Hindi Puro Si Mama: Dads Can Provide Major Support In Your Family's Breastfeeding Journey

Breastfeeding is no longer just a mother’s concern. Today, there are many ways fathers can help and provide support to their partners on their breastfeeding journey. The support dads can provide can go a long way in helping make the breastfeeding journey a little easier for their partners. Here is a list of things dads can do to provide that much-needed support: 

How dads can support breastfeeding moms

1. Boost your partner’s confidence by encouraging her 

Breastfeeding is not easy and sometimes, our partners need to hear words of affirmation and encouragement to help them through some of the most difficult moments. Saying phrases like “You’re doing so well,” “You got this,” and “I’m here to help you” can give them the boost they need to continue and push through.

So be very generous with these kinds of words to encourage them and to make them feel that you are there with them throughout their breastfeeding journey.  

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2. Listen to your partner 

More than encouraging them with words of affirmation, listening to our partners can also play an important role in giving them the support they need. Listening to her experiences, what she is going through, her occasional rants, and what she needs will also show that we are there for them.

After listening to them, we can thank them for telling us and we can ask them if there is anything we can do to help them. But in most cases, we do not even have to reply with an offer of a solution, we just need to really listen, give them a hug, and assure them that they can always tell us what they feel.  

3. Share in childcare duties 

Breastfeeding is physically and emotionally taxing for our partners. This is why it is important that we give our partners a break and do our fair share of childcare duties. For example, you can take care of giving your baby a bath or burping them while your partner has some me-time in the shower.

'Dads can show their support to their partners by doing house chores including cooking, washing dishes, doing the laundry so mom can focus on breastfeeding.'

You can also take charge of watching your baby while they are napping so your partner also gets some much-needed sleep so her body can recharge. More than helping your partner recharge and get much-needed rest, this opportunity to take on more childcare duties will also help you create a deeper bond with your child. 

4. Do house chores  

Relieving the burden of having to do countless house chores can help our partners focus more effort and time on breastfeeding. Apart from helping in childcare during breastfeeding, dads can also show their support to their partners by doing house chores including cooking, washing dishes, doing the laundry, and others. By doing these, you will be able to alleviate some of the pressures and guilt your partner may feel while they breastfeed your child.  

5. Encourage your partner to eat and drink regularly.

Keeping your partner healthy can play an important role in her breastfeeding journey. With the right diet and hydration, her body will be able to produce enough milk to feed your child. Some of the things you can do to ensure your partner gets the right nutrition are preparing and giving her healthy meals, buying her food that can help her body produce more milk, and making sure she drinks enough water.

Reminding your partner when it’s time to eat and drink water can also go a long way in ensuring that she stays healthy throughout her breastfeeding journey.  

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6. Seek professional help if she is having a hard time 

If you see that your partner is having difficulty during breastfeeding, seeking help from a professional can help. There are many lactation doctors and experts who can provide good advice to help your partner get through her difficulties. These doctors and experts can give you and your partner with information you need for both the physical and emotional needs that need to be addressed to overcome the challenges being experienced during the breastfeeding journey.

In cases when your partner is not able to produce enough milk, lactation doctors and experts can also help you go through the options you can take to ensure that your child gets the nutrients he or she needs. 

'Do not compare our partner’s breastfeeding journey to others' and do not expect our partners to have the same experience as them.'

7. Help out by bottle feeding your child with breastmilk. 

Your partner is not the only one who should feed your child. With breast pumps that can help your partner extract breastmilk, there is nothing that should stop you from feeding your baby. This means that once the milk has been extracted and stored, you can take on child-feeding duties while your partner is working, resting, or out for errands. Apart from making sure that your baby is fed, this is also another great way to create a bond with your child.  

8. Understand that each breastfeeding journey is different 

Lastly, one of the most important things we can do to support our partners is to understand that every breastfeeding journey is different. We can do this by not comparing our partner’s breastfeeding journey with what we see with other mothers and not expecting our partners to have the same experience with others. By avoiding this comparison, we can help our partners better because we are able to be attuned to their specific needs and to what we can do to fulfill them. 
 
During our partner’s breastfeeding journey, there are many things we can do to show our support. By providing the physical and emotional support they need during this time and by showing them that “we’re in this together,” every effort we put in and the things we do can be of great help in making our partners feel loved and supported. 

JR Santiago is a father of one and founder of Dadvocacy Community, an advocacy on Facebook and Instagram that encourages and inspires Dads to be more involved parents. He is also a co-founder of an online Facebook Group for dads by dads called Dad Tribe PH. JR believes fathers don't babysit, they parent.

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