It’s National Breastfeeding Week and Bounty is celebrating by bringing you tips and advice to help you make breastfeeding a rewarding experience for you and your baby! We’ve also found some of the best, most stylish and most useful clothes and lingerie to get you started and to help you keep feeding for longer.

Let Bounty help you support your breastfeeding – it’s the best start for your baby!

Your body is amazing! Did you know that not only can you give your baby all she needs while she’s in your tummy but your body is also all you need to feed your baby until she is ready to start on first weaning foods at around six to eight months. That’s a total of up to 17 months when all baby needs is you!

Why should I breastfeed?

We’re always hearing that breastfeeding is best – but why?

Breast milk has everything that my baby needs. It has all the vitamins and minerals a growing baby needs plus it makes up a whole meal. First, there’s a thin milk to satisfy baby’s thirst, then the milk gets thicker so it fills her up more. Genius!

It is always ready, at the right temperature, any time, any place – anywhere. No need to go to a cold kitchen in the middle of the night, make up a feed, wait for it to get to the right temperature and go back to your baby – while all the time she is screaming to be fed.

It can help my baby stay healthy, not only when she is tiny but later in life too. That’s because it can help make her immune system stronger which will help her avoid illnesses.

It can help avoid weight problems when my baby is older. That’s because breastfed babies are better at learning when they are full and don’t over eat.

It’s free.

While you’re pregnant

Breastfeeding is the very best start you can give your baby and it’s really important that you know as much as you can before you give birth and know how and where to find support. Like nearly everything else you’re doing right now, it’s a new skill and something you have never done before. So don’t be afraid to ask friends, your midwife or your family and log on to Bounty.com to swap tips and chat with other mums.

You can also find lots of information about breastfeeding if you type “breastfeeding” into the search box on Bounty.com really?!!

Read all about it!

Try to learn the basics while you’re pregnant. Though reading and chatting with other people is not the same as doing it yourself, it’s good to know what steps to take to get it right. Don’t be put off and don’t give yourself a hard time if things don’t go so well the first few times you try – after all, you are new to this.

Most of us don’t see other women feeding their babies so it’s hard to learn. There’s a great video to show you how to hold and position your baby at http://www.bounty.com/pregnancy/38-weeks-pregnant/how-to-breastfeed

Take care of your boobs

You may know that you should change your bra when you’re pregnant and when feeding – but do you know why?

Your breasts have no muscles in them and they get bigger and heavier when you’re pregnant and even more so when breastfeeding – so avoid sagging by getting a well fitting bra.

You should buy a new bra as soon as you feel your usual ones are getting tight – this is often well before your bump appears. You should buy new bras each time your breasts change, which may be several times while you’re pregnant, though if you buy bras with several hook and eye positions, this will help avoid spending too much. You can also buy extenders to make the back strap longer.

Avoid underwires during pregnancy and when feeding as they can press against milk ducts.

Four of the best – maternity bras

From Aubade comes this elegant Bahia Triangle Bra made from super soft cotton with delicate embroidery. The adjustable straps have some lovely detailing and it has no underwiring, non padded cups and a 3-position hook and eye fastening. www.figleaves.com £50

This soft nursing bra from Emma-Jane is made from silky fabric, with smooth cups that are great under t-shirts. Wear it while still pregnant and for the first feeding days. It has four hook and eye fastenings to grow as you do. www.emma-jane.com £16

A bit of film star glamour comes with this 1930s inspired bra, the Florence from Emily. It has a dotted print with lace and ribbon over it. The soft cups are non-wired for comfortable support. £30

Mothercare has some budget lingerie like this pack of two cotton maternity bras in cream with contrast trims and lace top cups. They offer great fit and are available in larger cup sizes up to G. www.mothercare.com £25

If you’re a new breastfeeding mum

Get the L plates out! New mums – and their babies – need to learn how to get started. If you have your baby in hospital, your midwife can help you with the first feed. Milk takes a day or two to get established and the supply and demand nature means the more you feed your baby, the more milk you will make. The first feeds your baby has will be made of a, highly concentrated form of milk called colostrum. After a day or two, the milk changes into regular breast milk and the quantity increases and you feel as if someone has strapped two bricks to your chest!

Feeding bras and clothes

Of course you don’t have to have any particular clothes in order to breastfeed, but if you want to treat yourself, here are four of the best.

This pretty Breastfeeding top, Chloe from Babes with Babies, has gorgeous ruched mini-sleeves and a pretty crossover detail. There’s brilliant breastfeeding access hidden in the top - discreetly pull aside from the neckline to access the internal double-layer for easy nursing without self-consciousness. www.babeswithbabies.com £58.95

This is a stunning lace maternity or nursing bra by Hot Milk. It has six fastenings and can be worn from pregnancy onwards. With a floral lace pattern with scalloped edges, it has generous cups that drop down for easy feeding. There’s also a choice of French knickers or bikini briefs. www.hotmilklingerie.com £35.95

This rose satin bra with black lace is from Babes With Babies and is not only gorgeous but practical, with drop cups for feeding. It is made from a luxury fabric but lines in cotton for comfort. There are also briefs or French knickers to match. www.babeswithbabies.com £45

Great for a special occasion, the Drape Dress from Peaks of London is so versatile to tie that you can make it work for pretty much any occasion; pull in the waist or highlight your cleavage to suit and feed discreetly too. It comes in denim, black and cobalt blue with Long Sleeves or coral and grey in short sleeves. www.peaksoflondon.com £195