Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999
If you are planning to formula feed your baby:
- Think about giving a first breast feed of colostrum. This will help build your baby’s immunity
- Give formula to the baby whilst having skin to skin contact. It is still important for you and your baby to have skin contact.
- Don’t feel pressured, your midwife is there to help. It’s ok to give as few or as many breast feeds as you wish
- Keeping your baby healthy means you need to make up bottle feeds correctly. Keeping everything clean is very important. Only make up one bottle at a time when your baby needs it. Do not store milk as it will start to grow bacteria. This can be harmful for your baby.
Tips for bottle feeding
- Respond to your baby’s feeding cues
- Keep your baby close with as much skin to skin contact as possible
- During a feed, hold your baby upright and make eye contact with them
- Try and limit other people feeding your baby. Bottle feeds should be given by 1 or 2 people who are care givers, like the baby’s mum and dad
- Young babies have small tummies and feel more comfortable if they are able to take small amounts of milk often. Try not to force them to take large amounts at one feed
- Responding to your baby’s feeding cues will allow them to take formula milk as they need and not become overfed. Notice when they are signalling to you to stop feeding
Sterilising and making up a formula feed
What is paced bottle feeding?
Pace feeding is a way of bottle feeding that allows your baby to be in control of how they suck and take the milk from the bottle. Many parents who have bottle fed their baby like this find it strengthens the attachment between them and their baby. It is more pleasant for your baby as it mimics the way a baby would feed if breastfeeding and it may help to reduce overfeeding. It could reduce the risk of obesity later in childhood.
By pacing the bottle when feeding, you will be responding to the baby and how fast or slow they decide to feed. This will allow your baby to change the feeding pace for their own needs.
Pacing the feed to how your baby feeds helps you to know when your baby wants some more feed or has had enough. If they are still hungry, they will open their mouth when you tickle their top lip with the teat. If they are full, they may close their mouth firmly, pull away, put their hand up or start to dribble the milk out of their mouth. This way of feeding helps you to get to know your baby and respond to their needs.
The potential benefits of paced bottle feeding for you and your baby:
- Helps to reduce the risk of overfeeding
- Reduces air intake. Your baby does not gulp and swallow quickly as they no longer have to keep up with the flow of the milk into their mouth. Reducing the air intake may reduce colic type symptoms
- Feeds will take a little longer which will help with improving bonding and attachment between you and your baby
- Your baby will be less stressed when feeding as they are more in control
- This way of feeding appears to be more similar to breastfeeding so this may help babies who are both bottle and breastfed to alternate more easily between breast and bottle
However you decide to feed your baby, this a time to nurture and comfort your baby not just getting food inside them. Sometimes the focus can be on on the food and the importance of this process for the baby can be forgotten. Make this a time you both enjoy and grow a happy healthy baby.
