How to get involved

You may find the decision to breastfeed your baby a difficult one. For dads, you may know the benefits of breast milk for your partner and your baby, but many dads get concerned that they will feel left out as they are physically unable to breastfeed.

This is not something you should be worried about as there are lots of ways you can still get involved. Talk to your partner as much as possible when looking after your baby and discussing breastfeeding. Agree together the ways you can both support her to breastfeed and support in looking after baby in other ways.

Although childcare was traditionally seen as a mother’s role, nowadays many more fathers want to be involved in their baby’s upbringing. For example, you could help get your partner comfortable for feeding, bring her drinks to keep her hydrated for baby or take the child after feeding to wind him. This way you can have the same skin-to-skin contact as your partner has with the baby.

You can also bond with baby at other times, such as bathing him, changing nappies, playing, singing and putting him to bed. Co-bathing is also a lovely way for dads to bond with your baby.

You are often your partner's biggest support – let her know that you support her and be with her when she breastfeeds to reassure her of that fact. You are helping much more than you may realise.

Many dads are often quite surprised by how much they enjoy simply watching their partner breastfeed their baby. It can be a very relaxing, wonderful and intimate time for the whole family to share, increasing the bond between all of you, not just between your partner and your baby