Download our new B&NES Child and Family Health app!
Our new family-focused app gives lots of information and advice.
Our new family-focused app gives lots of information and advice.
As a Unicef UK Baby Friendly accredited service, we are committed to promoting, protecting, and supporting you to breastfeed or offer breast milk to your infant or child. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends parents exclusively breastfeed their baby for the first 6 months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years and beyond. Breastfeeding is encouraged as it provides immediate benefits in infancy, as well as long-term benefits that can last a lifetime.
To find out more about the health benefits of breastfeeding, you can visit Benefits of breastfeeding – NHS.
You may experience challenges during your breastfeeding journey, but support is available. Your Health Visiting Team can offer guidance and practical help to support you in overcoming any difficulties, so you can continue to breastfeed safely
Questioning whether your baby is getting enough milk when breastfeeding is a real concern for many mothers. A breastfeeding assessment will be carried out by our team and shared with you, to help assess how the breastfeeding is going, and you will be able access this yourself in the ‘red book’ (parent held records).
Breastfeeding assessment tool
Health visiting team
Your health visiting team will review and monitor your baby’s wellbeing including support for feeding. The team is made up of Health Visitors and Child and family wellbeing practitioners and staff nurses who are trained to provide breastfeeding support.
In B&NES you will be offered an antenatal visit from your health visiting team between 28 and 32 weeks of pregnancy.
All pregnant women will be given the opportunity to receive information on how to get breastfeeding off to a good start, skin to skin contact and the value of this, responsive feeding, baby brain development, building close and loving relationship with your baby, keeping your new baby safe, and what their thoughts and feelings are about feeding their baby. This contact enables the health visiting team to provide information about close and loving relationships and the importance of these for bonding and both mother and baby’s physical and emotional health and development, however you choose to feed your baby.
We welcome and encourage fathers and partners to attend this appointment as they play a significant role in the life of your baby. This contact is in additional to your routine midwifery antenatal contacts.
Your health visitor will also observe you feed when they visit you at the new birth visit and use the breastfeeding assessment tool to identify any concerns. This is a good opportunity for you to discuss with your health visitor any issues or difficulties you are experiencing with feeding. Your health visitor will work out a plan of care with you which may involve referrals to other specialists in infant feeding, ongoing monitoring or signposting to where you can get further information and help.
Many breastfeeding challenges can be linked to the position you are using to feed your baby. Adapting your position for feeding so that baby can attach to your breast more effectively can overcome some of the difficulties you may be facing with breastfeeding. Support to position your baby effectively at the breast will reduce the risk of nipple and breast conditions, stimulate an effective milk supply and the effective transfer of milk to baby.
For mothers and carers experiencing complex infant feeding challenges, support can also be accessed via our specialist infant feeding service. If you feel that this is the service for you please don’t hesitate to contact the Single Point of Access 0300 247 0200. A trained health visitor will discuss your infant feeding concerns, offer support over the telephone as well as being able to contact your local health visitor to provide ongoing assessment and support or referral into the specialist infant feeding team. You should expect a telephone call within 2 working days of your referral being received.
Tongue tie can sometimes cause complications with feeding, although there are many other reasons for these issues. Your health visiting team can discuss any concerns you have regarding tongue tie and if required refer you to our specialist Infant feeding service for further assessment and referral if needed. If you would like to know more about tongue tie
Keeping your baby safe while they are in a sling or carrier if essential, this can be achieved by following the safer sling use TICKS checklist. Baby Sling Safety – Keep your baby close and keep your baby safe. When you’re wearing a sling or carrier, don’t forget the T.I.C.K.S.
There are breastfeeding peer support groups all over B&NES. These peer groups can be found by visiting to the BSW Infant feeding padlet
Are you passionate about breastfeeding?
Would you have some time free to support parents in your local area?
Training requirements Breast/chest fed for 6 months or more Access to laptop/computer for online training.
For more information see here.
For more details please contact: B&NES Child and Family Health (0-4 yrs)
t: 0300 247 0200
e: BSWChildrens.enquiries@HCRGCareGroup.com
National Breastfeeding Helpline – 0300 100 0212
La Leche League GB – 0345 120 2918
NCT Support Line – 0300 330 0700
Wherever possible it is important for mother and baby to be kept together in hospital after birth as this allows mothers to recognise feeding cues, get to know her baby and their needs and for baby to recognise his/her mother. During the first hours after birth, it is ideal for mum and baby to be able to rest and bond in skin to skin contact.
Skin to skin contact with your baby, wherever possible, and for as long as possible after birth helps to:
Skin to skin triggers natural hormonal responses which helps contribute to calming and settling baby and puts the start of this precious new relationship on a good footing. If you have to have medical intervention during or straight after birth, don’t worry, you can catch up skin to skin time as soon as you are able; and in the meantime dad is the next best person. It’s a great opportunity for dads and partners to encourage their close bonds with the baby.
This is a relaxed and laid back approach to spending quality time with your baby while feeding. There is no right or wrong way, you simply sit back and allow mother and baby to find a comfortable position to feed. This also allows your baby to follow natural instinctive behaviour which makes initiating breastfeeding easier.
Responding to your baby’s needs for comfort and food is vital for brain development. Keeping your baby closeby and responding to their needs supports them to become happy, healthy and secure children. Unicef
This was previously referred to as ‘demand’ or ‘baby-led’ feeding and applies to both breastfeeding and formula feeding mothers and babies. This is holding your baby close and letting mother and baby feed in response to their needs, e.g. when baby shows signs of hunger or needs to be comforted, if the mother needs to feed or simply wants a rest.
Responsive bottle feeding is about trying to give your baby the same experience as a breastfed baby. This includes cuddling them close to you and ‘pacing’ feeds by allowing breaks and not rushing. Follow your baby’s signals that they are full, never try to push them into finishing every bottle just because that’s ‘how much they usually have’ or you are hoping they will ‘go for longer’ between feeds. The natural way for a young baby to want to be fed is little and often. It is also recommended that bottle fed babies are fed only by their main carers in the early days.
Responsive Feeding Video – shared with thanks from Kent County Council and Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust.
The technique of expressing breast milk is a valuable skill for all breastfeeding mothers. Sometimes it is necessary to maximise your milk supply or you may be separated from your baby and need to store some milk in your fridge. There are a variety of ways to express and your health visiting team can advise you on all them.
Hand expressing is a skill that your health visitor will show you at your antenatal or new birth contact. Hand expressing can reduce engorgement and help you manage much of the discomfort related to mastitis or sore nipples.
Going back to study or work may be the first time you have been separated from your baby for long periods. Continuing to breastfeed helps to keep the close relationship you’ve built up, providing your baby with extra comfort and security for as long as you both want.
You don’t need to stop breastfeeding just because you’re returning to study or work. Many women find ways to continue breastfeeding their baby – and employers have certain obligations towards breastfeeding women.
First infant formula is suitable for your newborn baby through to 1 year of age. ‘hungry baby milks’ or ‘follow on milks’ contain more of the protein casein than first infant formula and this is thought to make your baby feel more full. However, there is no evidence that babies settle better or sleep longer when fed this formula. At 1 year old you can now introduce pasteurised full fat cows milk.
However you decide to feed your baby parents can build a loving relationship with their baby by and feed responsively:
By implementing these strategies you are encouraging optimal brain development by allowing your baby to release high levels of oxytocin and low levels of stress hormones.
Whether you are giving your baby expressed breast milk or formula it is really important that you follow the guidance on sterilising bottles and teats and safe preparation of feeds to ensure safe feeding.
Good hygiene is essential when making up a feed as a baby’s immune system is not as strong as an adult’s. All equipment used to feed your baby must be sterilised before each feed to reduce the chances of your baby becoming unwell.
Your health visitor will also advise you how you can feed your baby responsively with bottles using a paced-feeding approach that enables baby to enjoy feeding and be close to you.
Prep machines for formula feeding are not recommended as they do not meet the safety requirements. Water must be boiled to 70 degrees before the formula powder is added to minimise bacteria living in the milk. Further information on safe formula feeding can be found on First Steps Nutrition Trust website .
You may also wish to use the UNICEF Bottle Feeding Assessment Tool.
As your baby approaches six months, this is the time to start thinking about introducing solid foods alongside breast milk or infant formula.
Your baby is ready for solid foods at around six months. Initially the amount of milk your baby drinks will remain very similar until weaning is established.
Breast milk, infant formula and water should be the only drinks offered after 6 months of age. The introduction of solid foods before 6 months reduces the amount of breast milk drunk and is associated with greater risk of infectious illness in infants.
It is best to wait until 6 months before introducing solid foods, but if you choose to start before, talk to your health visitor.
Never give any solid foods before 17 weeks.
Why wait until 6 months when the shop sells jar food for 4 month olds? At 6 months old your baby can:
Babies move through this stage at different rates, if you have any queries please call our Single Point of Access 0300 247 0200 where you can speak to the Duty Health Visitor and book onto a next steps group
Visit our advice and support page on introducing solid foods for more information or look here for Start for Life information and resources.
