To all fathers out there, we wish you all a happy fathers day.
A father is his son’s first hero and his daughter’s first love.
Since father’s day is this week I have decided to write about the importance of the fathers role in breastfeeding.
A lot of importance is given on mother-baby bonding during the breastfeeding journey. It is natural for a father to feel left out.
If you are a dad or a dad to be, here are some important reasons to why you should get involved on your family’s breastfeeding journey:
– Introduce and improve bonding with the baby. Babies not only hear their mother’s voice from the womb, but also their father’s. The bonding would be very natural with little effort from a father.
– Reduces workload, and stress levels of the mother, which helps a lot in keeping PPD (Postpartum Depression) down.
– A father’s support during this stage of motherhood will certainly improve the couple’s relationship to connect better with each other and thereby enhance the relationship.
– If you have already understood the importance of breastfeeding, it is also important for you to know that most breastfeeding journeys fail without the father’s support.
Now that you are aware of the importance of your role as a father you should be wondering what you can do to support. We have compiled a list of things that you can do to help your family during this beautiful experience of breastfeeding:
– learn how breastfeeding works so that you can be more ‘part of the team’ and support through any early difficulties. There are several key topics for fathers to be aware of like early struggles of breastfeeding, pumping & storage of breastmilk, importance of breastmilk vs formula, etc.
– Take opportunities to carry or cuddle your baby to calm her/him down. ‘Skin to skin’ time with your baby would help the bonding process better.
– Bathing the baby is another great way of bonding as the baby is relaxed during this time.
– Share housework. Giving a hand in home chores gives the mother more time to rest which means more family time together with the little one.
– Be an extra pair of hands for your wife during breastfeeding sessions, by ensuring she is comfortable with enough pillows, water, etc.
– When the baby is settled in with feeding, introduce expressed milk through bottles. This would help father and mother take turns for feeds during the night, helping both of them sleep better.
– Help the baby burp after a feed, making the baby sleep, changing nappy, etc can help the mother immensely.
– Breastfeeding burns about 500 extra calories per day, which can make mothers thirsty and hungry. You can support her by encouraging her to drink plenty of water and making sure there’s a lot of healthy fruits and vegetables on her diet.
– Lastly, be patient if your partner does not like being intimate with you. She might feel all touched and exhausted with the baby. After getting through the early phase and easing into a routine, things could come back to how it used to be.
If you are a mother and feel we have left out on something let us know. Do share with us your success stories of co-parenting, bringing dad into the picture during your breastfeeding journey. Your story can inspire a hassle-free experience for another family going through this important phase of life.
To all fathers out there, you are doing a great job.