Fathers play a vital role and greatly influence breastfeeding practices. Their support has been identified as the strongest predictor of exclusive and optimum breastfeeding. Fathers can support the success of breastfeeding by:
- Creating a positive family attitude or mindset towards breastfeeding.
- Encouraging the mum. Breastfeeding can be draining both emotionally and physically and fathers can bolster their breastfeeding partners confidence by complimenting their efforts and encouraging them to forge on.
- Providing practical help such as massaging the mum, serving her food, washing the baby, bottle feeding the baby.
- Bringing baby to mum in the middle of the night
- Fostering a relationship with the baby. Getting skin -to- skin contact is good for both the baby and the father as it is a great relationship booster
- Burping and changing the baby
Dads, when she is ready to wean baby off nursing, applaud her for the fantastic job she’s done no matter how long she nursed!
