You may have included something about trying to breastfeed straight after the birth in your birth plan. Even if you haven’t thought about it before, your midwife should be there after the birth to help you start breastfeeding.
Unless there are any problems, you shouldn’t be separated from your baby for at least an hour after they are born. During this time, your midwife should help you have skin- to-skin contact with your baby, which helps encourage breastfeeding.
There are lots of professionals who can support you with breastfeeding, including hospital and community midwives, health visitors and infant feeding coordinators. If you need some support between appointments don’t hesitate to ring your community midwife or health visitor.
You can also call the National Breastfeeding Helpline, which is run by highly trained volunteer breastfeeding counsellors. It is open 9:30am-9:30pm 365 days a year. Support is available in Welsh, Polish, Bengali and Sylheti. Call 0300 100 0212.
Your red book should also contact details of local breastfeeding drop-ins, cafes and centres.
For local support please visit the Facebook page Cwm Taf Breastfeeding Network
How can partners help with breastfeeding?
If your partner is trying to breastfeed, you can do a lot to support her, including:
You can find a free course here to help you and your partner prepare for breastfeeding.