Breastfeeding

There are so many benefits to breastfeeding but let’s start with the health benefits:

And don’t forget the practical benefits:

It is recommended that babies are exclusively breastfed for at least the first six months. However, evidence shows that babies still benefit from having breastmilk for less time than this, and there are many benefits to feeding past six months too. The most important thing is to enjoy this special time with your baby.

When your baby is born, you’ll produce colostrum, a thick yellow liquid that doesn’t look much like milk. Some women start producing colostrum before their baby is born – this can be collected and given to your baby when they’re born if you wish.

Colostrum is all your baby needs for their first few days. You won’t make much, but your baby’s tummy is about the size of a marble so they don’t need much at all. In most cases, you can start breastfeeding as soon as your baby is born – you’ll be encouraged to have skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible and this is a great time to latch your baby. Some mums like to give their baby time to allow their natural reflexes to work, by placing their baby’s tummy on their chest, and allowing the baby to find the breast and latch on. This is known as biological nurturing.

If your baby is in the Neonatal Unit or can’t latch for any other reason, you can hand express colostrum and collect it into a syringe, so that it can be fed to your baby orally or via a nasogastric tube.

After a few days, your milk will come in. Your body creates as much milk as your baby needs by replacing whatever they take out. Your milk will change in terms of thickness, consistency and fat content over time.

This is different for every baby. There is no set length of time or frequency for breastfeeding. Breastfeeding should be responsive rather than scheduled – you should learn to recognise your baby’s feeding cues and respond to them before they become distressed. Cues include restlessness, wriggling, putting hands or fingers near or into their mouth, or rooting. Keeping your baby close to you will give you the opportunity to pick up on these cues and teach you how to respond to each other.

The amount of milk you produce is based on a supply and demand system, so the more your baby feeds, the more you’ll produce. Try not to get overanxious about it, as anxiety can affect your milk supply.

You can’t overfeed a baby when breastfeeding, so don’t worry if your baby feeds a lot. 8-12 feeds in 24 hours is completely normal. You may find that there are some days where your baby seems to be extremely hungry, and others where they go longer between feeds. This is normal and nothing to be concerned about, as long as your baby is having regular wet and dirty nappies and following their curve on their growth charts. If your baby isn’t feeding as much as normal and is showing any signs of dehydration, you should seek urgent medical advice.

Newborns have no internal clock, so might be awake most of the night. This is normal and is a positive thing, as the prolactin hormone that increases your milk supply is more active at night. Ask your partner or family to take over during the day so you can rest and try to sleep if you have fed your baby most of the night.

The lack of sleep and frequent feeding can be exhausting, but try not to give your baby formula milk, as your baby might then be less satisfied with subsequent breastfeeds, and their immunity to infection will be reduced as the flora in the gut will change. If you do give formula, you might find your baby will breastfeed less often, and you may not produce enough milk to satisfy their needs. Try to be patient and put your baby back on the breast again if they are restless and unsettled, or give a small amount of expressed milk. Avoid using dummies for at least the first few days until your milk has come in.

The midwifery team will discuss and complete your personalised feeding assessments with you, to make sure you are happy with how breastfeeding is going, and that your baby is getting enough milk. They will ask you how you are finding your baby’s behaviour after feeds – are they relaxed and content, or crying and unsettled?

Your baby will be weighed a few days after birth, to check they haven’t lost too much weight. This will be checked again a few days later. Most breastfed babies lose some weight at first and can take up to two weeks to return to their birth weight. This is quite normal. Your baby’s weight will be recorded and plotted on a centile chart in your child health book. If there are concerns about your baby’s weight, your midwife will explain this to you and discuss a reviewed feeding plan. This doesn’t necessarily mean you will need to stop breastfeeding.

Your baby’s behaviour, mood and the frequency and colour of their nappies will tell you whether they are getting enough milk – have a look at UNICEF’s checklist for breastfeeding mothers.

It’s important that your baby is positioned and latched correctly from the first feed. This will prevent you from getting sore nipples, and will make sure your baby is feeding effectively.

How to hold your baby for a feed:

There are lots of feeding positions you can use – in time you will find what works best for you and your baby. They may find it easier to feed in certain positions, and you may find some positions more comfortable than others. Read more about breastfeeding positions.

Many women don’t realise that babies should not suck on their nipples – there should be no contact between your baby’s tongue or mouth and the nipple. Find out more about latching and positioning.

Nipple shields are thin silicone covers which are placed over your nipple during breastfeeding. Most women do not need to use nipple shields in order to breastfeed, but they may be helpful as a temporary measure if:

In most cases, damage to your nipples is a result of an incorrect latch, so it’s important to seek help to make sure that there are no problems with the latch, otherwise the damage will continue. Nipple shields will not fix damage to your nipples, they merely give damage a chance to heal while you keep feeding.

Nipple shields should be used for as short a period as possible – the aim should be to get your baby breastfeeding without the shields as soon as possible. The reason for this is that some stimulation may be lost as there is a barrier between you and your baby. There will also be some milk lost on the nipple shield itself.