Congratulations! You’re a new dad, and you and your partner have decided to breastfeed. That’s amazing—but you might be wondering how partners can support breastfeeding when you can’t physically feed the baby yourself.
During the newborn phase, mom might be physically stuck in one place for 4 to 6 hours a day. It’s a full-time job! While you can’t share the nursing load, there are easy, impactful ways to make her life easier. Here are 5 practical breastfeeding tips for dads, straight from my own experience as a nursing mom.
Quick Summary: 5 Ways New Dads Can Support Breastfeeding
- Own the grocery shopping and errands.
- Take over the dishes and laundry.
- Master the diaper changes so mom can rest.
- Handle the first evening “put down.”
- Speak words of affirmation and appreciation.
If you’re a new mom, check out my post on how to ask for help!
1. Take Over the Grocery Shopping and Errands
Leaving the house with a breastfeeding baby can feel really daunting as a new mom, especially when mom and baby are still figuring out latch and timing and everything else.
Since you don’t have to be physically near the baby, it can be very helpful for you to go run errands on your own.
Bonus points if you make the shopping list yourself, but check with mom to see if there’s anything else she needs (remember ice cream is always welcome).
2. Tackle the “Invisible” Chores (Dishes and Laundry)
Mom might find it really hard to move around at first with a new baby. Even if you’ve gone back to work, she likely isn’t ready to run the house on her own.
That means dishes might stack up, laundry might go unfolded, and the house may not be vacuumed.
Part of being a new parent is learning to live with some of these things, but you can give mom peace of mind (and take a load off her plate) by helping out a little extra with the household tasks.
Pro-Tip: Every time she sits down to nurse, hand her a massive, ice-cold water bottle. You will be her hero.
3. Own the Diaper Duty
When you are home for a diaper change, you should do it.
Remember, mom is under baby 4-5 hours while breastfeeding alone. If you do the diaper change for 3-5 minutes, she can:
- run to the bathroom
- wash her face
- fill up her own water
- grab a snack
This was one of the most helpful things my husband did as a new dad to support me while breastfeeding. Those couple-minute breaks helped me feel more like a functioning person.
4. Handle the First Post-Feed “Put-Down”
Mom gets up with the baby 3-5 times, or more, each night. Each time, they are awake for anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours.
By taking over just 30 minutes of the soothing process after that first evening feed, you buy mom an uninterrupted stretch of crucial sleep.
5. Offer Verbal Encouragement and Affirmation
Believe it or not, a simple “thank you” is huge and can go a long way in making mom feel better.
On-demand nursing is really hard, physically and mentally, and she probably wonders if she is doing enough for baby or if she is doing everything right.
Tell her she’s doing a good job and that you love her. She’s feeding your baby! Sharing your appreciation of that means a lot.
What would you add to the list?
Breastfeeding is a lot of work, and it can be a game changer if dad makes an effort to support mom.
To the moms: What was the most helpful thing your partner did during those first few weeks?
To the new dads: Which of these are you going to try today?
Let me know in the comments below!
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