We hope this will enable you to make an informed choice about how you feed your baby. Advice and help is also available during your hospital stay for birth and in the postnatal period.
The help on offer will include information about:
- Skin-to-skin contact
- The benefits of breastfeeding and how breastfeeding works
- Latching and positioning
- How to sustain an maintain your supply of milk, including hand expressing
- Promoting exclusive breastfeeding for a minimum of 6 month
- Keeping you and your baby together
- Baby-led feeding and responding to feeding cues
- How to contact a midwife and/or voluntary support agencies for support
- Information about the use of teats and dummies
Tips for Successful Breastfeeding
Follow your baby and not the clock
Avoid the use of formula
Avoid the use of dummies until breastfeeding has been established at around 1 month old
Ask for help, advice or support as soon as you need it
Positioning
- Hold your baby’s head in a straight line with their body turned into and facing your body and support their shoulders so that their head is free to tip back
- Ensure you are comfortable
- Baby’s nose should be opposite your nipple
Attaching
To ensure your baby is latched well:
- Let your baby’s head tip back a little so the top lip brushes against your nipple
- With your baby's mouth wide open bring him straight to the breast
- Your baby's nose should be clear of your breast
- Your baby should take in a large mouthful of breast with the nipple to the roof of his mouth
Signs your Baby is Feeding Well
- Large mouthful of breast
- Chin touching breast
- It doesn’t hurt – cracked or sore nipples are a sign your baby is not latching correctly
- More dark skin visible at the top of the nipple than underneath
- Baby’s cheeks are rounded during sucking
- Baby rhythmically takes long sucks and swallows
- Finishes feed and comes off on own
- Content and satisfied
- After a normal initial weight loss during 1st 5-7 days will start gaining weight
How to recognise your baby is getting enough milk
The following are some indicators that your baby is feeding well:
- Your baby should be having at least 2 dirty nappies every 24 hours from birth for the first four weeks - changing from black throught to yellow stool by day 3 or 4
- In the first week your baby should have at least one wet nappy for how many days old they are eg: a day old = 1 wet nappy, 3 days old = 3 wet nappies and at least 6 wet nappies from day 5 every 24 hours
- Your breast and nipples should not be sore, if they are ask for help from your Midwife or Health Visitor
- Baby should be settled during feeding and contented after most feeds
- Baby should be waking spontaneously for feeds and feeding at least 6 times in 24 hours
- After the first 1-2 weeks your baby should begin to gain weight
If you have any concerns please contact your Midwife or Health Visitor at your earliest opportunity.
Expressing Your Milk
Why express?
- Can be done by hand or pump
- To relieve full breasts or stimulate milk supply
- To store and use at a later date