Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999
Becoming a parent can be exciting and overwhelming. Having a close and loving relationship with your baby will help you to be confident as a parent. The Leicester Hospitals maternity team are there to support you. This is a life changing event so you may want to talk about your thoughts and feelings with your midwife. They are are there to listen and to give you information. Feeding your baby starts while you are pregnant. You can go to free antenatal sessions before giving birth. These sessions give you information about feeding your baby for when it arrives.
Click here for more information antenatal classes.
Building a relationship
You can begin to build a relationship with your baby by:
- thinking about him or her during the day
- stroking your bump
- singing and talking to them
You should try and get your other children to talk to your baby too. Your partner can do these things too. This way, you help your baby to develop well. It can also help the baby’s brain develop well.
Click here to view Unicef’s ‘Building a happy baby: A guide for parents’ leaflet.
Skin contact
It is important to have skin contact with your baby straight after birth. Your baby will feel safe and calm when they have skin contact with you as soon as possible.
Having the baby lay on your chest helps it to keep warm, listen to your heartbeat and look up to your face. This is special time together and can last as long as you want. It is suggested that this continues up until their first feed, which can be for one hour as this really helps the baby settle down.
Babies will try and find the breast and start to feed during this time. If you are not able to hold your baby right away, start skin to skin contact with your baby as soon as you are together again. Skin to skin is important for all mothers and babies, however you plan to feed. The more skin to skin contact your baby has with you, the more you will get to know and understand them.
Fathers/partners can do skin to skin as well, as this is good for building their relationship with the baby. If possible, that first skin to skin and feed should be with the mother as your body is what your baby knows and is looking for when they are born.
Click here to find out more about skin to skin contact.
How to respond to your baby’s needs
Your baby has been fed through the placenta during pregnancy. It has listened to your heartbeat and voice. They have felt safe and comfortable. When they are born, they continue to rely on you for food and comfort. This can lead to feelings of love and protection for your baby, but it can also be hard.
Responding to your baby’s needs quickly will help them develop healthy brain connections. It will help them feel safe and secure. Babies want to be close to their parents. You are encouraged to keep your baby with you at all times in hospital. You need to have your baby in your bedroom for the first six months of life and with you during the day. (Please make sure you know about safer sleep for your baby).
- BASIS- Baby Sleep Information Source
- Bliss- Sleeping
- The Lullaby Trust- How to reduce the risk of SIDS for your baby
Babies cannot be spoilt by responding to their needs. They need to be fed. They need to have a nappy change. They want to know that you are there. The closer they are to you, the quicker you can see what they need. This makes it easier for you to respond to them, making it easier for you both.
