What on Earth is an Infant Feeding Plan, I hear you ask? Well, like any other plan: a birth plan or otherwise, it is what you would ideally like to happen when it comes to your Infant Feeding Journey.

Of course you can plan to simply respond to what feels right in the moment and see how things go. That's always an option. However, if you feel strongly about the feeding journey you'd like with your new baby, a plan is a great way of preparing - both for yourself, your partner, other people in your support system, the birthing team who will be there when baby arrives...Having everyone in the know means you can plan for how things might go to give you and your baby the best chance at a good start to your feeding relationship.

As an Infant Feeding Coach, I can help you go through and complete the plan, or you can even create your own - if that's something you feel up to. This blog is just a breakdown of what you might consider including:

• Whether or not you plan to hand express colostrum - if you do, how and where it is stored and will be stored before and during the birth and when it should be used e.g. in the event you are unable to feed immediately.

• Your feelings around pain relief that might impact on Breastfeeding - such as Pethidine or Epidurals 

• Stating what your feeding intention is i.e. how long you're aiming to breastfeed for, whether additional forms of feeding will be used etc.

• What you would like to happen once your baby is born to get the best start to your feeding journey: from wanting skin-to-skin undisturbed until after the first feed, to how you feel re the use of formula 

• Steps to be taken in the event of an emergency or planned c-section to enable breastfeeding, for example having a front-opening gown and skin-to-skin immediately in theatre

• How/when you would like examinations, weighing etc. of the baby to be carried out - you can ask for these to be done after the first feed, for baby to be kept on his tummy to maintain feeding reflexes or for any tests/checks possible to be done while baby is in contact with you

• How you would like any transfers of you and your baby to take place i.e. between hospital rooms or from hospital building to car...perhaps you want baby on you, skin-to-skin for all transfers, as opposed to carried separately.

• Your partner's role in feeding - it is ok to request baby stays with you until the first feed is complete before being passed to your partner

• How you would like the 4th trimester to look - from who you'd like to be able to visit (if anyone), how you would like support to look, how you feel about dummy's or bottles if breastfeeding to anything else that's important to you.

• Details of your local feeding support - groups, private providers and community support

Although this plan and the details in it are largely to communicate with those surrounding your birth and the immediate hours, days, weeks and months afterwards, it can also be a useful reminder and mode of communication at any point for people involved in yours or your baby's care. For example, if you or your baby need to be hospitalised at any point, you have it here, in writing, what your wishes are surrounding your feeding relationship and what support you therefore need to maintain this. This may even be something you add to the plan for contingency purposes: perhaps to request a pump is provided if a prolonged separation from your baby is necessary, and safe storage of your expressed milk. You can even ask that, in the event of such an admission of you or your little one, you are allowed to stay with them (your baby kept with you or you given a bed with your baby) so as to continue feeding directly. By openly discussing and writing down your feelings about feeding choices early on, before such events take place, you might then find it much easier to get your message across and your needs met, by those around you and looking after you, in times of need.