By Jamie Guertin, CNM, DNP

When I see women for their prenatal visits, I hope that our education and conversations veer towards breastfeeding. Many expecting moms wonder: 

"How do I prepare?" 

There is so much you can do before the baby arrives. 

As both a certified nurse-midwife and a mom of four children, I've learned that one of the biggest misconceptions about breastfeeding is that it should "just come naturally."  

While breastfeeding is natural, it's also a skill you must learn. Just like learning to ride a bike or play an instrument, it takes practice. You and your baby practice this skill together. 

The families who seem the most confident aren't necessarily the ones who have everything figured out. They're the ones who spent a little time preparing, knew what to expect, and understood where to turn when they had questions. 

If you're pregnant and wondering what you can do today to make breastfeeding a little easier tomorrow, these are the same things I recommend to my own patients. 

Educate Yourself Before Your Baby Arrives 

If I could only give one piece of advice during pregnancy, this would be it: learn about breastfeeding before your baby is born. 

Many women have never actually seen a newborn breastfeed. If you didn't grow up around breastfeeding, it's completely normal to wonder what a good latch looks like, how often babies eat, or whether cluster feeding is normal. 

For this area of learning, these video series are outstanding, and I recommend you watch them all. 

• Global Health Media breastfeeding playlist 

• Stanford Medicine breastfeeding playlist 

• First Droplets 

If you enjoy reading, I recommend these. 

• The Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League  

• Breastfeeding Made Simple by Nancy Mohrbacher  

Confidence doesn't come from knowing everything. It comes from knowing where to find good information when questions come up. Questions will come in each stage of your breastfeeding journey. Common questions include night nursing, pumping, introducing solid foods, returning to work, storing milk, and nursing toddlers. Save resources now to find quick answers in the future. 

Nourish Yourself During Pregnancy 

One of the best ways to prepare for breastfeeding is surprisingly simple: take good care of yourself during pregnancy. 

Your body is already doing something incredible. In just a few months, that same body will transition into making milk specifically designed for your baby. To make quality milk, you need to eat quality food. 

That usually means choosing meals that include: 

• Plenty of fruits and vegetables  

• High-quality protein like eggs, chicken, fish, beans, Greek yogurt, or lean meats (aim for 100 grams of protein daily) 

• Healthy fats from foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and full-fat dairy if you tolerate it  

• Whole, minimally processed foods whenever possible  

• Invest in a large thermos and drink plenty of water. Limit sugary drinks. Caffeine via coffee or tea is generally okay during nursing. 

One of my favorite books to help establish quality eating in pregnancy and postpartum is Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols.  

Every time you eat, you practice choosing quality food. Start slow. Use the resources and recipes you like. Learn to meal prep and how to make freezer meals (for this, check out The Postpartum Nutrition Cookbook). Choose meals that you can put in a slow cooker on busy or sleepless days.  

For snacks, plan to purchase anything that is high protein and easy to eat with one hand: 

• Greek yogurt  

• Fresh fruit  

• Cheese and whole-grain crackers  

• Hard-boiled eggs  

• Trail mix or mixed nuts  

• Peanut butter with apples or toast  

• Homemade breakfast burritos that can be reheated in a few minutes  

Your nursing areas should include a small space where you can set your water thermos, a cup of tea or coffee, and a snack. It’s important to stay hydrated and eat through the long nursing sessions in those first few weeks. 

Make a Nursing Nest 

A nursing nest is simply a place where you will spend a lot of time nursing. A large chair, the end of the sofa, your bed, a rocking chair, etc. Wherever that may be, I recommend you set up two nursing nest areas. A place near a window, plants, or a picture of art is beautiful too. 

Grab a small basket and pack it with diapers, wipes, burp cloths, your phone charger, the TV remote, and a good book. When your baby wants to nurse for the next 45 minutes, everything you need is already within arm's reach. Check the basket every few days and restock as needed.  

Build Your Support Team Before Baby Arrives 

One of the biggest lessons I've learned as both a midwife and a mom is that while breastfeeding involves two people, breastfeeding takes an entire team. 

We often spend months preparing for labor and delivery, but very little time talking about what happens once everyone goes home. 

Those first few weeks can feel overwhelming. Your baby is learning to breastfeed. You're recovering from birth. Sleep is limited, emotions are high, and expectations go amiss. 

In these situations, remember this: 

Your job is feeding the baby. Their job is taking care of you. 

That might look like: 

• Changing the baby's diaper before a feeding  

• Bringing the baby to you so you can stay comfortable  

• Refilling your water bottle  

• Bringing you a snack  

• Helping you get settled with pillows  

• Bringing your pain medication if it's time  

• Taking the baby after the feeding so you can shower or rest  

• Simply sitting with you during those long middle-of-the-night feeds  

These are small acts of service with huge impacts. 

They're often the difference between a mom feeling supported and feeling completely alone. 

If this isn't your first baby, take a few minutes to think back on your last postpartum experience. 

What helped? What didn't? What do you wish someone had done for you? 

Those caring you can't read your mind, and chances are they don't remember every detail from your last postpartum experience either. Tell them exactly what support looks like for you this time around before the baby comes. 

Another way to ease into this conversation is to ask: 

"When the baby wakes up to eat at 2 a.m., what does each of you think your job will be?" 

Spending five minutes talking about it now can make those first few weeks feel much more like you're on the same team. 

Keep Your Expectations Flexible 

After caring for hundreds of new families, I've learned no two breastfeeding journeys look exactly alike. 

Some babies latch beautifully within minutes of birth. Some need a little more time, support, and interventions from different disciplines (lactation consults, chiropractic care, or ENT support). 

Some babies are born a few weeks early and are still learning to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. Others are sleepy during those first 24 hours. Some want to nurse every hour, while others seem content to sleep for longer stretches. 

All of those can be completely normal. 

One of the biggest mistakes I see is when moms compare their breastfeeding journey to someone else's. Your sister, your best friend, or the influencer you follow online all have different babies, different births, and different experiences. 

Comparison will steal your confidence.  

Instead, learn what normal looks like, know where to get help, have your resources at the ready, and trust that both you and your baby are learning together. Before your baby is born, ask your provider who they recommend if breastfeeding isn't going as planned. Save the phone number for a local lactation consultant in your phone. If you never need it, wonderful. But if you do, you'll be so glad you already know who to call. 

If you have certain medical conditions or pregnancy complications, it's also worth having a conversation with your provider before delivery. Conditions like diabetes, a history of breast surgery, PCOS, thyroid disease, or previous breastfeeding challenges don't mean you won't breastfeed successfully, but they do give us an opportunity to make a plan to help you be as successful as possible before your baby arrives. 

That's one of the reasons I created my Breastfeeding Risk Screener. I wanted families to have a simple way to identify potential challenges before birth so we could talk through them together instead of being surprised afterward. 

Consider Prenatal Hand Expression 

This is a common question at pregnancy visits. Many women leak milk prematurely and wonder if they should express milk during pregnancy. This is called antenatal milk expression. 

Colostrum is the very first milk your body makes. It's packed with antibodies, protein, and nutrients, and although only small amounts are produced, it's exactly what your newborn's tiny stomach needs during those first few days of life. 

Prenatal hand expression simply means learning to collect a small amount of that colostrum before your baby is born. This is not a practice recommended for every woman, but it is a great conversation to have for any woman where we are concerned about a lower milk supply or a longer time for milk to come in after birth. If you've had preterm labor, cervical concerns, certain pregnancy complications, or your provider has advised pelvic rest, this may not be recommended for you. 

Who may benefit the most? Women who have diabetes, are expecting twins or higher-order multiples, have had previous breast surgery, experienced low milk supply with a prior baby, or are expecting a baby who may be more likely to need supplementation after birth. 

For these families, having a small supply of frozen colostrum available can provide peace of mind if their baby needs a little extra support while learning to breastfeed. 

The step-by-step guide from La Leche League walks families through the process with clear pictures and instructions. 

Lastly, I recommend learning to hand express is often more valuable than collecting a freezer full of colostrum. 

After your baby is born, hand expression can be incredibly helpful if your baby is sleepy, if you get caught in a natural disaster, you're trying to encourage your milk supply, or you simply need another way to remove milk besides using a pump (or you don’t have your pump). It's a skill you'll likely use long after pregnancy is over. 

Protect Your Mental Health 

One thing I wish we talked about more when preparing for breastfeeding is maternal mental health. 

Breastfeeding doesn’t feel easy. And your body is changing so much. And you’re bleeding. And you might pee on yourself. Some days you'll feel confident and other days you may wonder if you're doing anything right. Those feelings are incredibly common, and they last throughout parenthood. 

If you feel like you are flailing, ask for help. During pregnancy, your mood may have been fine. A pregnancy that is completely uncomplicated can be a precursor for postpartum anxiety or depression. After birth, you may cry over the dishwasher loading or reply in anger to your partner. And you may struggle every day with thoughts that seem intrusive. This is not normal. You need to ask for help. 

You were never meant to navigate the postpartum period alone, but often that is what we think is the only way. For more information about mood disorders, thoughts postpartum moms have, and resources available, check out the Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Tool. 

Help is online. Help is in person. Help is your provider and community. Please, ask for help. 

Give Yourself Grace 

The moms who are most successful aren't the ones who never face challenges. 

They're the ones who keep asking questions, keep learning, and give themselves permission to grow alongside their baby. 

Prepare yourself. Educate yourself. Find people who will encourage you. Unfollow those that don’t. But don't expect yourself to have all the answers before your baby arrives. You're meeting your baby for the very first time. They're meeting you for the very first time, too.  

You'll learn each other one feeding at a time. 

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Jamie Guertin is a certified nurse-midwife, mom of four, wife, and veteran who believes women deserve practical, evidence-based information to help them feel confident in pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and beyond. She is the founder of A Midwife Nation, where she works to make the midwifery model of care more accessible by educating patients and equipping midwives with better tools and resources. When she isn’t catching babies or creating education, she’s raising four kids in Alaska with her husband and learning firsthand that motherhood rarely goes exactly according to plan.