Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding gives your baby the best possible start in life and benefits you too.
- Breastmilk is the best form of nutrition for babies as it has all the nutrients a baby needs for the first 6 months of your baby’s life and is perfectly designed for your baby.
- Breastfeeding helps to protect your baby from infection, because antibodies and other protective factors are passed into the breastmilk.
- Breastfeeding also reduces your baby’s risk of sudden infant death (SIDS), obesity and childhood leukaemia.
- Breastfeeding reduces the mother’s risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and osteoporosis.
- Breastfeeding can build a strong emotional bond between you and your baby.
Getting ready for breastfeeding during your pregnancy
- To find out what to expect when your baby is born, you and your partner might wish to attend our Antenatal Classes, we do a session called Caring for Newborn which covers a lot of what you need to know in the first few months, including feeding your baby, responsive parenting, safe sleeping and coping with crying. - Antenatal classes | Wirral University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Our Antenatal Education section of the website has information about feeding your baby. Take a look for lots of links to videos and other resources. Part 5: Feeding your baby | Wirral University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- From 36 weeks it may help to begin to hand-express colostrum, collect it in syringes (provided) and freeze it to store ready for baby. You can ask your community midwife or when you attend Antenatal Clinic about this and they can provide you with a Colostrum Harvesting Pack. There is a link to a video explaining how to hand express that you might find useful: Hand expression video - Baby Friendly Initiative
- You might also wish to find your local Breastfeeding Group where you will be made welcome during your pregnancy, to help you find out more about what to expect and what support is available to you.
- If you are considering giving infant formula to a breastfed baby this can affect breastfeeding so speaking to your midwife/healthcare professional can ensure you have all the right information about this.
How can I tell that breastfeeding is going well?
This is useful checklist to help you identify when breastfeeding is going well or when need to speak to your midwife/health professional for additional support. If you feel unsure it's always better to ask for help.
UNICEF UK mothers breastfeeding checklist
Please use the link to our infant feeding support section if needed: Infant Feeding Support | Wirral University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust