5 Ways Dads Can Support Breastfeeding Moms

You may not be the one feeding your baby, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bond with your child and be an active supporter of breastfeeding. There are plenty of ways you can be involved in nurturing and loving your baby and encouraging the breastfeeding relationship. Here, we discuss 5 ways dads can support breastfeeding moms. Please note that this isn’t exclusive to dads! Partners of any sex, relatives, and friends can also support and normalize breastfeeding.

Bond with your baby

There are plenty of hours in the day (and night!) to bond with your baby. Wear him or her in a carrier, participate in bath time and playtime, change diapers, rock your baby to sleep, and simply cuddle at every opportunity.

Related: The Father Effect: Being a Great Dad.

Tend to Mom (and the house!)

An excellent way for dads, partners, and others to support breastfeeding is to help take care of Mom and all those chores around the house. Prepare meals or bring snacks and a glass of water to her while she’s nursing. You can also run errands, take out the trash, sweep the floor, do the laundry . . . those tasks really add up, and anything you can do to help makes a bigger difference than you think.

Advocate for Mom in public

Let’s normalize breastfeeding! It’s so natural and beneficial to your baby, yet many strangers feel the need to make breastfeeding moms feel uncomfortable. This is when you can physically shield her from prying eyes by sitting right next to her (if she wishes to be discreet). Simply stand up for her. Breastfeeding is clearly within her legal rights, and interfering with that right is harassment. She can speak for herself but may appreciate you backing her up or speaking on her behalf if she’s feeling especially vulnerable.

Support the breastfeeding relationship

You’ll be a strong advocate in front of family, friends, and even total strangers. But you can also be her strongest advocate, even when no one is looking! Simply having a positive, encouraging attitude about breastfeeding is a great way to support her. Plus, other gestures, like bringing her nursing pillow to her, handling diaper changes and getting baby back to sleep after nursing, and keeping water and snacks on the bedside table or near her favorite chair, show that you support the breastfeeding relationship.

Read more from 5 Ways Partners Can Support Breastfeeding Moms ( a Dad’s Perspective), in Pathways to Family Wellness, Issue #58.