Prepare to Breastfeed

Get ready to breastfeed before your baby arrives

Many families start breastfeeding without ever having watched someone do it up close.

Start with the free prep course, then take a class, look up a term, or read a guide whenever a question comes up.

Free 5-day email course

Five emails to get ready for breastfeeding

Each email covers an important step to take before baby comes, from how your body makes milk to who’s in your support circle. By the end, you’ll know what the first two days usually look like and who you can call for help.

Start the free course

One email a day for five days. The first one arrives today.

1

How your body makes milk, and what tells it to make more

2

What to plan and set up before baby arrives

3

Who to bring into your support circle

4

How to build a good milk supply from the start

5

What the first two days usually look like

Practice before baby arrives

Breastfeeding Basics classes

Breastfeeding Basics teaches latch and positioning, hunger cues, milk supply, pumping and storage, and nipple care. Take it in person or online.

Start your breastfeeding journey with confidence.

Mama breastfeeding her baby

If you’ve had any of these questions or doubts, this class is for you:

How do I properly latch my baby?

You will learn to

  • Latch and position
  • Read your baby’s hunger cues
  • Trust and understand your body
  • Troubleshoot difficulties
  • Maintain breastmilk supply
  • Pump and store breastmilk
  • Care for you nipples

Learn before your baby comes.

Online Course

Learn at home, on your schedule

Start tonight, pause when you need to, and come back after baby arrives. You keep lifetime access.

Get more info Enroll now

You get lifetime access!

In-Person Class

Learn it live, with your partner

Anna teaching an in-person breastfeeding class.

Your support person learns with you, so they know how to help. Plan on about three hours with our lactation team.

See upcoming classes See more class details

Classes are held in Utah.

Breastfeeding Complications

Understand how an illness, health conditions, or medications might affect breastfeeding, from breast implants to PCOS.

 

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Explore the Visual Breastfeeding Glossary

More than 100 breastfeeding terms, each with a picture and a short definition.

  • Alveoli are grape-like clusters in the breast that produce and store milk.
  • Tandem breastfeeding is nursing two children at the same time.
  • The twin football and cradle hold combines the football and cradle holds for twins.
  • The double football hold positions each baby under your arms like a football.
  • The twin upright hold keeps both babies upright while breastfeeding them together.
  • The twin front cross hold nurses both twins across your body in a cross pattern.
  • In the inverted side-lying hold, both you and your baby lie on your sides with baby’s feet towards your head.
  • Transitional milk is the stage after colostrum, appearing around the third to fifth day.
  • The Australian hold, or koala hold, has your baby straddling your thigh while upright.
  • Mature milk provides balanced nutrients and antibodies for your baby after the first few weeks.
  • The thoracic wall consists of bones, muscles, and tissues that support the breasts.
  • The inframammary fold is where the lower breast meets the chest wall.
  • A subareolar abscess is a pus-filled infection beneath the areola, causing pain and swelling.
  • Pumping is using a breast pump to extract milk from your breasts.
  • Feeding on demand is feeding your baby whenever they show hunger signs.
  • Fats in breastmilk are essential for your baby’s brain and eye development.
  • An inverted nipple pulls inward, making breastfeeding latch challenging.
  • An electric breast pump uses a motor to extract milk from the breasts.
  • Minerals in breastmilk support your baby’s growth and bone development.
  • Colostrum harvesting is expressing and storing the first milk produced.

Start with breast massage, cluster feeding, colostrum harvesting, engorgement, hand expression, or let-down.

Explore the glossary

Free learning resources from our blog

Here you’ll find dozens of hand-picked posts that will help you during pregnancy and the first hours after birth.

Explore more support

Need help with breastfeeding or pumping?

Once baby is here, our IBCLCs can help with latch, painful feeds, milk supply, pumping, bottles, and more. Visits are at home, in our Lehi office, or by video.

Get Breastfeeding Help

Have a health condition or medication question?

If you’re wondering how a medication, a health condition, or a past supply problem could affect breastfeeding, Anna can help you plan before baby arrives. She also helps with inducing lactation for adoption or surrogacy.

Explore Breastfeeding Medicine