Breastfeeding

Cleveland Clinic supports you and your family through all stages of breastfeeding. We can coach you before you give birth to get you ready for what lies ahead. And we’re here for you when you begin lactation and after you go home and adjust to this new way of life.

Before birth

Our pediatricians, nurses, lactation consultants, obstetrics providers and breastfeeding medicine physicians will help you start preparing for breastfeeding before delivery. We’ll review your health history and medications to spot potential challenges early in the process. We’ll talk about breastfeeding best practices, recommend helpful equipment and share useful tips to improve your success — like setting up a dedicated space for breastfeeding at home. We offer prenatal one-on-one and group classes and visits for parents who are at high risk for breastfeeding challenges or just want to feel more prepared before delivery.

The first few days after birth

The first few days after your baby is born are very important to establishing a breastfeeding routine. Our team will visit you in the hospital shortly after birth to set you up for success.

We’ll encourage skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible to promote bonding and signal your body to start producing milk. The first milk produced after birth (colostrum) is highly concentrated with nutrients and antibodies to help build your baby’s immunity. We’ll help you give this milk to them. We’ll show you how to hold your baby during feedings and how to encourage your baby to latch onto your breast (chest).

As we watch you feed your baby, we’ll pay close attention to how your baby latches on, sucks, swallows and breathes during feedings. We’ll offer tips on positioning so that you’re more comfortable. And we’ll help you look for signs that your baby is getting enough milk. Before you go home, we’ll answer all of your questions and help you work through any problems you might be having.

After you leave the hospital

Many parents need support breastfeeding at home for the first few weeks. We can help you set up a home feeding routine, so you can get comfortable with breastfeeding (chestfeeding) and/or pumping right away. We can also help you with other important things like:

• Latching concerns.
• Supply concerns.
• Pain associated with breastfeeding or pumping.
• Contraception while breastfeeding.
• Medication concerns while nursing.
• Recognizing postpartum depression and anxiety.

How long you breastfeed your baby is up to you, but healthcare providers recommend using breast milk exclusively for the first six months of your child’s life, either by breastfeeding or pumping your milk and using a bottle. If you can, continue using breast milk throughout your baby’s first two years, even as you add new foods to their diet. We want to make sure feeding your baby is as stress-free and enjoyable for you and your family as possible.

Our team is here for you and can help you create a breastfeeding (chestfeeding) routine and timeline that’s best for you and your baby. This includes helping you with:

• Recognizing your baby’s hunger cues.
• Finding the best feeding position for you and your baby.
• How to help your baby latch on to your nipple.
• Ways other loved ones can get involved in the process.
• How to explain breastfeeding (chestfeeding) to your other children.
• How to use a pump and store breast milk properly.
• Understanding options and techniques for breastfeeding in public.
• Making sure you’re eating a balanced diet with enough extra calories each day while breastfeeding.
• Transitioning to work and weaning your baby.

We also can recommend other educational resources, classes and support groups — both in person and online. We’re here to set you up for success.

Tackling breastfeeding challenges

If you have challenges breastfeeding, we’ll help you figure out what’s going on and solve those issues so your baby can actively eat, gain weight and grow.

Sometimes you might have treatable physical issues that keep you from breastfeeding, like:

• Breast engorgement.
• Low milk supply.
• Sore nipples.
• Milk blebs.
• Flat nipples.
• Infections like mastitis.

Other times, your baby might have problems latching on to your nipple or simply refuses to feed. Or they might have sucking problems like tongue-tie (ankyloglossia). Medical conditions like premature birth can also affect a baby’s ability to successfully latch on, feed and thrive. We can help with all of these challenges.

Breastfeeding support for special situations

We also recognize that every family has its own needs and circumstances when it comes to breastfeeding. Our experts have lots of experience working with families with special situations.

More than one baby? We can advise you on feeding twins and triplets — or even more. We can also help adoptive and surrogate families with techniques such as induced lactation. Or maybe you’re looking to learn more about breastfeeding after breast or nipple surgery. We can even assist you with relactation (starting to breastfeed again after stopping) if you decide you want to try again.

Your care team is here to help you succeed at breastfeeding in ways that work best for you and your family.

Taking the Next Step

From the excellent nutrition it provides to the bonding that comes with skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding (chestfeeding) is a wonderful, natural way to feed and connect with your new baby. But it’s not always easy to do. And that’s OK. Cleveland Clinic has the support you need to establish a breastfeeding routine that works for you and your family. Our specialists can offer tips and best practices to help make your breastfeeding journey a success.