Feeding your baby

You may have heard that breastfeeding your baby is the healthiest choice for your baby and you. Did you know that breastfed babies have fewer:

tummy upsets
chest infections
urinary infections
ear infections
allergies

They are less likely to develop:

diabetes
obesity
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Mothers who have breastfed have reduced rates of:

breast cancer
ovarian cancer
osteoporosis in later life
heart disease
diabetes following Gestational diabetes.

Feeding your baby is may be a new skill that you need to learn or perhaps is something that you have done before if you have had a child before. Make sure you have the current information around breastfeeding. You can talk about infant feeding with your midwife to prepare for after the birth. The Mothers and Others Guide is a great magazine to remind you about the information the midwife may give you. Do ask for one if you have not had it yet.

Things which may help you prepare for feeding and looking after your baby:

1. Find out as much as you can while you are pregnant

Talk to your midwife or health visitor
Make contact with peer support groups, and breastfeeding groups in your area
Read through a copy of the Mothers and Others Guide, which is available from your midwife
Read the articles about feeding your baby on this website

2. Make a feeding plan as part of your birth plan

You may want to avoid using drugs which could affect your baby’s ability to breastfeed well (ones that make them sleepy)
Uninterrupted skin to skin contact after the birth of your baby really does help
Think about giving a first breastfeed of colostrum even if you are planning to bottle feed. Let us know if you do not want your baby to feed at the breast.

3. Antenatal Colostrum collecting from 36 weeks of pregnancy

Read this leaflet on expressing breast milk colostrum for when your baby is born
Breast milk is the recommended food for all babies, but especially for babies who may be at risk of being poorly at birth
Expressing and storing colostrum before birth can mean your baby does not need to be given infant formula after birth
Expressing can help get breastfeeding off to a good start
Getting familiar with handling your breasts in pregnancy by expressing can help you to feel more comfortable with breastfeeding after your baby is born

4. Try and get lots of help for when you get home

Early weeks are all about you and your baby getting to know each other. If you have decided to bottle feed then it is important for both you and your baby that you and your partner are the only ones to feed your baby
If you are breastfeeding, you can spend lots of time getting use to feeding and holding your baby so feeding is comfortable
Can others help around the house and guests put the kettle on themselves or som so you have more time to concentrate on getting feeding off to a good start?