed but underwhelming in performance. What works best depends on your goals, your anatomy, your schedule, and how you plan to use it.
A prenatal IBCLC consultation is the ideal time to talk through your options. Together, we can:
Help you understand the difference between hospital-grade, personal-use double electric, and wearable pumps
Match pump recommendations to your specific goals and lifestyle
Teach you how to use your pump effectively before you need it
Talk about flange sizing, output expectations, and how to build and maintain supply while pumping
Many insurance plans cover a breast pump and knowing which one to choose ahead of time means you're not making that decision in a fog of postpartum exhaustion.
You Deserve Support That Starts Before Baby Arrives
Breastfeeding is one of the most natural things in the world and also one of the things many parents find most unexpectedly difficult. The difference between a family who struggles and gives up and a family who works through the hard parts and meets their goals is rarely about desire or effort. It's usually about knowledge, preparation, and having the right support in place.
That's what I'm here for.
If you're pregnant and thinking about breastfeeding, I'd love to be your IBCLC. A prenatal consultation gives us the chance to connect before baby arrives, review your history, address your specific concerns, and build a plan together, so that when those first hard days come, you're not figuring it out alone.
Finally…
Have questions? Reach out at Hello@KindredMilk.com I'm here to support you every step of the way — before, during, and after baby arrives.
References
Oggero MK, Rozmus CL, LoBiondo-Wood G. Effects of Prenatal Breastfeeding Education on Breastfeeding Duration Beyond 12 Weeks: A Systematic Review. Health Education & Behavior. 2024. PubMed
[Author names]. The effect of prenatal education on exclusive breastfeeding among women in Quito: prospective cohort study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2025. Springer
[Author names]. Lactation Consultant Access and Breastfeeding Outcomes in the United States: Cross-Sectional Analysis. Interactive Journal of Medical Research. 2025. NCBI
Gleason MM, et al. (cited in) Facilitators, Barriers, and Best Practices for Lactation Support. PMC. 2022. PMC
Impact of Lactation Consultants on Breastfeeding Prevalence at 6 Months: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PubMed. PubMed
IBCLC Care Award — Information for Healthcare Facilities. ibclccare.org