Feeding your baby
Breastfeeding offers your baby the best start in life. The information below is taken form a variety of additional resources available to parents. These include:
How breast milk benefits your baby
Antibodies in breast milk stimulate your baby’s immune system and help protect them from infection and other illnesses including:
- stomach infections, vomiting and diarrhoea
- ear and chest infections
- kidney infections
- cow’s milk allergy, asthma and eczema
- sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- childhood diabetes
- childhood obesity
Breast milk changes as your baby grows so they get what they need to develop. Breastfeeding helps the development of your baby’s eyesight. Their sucking action at your breast also helps their jaw and mouth development.
Benefits of breastfeeding for children and adults
The longer you breastfeed, the greater the health benefits for your child later in life. Children and adults breastfed as babies are less likely to have:
- obesity
- high blood pressure
- heart disease
Human milk
Tailor-Made for Tiny Humans’ is an independent advertising initiative created by a small team of parents, focusing on the composition of human milk and the science of breastfeeding.
Off to a good start
The ‘Off to a good start’ book presents the reasons why mothers and babies benefit from breastfeeding and explains how to breastfeed successfully.
It covers issues including how breastfeeding works, positioning and attachment, how to know if breastfeeding is going well, expressing milk, breastfeeding and babies in special care, advice on breastfeeding and bed-sharing, dealing with common problems, fitting breastfeeding into your life, and going back to work.
Skin-to-skin contact
Research has shown that it is best to place new babies in skin-to-skin contact with their mothers. A new-born baby is familiar with its mother before birth and feels safest on her skin after being born. Skin-to-skin contact is also beneficial for older babies.
Why is skin-to-skin contact important?
There is a growing body of evidence that skin-to-skin contact after the birth helps babies and their mothers.
Skin-to-skin contact helps:
- calm and relaxes both mother and baby
- regulate the baby’s heart rate and breathing, helping them to better adapt to life outside the womb
- stimulate digestion and an interest in feeding
- regulate temperature
- enables colonisation of the baby’s skin with the mother’s friendly bacteria, which then helps in providing protection against infection
- stimulate the release of hormones to support breastfeeding and mothering
Video courtesy of UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative
Read more about skin-to-skin in UNICEF’s Baby Friendly studies.
The first 1000 minutes and the neuroscience of breastfeeding
Dr Nils Bergman is a Sweedish specialist in perinatal neuroscience and was a founder of kangaroo care and is a promoter of skin-to-skin contact. In this video, he talks about the importance of the first 1000 minutes.
Attaching your baby to the breast
Good attachment will help a baby get more milk and make breastfeeding more comfortable.
This video shows why good attachment is so important to breastfeeding success and what a mother can do to deeply attach her baby to her breast.
How to tell if your baby is getting enough milk
This information is taken from the Off to a good start publication, available from the Public Healthy Agency.
You and your baby are doing fine if:
- Your baby appears content and satisfied after most feeds
- Your baby manages to attach to the breast without a fuss at most feeds
- Your baby is healthy and gaining weight satisfactorily
- You feel confident, and your breasts and nipples aren’t sore
- On days one and two your baby will have two or more wet nappies and one or more dirty nappies of meconium (the first dark black poo).
- On days three and four expect three or more wet nappies and two or more dirty green nappies
- After day five your baby should have at least six heavy wet nappies. By days five and six you will see a soft yellow poo at least twice every day (see the picture for a colour guide).
- By days 10-14 your baby should pass frequent soft runny yellow poos every day with two poos being the minimum you would expect.
Long feeds in the evening are very common – many babies need extra comforting and attention in the evenings, but that goes for formula-fed babies as well. If you are taking your baby off your breast, insert your finger into the corner of his mouth to break the suction first.
How to tell if your baby is getting enough milk
How to increase your milk supply if necessary
Breastfeeding twins or multiple babies
The Twins Trust has a lot of really useful information and support for parents who are expecting or feeding multiple babies.
Twins Trust | Twins Trust – We support twins, triplets and more.
Medications and drugs when breastfeeding
Often parents are mistakenly told that they have to stop breastfeeding when taking particular medications or struggle to find accurate information to assist in making an informed decision about drugs or prescribed medications being used.
The Breastfeeding Network Drugs Factsheets contain information about lots of different reasons medication use may need to be considered and the advice in relation to breastfeeding.
Support can also be obtained though the prescribing pharmacists in the Northern Trust and also the infant feeding leads in Maternity, Neonatal and Community services. To access this support please refer to our Breastfeeding Support section.
Smoking and breastfeeding
Smoking whilst breastfeeding is not advised. However the benefits of breastfeeding and smoking are still greater than formula feeding. Smoking only after feeding and away from the baby is recommended to limit the baby’s exposure.
Smoking, Smoking Cessation and Breastfeeding – The Breastfeeding Network
Alcohol and breastfeeding
Breastfeeding mothers can have occasional small amounts of alcohol but should not drink alcohol regularly or heavily
Alcohol and Breastfeeding – The Breastfeeding Network
Breastfeeding and returning to work
This Breastfeeding and returning to work leaflet provides advice to breastfeeding mothers to help them continue breastfeeding after they have returned to work:
This booklet is aimed at promoting health in the workplace and sets out some easy steps that employers can take to support breastfeeding mothers: Promoting Breastfeeding for Mothers Returning to Work Leaflet
In the Northern Trust, we offer all staff and service users who are breastfeeding a return to work pack which includes a cool bag, ice block, drinks mug and breastmilk storage bottle. Ask your health visitor for more information.
These are subject to funding and availability.
If you’re a member of staff and live outside the Trust area, please email liz.hood@northerntrust.hscni.net for more details.
Breastfeeding welcome here scheme
The Breastfeeding welcome here scheme is an initiative which aims to accommodate and support families who wish to breastfeed whilst out and about. A business will display the logo in their window so it’s very clear and welcoming to breastfeeding mother’s. The website also has a list of businesses who have signed up to the scheme so a mum can check this according to postcode beforehand. This scheme is supported by the Public Health Agency (PHA).
Breastfeeding is really important for the health of both mother and baby, yet Northern Ireland has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. While half of all new mums here start breastfeeding, many quickly stop. This is often because they feel there is a lack of support, particularly when they want to feed their baby outside the home.
If local businesses can make it clear that they are supportive of breastfeeding mothers, by displaying their membership of the Breastfeeding Welcome Here Scheme, many new mums will be more confident about breastfeeding and will be likely to continue breastfeeding for longer. This will benefit both their health and their baby’s.
The Breastfeeding welcome here scheme provides more detailed information.
Responsive bottle feeding
The following guidance from First Steps in Nutrition Trust and Unicef UK BFI has been developed to support good bottle feeding standards:
- Feed your baby when they show signs of being hungry: look out for cues (moving head and mouth around, sucking on fingers). Crying is the last sign of wanting to feed, so try and feed your baby before they cry.
- Hold baby close in a semi-upright position so you can see their face and reassure them by looking into their eyes and talking to them during the feed. Try and alternate the side you hold baby
- Begin by inviting baby to open their mouth: softly rub the teat against their top lip. Gently insert the teat into baby’s mouth, keeping the bottle in a horizontal position (just slightly tipped) to prevent milk from flowing too fast
- Watch your baby and follow the cues for when they need a break; these signs will be different from one baby to the next, they may splay their fingers and toes, spill milk out of their mouth, stop sucking, turn their head away or push the bottle away. Gently remove the teat or bring the bottle downwards to cut off the flow of milk
- Your baby will know how much milk they need. Forcing your baby to finish a feed will be distressing, and can mean your baby is overfed (Source: Infant formula and responsive bottle feeding)
The Public Health Agency ahs produced a Guide to Bottle Feeding.
Formula milk feeding
Northern Trust Maternity, Neonatal, Health Visiting and SureStart Services are all Unicef UK Baby Friendly Accredited and therefore support the wellbeing and life chances of all babies, whether breast or bottle fed.
Whilst breastfeeding is the best option for babies we also aim to support those mothers who have made the informed choice to formula feed. This ensures all babies receive high standards of care and the best possible chance to thrive regardless of feeding type.
Formula milk is usually made from cow’s milk. It doesn’t contain the immune factors or nutrients that breast milk does and sometimes a baby’s immune system can react negatively to infant formula milk.
It doesn’t matter which brand of formula milk you use as they are all very similar. It also doesn’t matter if you choose cows’ or goats’ milk based formula, but talk to your midwife or health visitor before choosing a soya based formula.
There is no evidence that milks that claim to have beneficial added ingredients or claim they are made to help hungry babies/prervent colic/wind/reflux/allergies do any good and they might not be safe for your baby. You should ask your midwife or health visitor if you think your baby might need a different milk.
There is no need for follow-on formula. All your baby will usually need is a first stage infant formula throughout the first year of life.
When your baby is one year old, they will be getting more of their energy, vitamins and minerals from food, and full fat cows’ milk can be their main milk drink. If you have any concerns, or want to know about other milks, ask your health visitor.
Public Health Agency: Guide to bottle feeding formula milk
First Steps Nutrition Trust: Guide on infant milks
Unicef UK Guide on different types of infant milks
Caring for your baby at night
The safest place for a baby to sleep is in their own clear separate sleep space, such as a cot or Moses basket.
The Lullaby Trust advises that whatever space you choose the following guidelines should be in place:
- Put them on their back for every sleep. Keep them smoke free day and night. Put them to sleep in a clear, flat, separate sleep space
- Breastfeed where possible as this can reduce the risk of SIDS
- Never sleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair
Whether you choose to bedshare, or it is unplanned, there are some key risks you should avoid.
It is dangerous to share a bed with your baby if:
- you or anyone in the bed has recently drunk any alcohol
- you or anyone in the bed smokes
- you or anyone in the bed has taken any drugs that make you feel sleepy
- your baby was born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or weighed under 2.5kg or 5½ lbs when they were born .
Also:
- Keep pets away from the bed
- Do not have other children sharing the bed
- Keep pillows and adult bedding away from baby
- Try to make sure or check that baby cannot be trapped, wedged or fall out of bed or get trapped between the mattress and the wall
If any of these scenarios are present then it is safest for your baby to be placed in their own cot or a moses basket. Keeping the cot or moses basket next to the bed might make it easier to do this.
Useful links
Safer Sleeping Card.pdf (hscni.net)
UNICEF UK BFI: Caring for your baby at night when sleeping – provides useful tips on how to manage night feeds and sleeping
BASIS – Baby Sleep Information Source (basisonline.org.uk)
The Lullaby Trust – Safer sleep for babies, Support for families
A guide to safer sleep for babies
Foreign language resources
Foreign language resources – Baby Friendly Initiative (unicef.org.uk)
Lullaby Trust publications – The Lullaby Trust
Global Health Media Breastfeeding videos – Choose a language from the dropdown menu and then click on Breastfeeding
LLLi Breastfeeding Info A to Z -Select Find your Language at top of the webpage. There is also a google search button to select a language.
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