Infant feeding and relationship building

• Wait for your baby to have a wide open mouth with tongue down.
• Bring your baby quickly to the breast.

•  Chin indenting the breast
• Lower lip turned back
• Mouth open wide
• Cheeks full and rounded
• Baby will suck rhythmically with pauses

•  More areola (coloured part of breast) is visible above the top lip.
• After the initial latch-on, feeding is pain free
• A contented baby stays on the breast
  

• Close to you so baby doesn’t have to reach out
• Head is free to tilt back so baby can allow his chin to lead as he comes onto the breast
• In line – Baby’s head and body are in a straight line so baby can feed and swallow.
• Nose to nipple – Mother’s nipple just below baby’s nose, baby will begin to root and tilt head backwards so the nipple slips under baby’s top lip upwards and backwards. So baby can get a big mouthful of breast from underneath the nipple.
• Sustainable – You are comfortable either sitting upright, lying down or laid back. Add support for your arm, or support for your baby if necessary after your baby has attached.
  

• Keeps your baby warm
• Calms you and your baby
• Regulates your baby’s heart rate and breathing
• Helps your baby build up immunity (to fight off infections)
• Helps with the first breastfeed
• Releases hormones which helps to produce colostrum (first milk)
• Helps with digestion
• Releases oxytocin (the attachment hormone) which helps you to bond and get to know your baby

• Relaxation
• Awakening
• Activity
• Crawling
• Resting
• Familiarisation
• Suckling
• Sleeping
  

• Increases lactation by increasing the release of hormones essential for good milk supply
• Can be used from birth to 3-4 years
• Have a variety of carrying positions
• Allows breastfeeding whilst carrying the baby
• Brings your baby to the centre of activity
• Suitable for every carer and body shape
• Encourages happy, settled babies as they feel safe and secure
• Reduces crying in infants
• Helps settle colicky babies
  
   

• Manufacturers’ instructions
• Check on correct positioning
• Check with a health professional if your baby is premature, low birth weight, has respiratory difficulties or multiple birth.
• Light and compact making it ideal for travelling
• Quick and easy to put on!
  
   

Tight

In view at all times

Close enough to kiss

Keep chin off chest

Supported back

For more information on TICKS, please click here

It’s easy to breastfeed when out and about because all you need is you and your baby. Are you aware it’s your legal right to be able to breastfeed anywhere in any public place? Babies get hungry at any time of day and night.

• When you are out enjoying sharing time and experiences with your baby, it is often difficult to tell whether you are giving your baby a cuddle or breastfeeding.
• Many breastfeeding Mums just carry on as normal and breastfeed their baby’s like they do when they are at home.
• Breastfeeding Mums can often see more breast as you are looking down at an angle and baby’s head often stops the breast from being seen by onlookers.
• Some Mums use clothing, scarves or blankets to discreetly cover themselves.
• Some Mums try breastfeeding in front of a mirror at home to see how they look when they are breastfeeding.
• For information on breastfeeding at work/study access the Unicef booklet ‘Breastfeeding at Work’ by clicking here.
  

All babies are different; some are ready to breastfeed soon after birth and continue to breastfeed frequently approximately 8 -12 times in a 24 hour period.

Frequent breastfeeding and comfort seeking is normal behaviour. Your baby is learning to recognise his/her family.

It is normal for babies to feed 8 to 12 times in 24 hours. This is because baby’s tummies are very small.

It is important to feed your baby whenever he/she shows signs of wanting to feed and for as long as they want to.

• Other signs your baby might be ready to feed:
• Your breasts feel full
• Your baby is distressed or needs comforting
• You or your baby need to rest and relax
  

All babies are different; some are ready to feed soon after birth and continue to feed frequently, on average approximately 8 -12 times in a 24 hour period.

Some healthy term babies don’t feed very often in the first 24 hours but it is important to keep your baby close and offer the baby the breast when you see early feeding cues.

After 24 hours your baby should start to feed about 8-12 times in a 24 hour period.

The amount of milk taken at each feed will vary just like we eat and drink at different times of the day. It is important to respond to your baby’s feeding cues and let your baby decide how often he feeds and for how long.

If your baby consistently feeds for less than 5 minutes or more than 40 minutes then you should check your baby’s position and attachment.

Remember babies only have small tummies

• Once attached to the breast your baby will start to suck quickly at first to get the milk to flow.
• As the milk flows the baby should take slow deep sucks, pausing to swallow and breathe every 2-3 sucks (after the first 2-3 days you will be able to hear the swallows).
• Near the end of feed the sucks are lighter and fluttering may be felt, before the baby stops sucking or let’s go of the nipple.
• A feed may take anything from 5 minutes to 40 minutes.
• Occasionally feeds may last longer, but if all feeds are longer than 40 minutes check positioning and attachment.
• Offer both breasts at each feed, but don’t worry if your baby does not always take both sides.

• Day 1-2: 2 wet nappies in 24 hours
• Day 3-4: The frequency should be increasing
• Day 5 onwards: At least 6 heavy, wet nappies in 24 hours

• First stool: Black tar-like poo called meconium
• Day 1-2: Changes to a lighter runnier brownish green poo (1or more per day)
• Day 3-4: Changes to a brownish yellow poo (2 or more per day)
• Day 5-7: Yellow seedy poos increasing in frequency (2 or more per day)

You may have seen breast changes in your pregnancy, some mothers start leaking milk during pregnancy, but this does not mean that you will not produce milk if you have not experienced this.

The first milk (colostrum) your baby gets is small in volume to match your baby’s tummy, but provides everything your baby needs.

•  Increases the amount of higher fat milk during a feed to your baby
• May help your baby to gain weight
• Helps to keep sleepy/fussy babies feeding for longer and more effectively
• May help babies prone to colic
• During cluster feeding
• During growth spurts

• Defrost the breast milk in the fridge and use within 12 hours of removing from the freezer.
• If needed immediately, stand the frozen milk container in a jug of warm water (ensuring the water cannot get into the milk). Replace the water in the jug with warm water as required, until the milk reaches the right temperature (about body temperature). Gently swirl the milk to mix the creamy milk which may have separated. Use immediately and throw away any unused milk at the end of the feed.
  
  

• It may work better than a pump
• To get small amounts of the first milk (colostrum)
• To relieve fullness and blocked milk ducts
• To help baby to attach
• To collect milk if your baby is unable to attach

If you are exclusively expressing some mothers find an electric pump is useful.

• Babies are able to hold their head steady.
• Babies will be able to sit or sit supported.
• Babies can take food off a spoon using his upper lip and move food to the back of their mouth, and swallow it.
• Babies can reach out for things and put things in their mouths.
• Babies can pick up and hold finger food and put it in their own mouth.
• Babies may be able to hold a spoon but will not be able to guide it well enough to feed themselves.

• From 6 months old for babies it is recommended to give a small amount of food prior to their milk, but if they are very hungry it is best to offer the milk and attempt giving food at another time. The pace of eating should be determined by the baby and they will let you know when they don’t want anymore. They may also be fussy about the tastes and textures they will eat, so any food a baby refuses can be tried again on another day, as it does not mean they will not eat this food in the future. Babies enjoy holding food and baby utensils, and sitting up they start leading the meal time activity, though usually messily. It is reported that babies who are solely spoon fed tend to eat more than those using the ‘baby led’ method and can be fussier eaters. However, a combination of spooned and finger foods can give parents the confidence that their baby has the right nutritional requirements for their age.

 

• By the time a baby is 7 to 9 months they may well be taking three meals a day but still have about 600mls of milk. Water can be offered in an open cup or free flow cup with meals from 6 months old. Their supply of iron and zinc that was built up in pregnancy will start to dwindle at this age so it is important to offer foods that contain these.

 

• At aged 10 to 12 months the babies may still be taking 450mls of milk a day, but the majority of nutrition will now come from food. Babies like and benefit from social interaction so including them in family meals times will support their eating habits, with them copying behaviours at the table.

 

• By the time your baby is 12 months old they will have reduced the amount of milk they drink be drinking no more than 350mls of milk and it is at this time that they can be offered full fat cow’s milk as a drink. There is no research evidence to say that follow on milks are required by children.
  

 

• At the age of 2 a child can be gradually introduces to semi-skimmed milk if they have a good balanced diet, but it is not until they are 5 years old that skimmed milk is recommended. Whereas breastfed babies can continue breastfeeding until they or you want this to stop, and it is often a natural decrease.
  

Introducing solids to babies is recommended at aged 6 months due to the development of their digestive organs and up to this age they can get all the nutrition they need from their own stored supplies and milk, whether breast or formula. It is not recommended to start introducing solids before babies are 17 weeks old, again due to their internal organ development and early weaning is also reported to be linked to increased allergies. Babies also have a tongue thrusting reflex that helps to protect them against choking and by 6 months they have mastered new skills to enable them to pass food from the front to the back of their months and swallow allowing them to commence baby led weaning. At 6 months babies start to require extra calories to sustain growth as they are becoming more active and require extra iron sources in food.

Click here to read the Unicef Start for Life Introducing Solid Foods Leaflet

Fussy eating is very common and most children will go through a phase of it as they grow up. It can often occur during the transition from soft to lumpy foods. It can be seen as part of normal development. Toddlers will refuse food that they have eaten before.

In this phase of development children will try to test the limits and strive for independence. Most children will grow out of the fussy eating, particularly when they start school.

• The most important thing you can do is to be calm and consistent as possible at mealtimes
• Don’t worry too much about the combination of foods – remember breakfast cereal doesn’t always need to be kept for breakfast!
• Meal times should be fun and relaxed, but with rules and structure to help your child learn appropriate behaviour.
• Give plenty of encouragement to your child when they are eating, even when they only eat a little bit, and ignore any unwanted behaviour, children soon learn that good behaviour is a much better way of getting your attention,
• Try to ensure there are no distractions such as TV at mealtimes. Ideally all meals should be eaten at the table. This will help the child associate the table with meals, whereas the lounge is associated with watching television.
• Try to eat together as a family. Children will copy parents, siblings and peers. Often children with eat well at school or nursery, but refuse meals at home.
  

• Give your child plenty of motivation to eat, they will be more motivated if they get lots of encouragement from you, if they are old enough you can talk to them about how important food is to help us grow strong.
• A scrapbook recording new foods eaten can be very rewarding to a child. Perhaps they could receive a reward when they fill a page?
• Some children have developed a genuine fear of food. Give them plenty of reassurance, comfort and encouragement to tackle their fear.
  

• Always offer the same food as the other family members and peers wherever possible. It is important not to offer alternative meals, snacks, pudding or favourite drinks (such as milkshakes) if the meal is refused as this can be seen as rewarding your child for poor feeding behaviour.


• Give clear instructions about what to eat and follow through any consequences you set, for example, your child can have a favourite pudding only if the agreed amount of the main meal has been eaten.


• Start by offering food you know your child will eat and gradually increase the variety.


• Ensure meals look attractive and the plate is not piled too high with food as this may put your child off.


• Allow your child to get messy and explore different foods.


• Don’t try to trick your child, or force feed them, they need to trust you


• Ignore bad behaviour such as throwing food.


• Offer small, regular meals and limit the time taken to about 20 minutes, clear away any uneaten food at the end of this time without commenting on it.


• Do not give your child too many drinks or snacks as this can fill them up, offer drinks after they have eaten some food rather than directly before mealtimes
  

• Allergies can also produce symptoms like, wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and runny nose, itchy skin and rashes, swollen lips and throat, sore, red and itchy eyes, diarrhoea and vomiting. Severe symptoms, known as anaphylaxis, will require emergency medical advice and can be life threatening.
 
• It is best to introduce food that is known to cause allergies one at a time, for example eggs, fish and shell fish, wheat, gluten, nuts, seeds, some berries. Though any foods can cause an allergic response or sensitivity.
 
• Cows’ milk can be used in cooking from 6 months but should not be given as a drink to your baby until they are over 12 months old. So if you are breastfeeding try to continue until the baby is over 1 years old.
 
• If a baby is allergic to cow’s milk they have a higher chance of being allergic to soya milk also.
 
• Food containing ‘E’ numbers can cause a variety of reactions in children e.g. hyperactivity.
 
• Adding salt to your babies’ food is not advisable as their bodies are not developed enough yet. Adult ready meals and adult gravy also contain salt and are not advised at this age.
 
• Adding sugar their food is not advisable as it can affect their teeth development even before they have grown through their gums.
 
• Artificial sweeteners are not suitable for babies. They can encourage a sweet tooth.
 
• Some fish contain high levels of mercury and should be avoided i.e. shark, swordfish and marlin
 
• Hard foods like whole nuts are a choking hazard.
 
• Honey should not be given to babies under a year old as it can contain bacteria and cause tummy upsets.
 
• Babies can have full fat spreads, yoghurts and cheese. Low fat spreads aren’t advised and they require the extra nutrition.
 
• Foods carrying a risk of food poisoning should be avoided, raw and uncooked shellfish, mould-ripened cheese e.g. brie and camembert, soft/raw eggs.
 
• Rice milk is not recommended as it has been found to contain arsenic

• Smoke in a different room to your baby, or even better outside
• Allow as much time as possible between smoking and breastfeeding to cut down on the nicotine found in your milk.
• Keep the number of cigarettes you smoke as low as possible to reduce the effects on your baby
• Wear an extra layer of clothing when you smoke and remove it before you cuddle your baby to reduce the effects of passive smoking.
• Wait at least 10 minutes after smoking to pick up your baby and wash your hands.

After having a baby women often feel uninterested in sex. This is commonly due to lack of sleep, physical exhaustion, soreness and many women feel unattractive following childbirth. Looking after a baby is very time consuming and women often find it hard to juggle meeting baby’s needs, running a home and maintaining an intimate relationship with you. While breastfeeding many women will not have periods, however they may still ovulate.

Although exclusive breastfeeding day and night will provide some protection from becoming pregnant, It is important to discuss contraception with your partner and health professional. During intercourse the breasts may be extra sensitive and leak breastmilk, this is normal

Congratulations on the birth of your new baby!

• Give the new family time to settle and get some rest soon after birth
• Offer practical help like shopping, ironing and general household chores
• Cook a meal and take to the family
• Most of all support the parents in their choices and allow them to learn to become parents, everybody is different
• Tell them they are doing a great job
• Support advice the health professionals provide even if you do not agree, advice changes with new information.

• Baby not attached to the breast well
• Long gaps between feeds
• Bras or clothes too tight
• Missing feeds
• Giving bottles of formula
• Over using a dummy

• Check baby is attached well to the breast
• Start feed on affected side
• Feed frequently
• Massage affected area whilst feeding
• Change feeding position, it can help if you put baby’s chin near affected area
• Apply warm heat before feeds

• It is always worth looking at your breastfeeding positioning and attachment.
• Stimulate a milk ejection by expressing some milk before putting baby to the breast.
• Take an analgesia that is compatible with breastfeeding.
• Breastfeed first on the least sore breast until the milk releases, then move the baby gently to the more painful breast.
• Apply breastmilk to your nipples between feeds.

• Breastfeed your baby frequently at least 8-12 times a day.
• Ensure your baby is well attached to the breast: you may find expressing a little milk by hand will soften the nipple area to help baby latch.
• Apply warm flannel to your breast 2 minutes before feeds to help your milk to flow
• Following feeds and between feeds apply a cold compress. A bag of frozen peas/vegetables is ideal (Wrap them in a light weight towel to protect your skin).
• If your baby is unable to breastfeed: ensure your breasts are regularly expressed by hand or pump.

• Red lumpy area of breast
• Pain and flu symptom/or high temperature

• Untreated blocked milk ducts
• Poor attachment
• Bra or clothing too tight
• Infrequent milk removal

• Do not stop breast breastfeeding as this can make the condition worse
• Ensure baby is attach well to the breast
• Apply warm water by a flannel or bath before feeding
• Massage affected area whilst feeding
• Feed on affected breast first
• Change feeding position and try putting baby’s chin near affected area
• Ensure breast is well drained
• Feed more frequently on affected breast
• Apply cool/ice compress following feeds
• Avoid pressure from bras or clothing
• Take pain relief

• Wash hands carefully and frequently, particularly after nappy changes
• Boil any dummies, teats, bottles or expressing equipment for at least 20 minutes daily in between your normal way of sterilisation.
• Only use disposable breast pads during this time and change them frequently
• Use separate towels for each family member
• Wash any toys that have been in baby’s mouth in hot soapy water and dry well
• Wash all towels and clothing that come into contact with the yeast in hot soapy water (above 50° C) and air dry in sun if possible
• Ironing helps to remove the infection and stop the spread
• Some mothers find Acidophilus capsules help to restore bacteria which helps prevent thrush over growth
• Reducing sugar and yeast intake has been known to help whilst breastfeeding
• Do not freeze breastmilk whilst infection is present

• Check baby has good attachment and you can hear good sucking and swallowing
• Offer both breasts at each feed
• Check baby has good attachment and you can hear good sucking and swallowing
• Keep baby close and do skin to skin or wear baby in a wrap sling, this will comfort the baby and reassure him he is safe.
• Allow baby to cluster feed in an evening, do not restrict feeding as baby needs this higher fatty milk.
• Talk to your baby in a soothing voice
• Try using breast compression to maximise the amount of breastmilk your baby gets