Feeding your baby
Breastfeeding /Formula feeding/ Baby friendly initiative/ Community support
Breastfeeding
Breastmilk gives your baby all the nutrients he or she needs for around the first six months of life (and it’s important beyond six months, too) Breastfeeding has a huge range of benefits. It has a positive impact on your baby’s health, nutrition and development.
•Breast milk provides all of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals your baby needs for growth for the first six months
•No other liquids or food are needed
•Breast milk carries antibodies from you that help protect your baby from infection and disease
•The act of breastfeeding itself stimulates proper growth of your baby's mouth and jaw
•Breastfeeding creates a special bond between you and your baby
•The interaction between you and him/her during breastfeeding has positive responses for life, in terms of stimulation, behaviour, speech, sense of wellbeing and security, and how your child relates to other people
•Breastfeeding also lowers the risk of chronic conditions later in life, such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, childhood asthma and childhood leukaemias
•Studies have shown that breastfed babies perform better in intelligence and behaviour tests into adulthood than formula-fed babies
•Breastfeeding also reduces your chances of getting type 2 diabetes and breast, uterine and ovarian cancer
Virtually every mother can breastfeed, if given the right support, advice and encouragement, as well as practical help to resolve any problems. Breast milk is a complex living nutritional fluid containing anti-bodies, enzymes, long chain fatty acids and hormones, many of which simply cannot be included in formula.
Babies who are breastfed opposed to those who are bottle fed have a reduced chance of:
•Diarrhoea and vomiting
•Chest infections
•Ear infections
•Being fussy about new foods
•Being constipated
•Being obese, which means they are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and other illnesses later in life
•Developing eczema
Other websites
video from bump to breasfeeding
Download more information
Building a happy baby-a guide for parents
Caring for your baby at night=a guide for parents
Breastfeeding world of benefits
Guide to Breastfeeding for Dads
Breastfeeding-men need to know about it too!
Baby &You-your breastfeeding journey
Resources on other sites
Expressing & storing breastmilk-The breastfeeding network
Off to the Best Start Department of Health & UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative
The Best Start a guide to expressing & breastfeeding your premature baby Bliss
Charity run by experienced mothers in breastfeeding Helpline: 0300 330 5453 - 09:30 - 22:30 every day
Breastfeeding Network providing support & advice Supporter line 0300 100 0210 -0930-2130 every day
International charity providing mother to mother support to all breastfeeding mothers Breastfeeding Helpline: 0845 120 2918
Department of Health with the Association of Breastfeeding mothers& Breastfeeding Network Helpline 0300 100 0212 0930-2130 every day
Consultants of Great Britain
Formula feeding
Any breastfeeding is valuable, and we support mothers to help their baby receive as much breast milk as they can. However there are mothers who are unable to do this fully, or who chose not to.
Before you go home you should be aware of how to make up a feed and to sterilise equipment, and a safe technique to give a bottle feed. If you haven’t been shown please ask. You may be given the bottle feeding leaflet from the Department of Health which also shows you how to sterilise equipment and make up a feed. (See link below) Even if you have had a baby already, please check as some advice may have changed.
Responsive formula feeding
It might not be appropriate to offer formula feeds as frequently as breastfeeds because of the risk of over feeding, but mothers who are bottle feeding their babies need support to do so in a responsive way. We would like all parents to be informed about responsive formula feeding and encourage them to:
•watch out for cues that your baby is hungry, rather than adhering to a strict 3-4 hourly routine, which will enable babies to have some control over their feeding pattern
•hold your baby close during a feed so that you can look into their eyes.
•rub the teat gently against your baby’s top lip to encourage him/her to open their mouth, invite your baby to draw in the teat in further, rather than forcing the teat into the mouth
•the teat should be full of milk to prevent sucking in too much air
•allow your baby to pace the feed, remove the teat and sit your baby up to wind him/her when they appear to want a break
•your baby should never be forced to take a full feed as this will inhibit his/her own appetite control, so try to recognise your baby’s cues that they have had enough milk
•try to limit the number of people involved with feeding your baby
•your baby should always be held and never left unattended while feeding from a bottle
Forcing babies to take a bit more milk so that they will go longer between feeds can lead to overfeeding, and should be discouraged.
Do I need to wind my baby?
If your baby shows signs of distress during the feed, encourage him or her to let go of the teat and sit them up to see if they need to bring up any wind.
Sick or premature babies may not show feeding cues, so caution is recommended to ensure that they are feeding correctly.
On other websites
Resources on other sites
How to prepare formula & sterilise equipment Department of Health & UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative
Infant formula for parents who are bottle feeding- to help decide which formula to use UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative
How to prepare formula for bottle feeding at home WHO
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Baby friendly initiative
The Baby Friendly Initiative, set up by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, is a global programme which provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for all mothers and babies.
“It is well recognized that the period from birth to two years of age is the ‘critical window’ for the promotion of good growth, health, and behavioural and cognitive development. Infant feeding is crucial during this period. Optimal infant and young child feeding means that mothers are empowered to initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth, breastfeed exclusively for the first six months and continue to breastfeed for two years or more, together with nutritionally adequate, safe, age appropriate, responsive complementary feeding starting at six months.” UNICEF
CDDFT has gained accreditation & international recognition from the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative for its dedication to supporting mothers and encouraging breastfeeding.
Other websites
UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative
-Department of Health Breastfeeding Care Pathway
Community Support
CDDFT is committed to offering you support to establish breastfeeding. It should be a rewarding and satisfying experience for both you and your baby. Sometimes, mothers and babies need a little more help and there is a wide support system in the community when you leave the hospital. We have a dedicated team of maternity care assistants in each community team who are there to support you along your breastfeeding journey. You will receive support phone calls & visits as required in the early days while establishing your breastfeeding.
There are local groups running where the atmosphere is friendly and informal. The groups offer help, expert information and give breastfeeding mums a chance to meet up with each other, share experiences and make new friends. Some groups are led by counsellors and lactation consultants who hold a formal qualification in breastfeeding support from one or more of the organisations listed below. Other groups are led by health professionals or peer supporters.These groups are held locally in your area often in Sure Start Childrens Centres which are accessible to all.
Please ask your midwife or Health Visitor for current arrangements follow the link below for timetable for your local Sure Start Centre in County Durham & Darlington
Sure Start
Electric breast pump hire
Ardo Medical and Medela rent electric breast pumps to mothers. The rental rates vary from approximately £40 for two weeks to £60 a month; please call them for further details. Pumps can be collected from local agents or sent by parcel post.
•Ardo Medical - 01823 336362
•Medela - 0161 776 0400