Infant feeding
We support families both before (antenatally) and after (postnatally) birth with help, information and advice on feeding your baby.
We help you understand more about breastfeeding, address any concerns you may have and help you to make the right decisions. All parents have the right to make their own choices as to how they feed and care for their babies.
Find out more about the benefits of breastfeeding and read the NHS guide to breastfeeding
Get help and support from us
Following support from your midwife or health visitor, they may refer you to our infant feeding clinic for complex infant feeding difficulties. You can also refer yourself.
Who are the specialist infant feeding clinics for?
They’re for babies up to 28 days old.
When and where are they?
There are clinics on Mondays and Thursdays by appointment only.
They’re in the Antenatal clinic, Waddeson Wing at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
How to book an appointment
Email bht.infantfeeding@nhs.net
Or
Call 01296 315076
Please tell us:
- your name, telephone number and NHS number
- the date your baby was born or your due date if you’re pregnant
- a brief outline of what we can support you with.
Antenatal classes
We run regular antenatal classes online on feeding your baby.
The classes are for people having their babies at Stoke Mandeville Hospital or have a homebirth booked with us.
Infant feeding resources
Our team have chosen a series of videos and supporting information to help you further.
The resources cover topics such as the importance of relationship building with your baby, how hand expression can help with breastfeeding, and how to know if your baby’s getting enough milk.
Responsive feeding involves a mother responding to her baby’s cues, as well as her own desire to feed her baby. You may want to feed because your breasts feel full, you’d like a cuddle or may want to feed before being away from your baby for a short period of time.
Responsively feeding means you’re responding to your baby’s feeding cues and your own, ensures that you have a good milk supply and that the baby feels loved and supported.
Babies sometimes have large gaps between feeds. If your baby goes for more than 3 hours without showing feeding cues, we recommend that you wake them and offer the breast .
A baby should feed a minimum of 8 to 10 times in 24 hours, with feeds lasting between 5 and 40 minutes. We always recommend that you offer the second breast once your baby has come off the first one.
You should:
- hold your baby close, supporting their neck, shoulders and back
- allow your baby to tilt their head easily and avoid holding the back of their head (head free)
- keep your baby’s head and body in a straight line
- start with your baby’s nose opposite your nipple to allow your baby to tip their head back with a wide mouth. Bring them swiftly to your breast allowing a deep latch
- make sure you’re in a comfortable position so you can sustain the latch for the full
feed.
Remember snacks and a drink.
How do I know if my baby has latched effectively?
If any areola is visible, it will be above the baby’s mouth. You’ll also see:
your baby’s mouth is wide open
their lower lip is turned out
their chin is touching your breast.
When your baby releases the breast, the nipple remains the same shape as the start of the feed.
You should hear a 2:1 suck and swallow pattern after you have your initial let down.
If you have any pain, your nipples are sore/bleeding or pinched this could be a sign that your baby hasn’t latched properly. Contact your midwife/health visitor or access our services for further support.
Watch the following videos about getting positioning and attachment:
Understanding the appropriate urine and stool output for your baby is important to
understand if your baby’s getting enough milk.
BFI have created a great visual for you to understand if breastfeeding is going well.
We encourage you to contact your midwife/health visitor if there are signs your baby isn’t feeding as effectively as possible.
You can:
- speak to your midwife or health visitor
- email bht.infantfeeding@nhs.net
- contact local support groups such as community breastfeeding support.
For national support, try:
Colostrum is a thick, concentrated, golden yellow fluid providing complete nutrition for your baby. This first milk is present from around 16 weeks of pregnancy and continues for the first few days of your baby’s life.
Colostrum helps build your babies immune system.
Benefits of colostrum harvesting
Being able to hand express colostrum will give you the confidence to provide your baby with those golden drops. Expressing colostrum antenatally ensures that your baby will have access to your breast milk ensuring the protective factors, hormones
and friendly bacteria from birth.
Expressing antenatally is particularly useful for babies at risk of low blood sugars once they are born.
Find out more about protecting your baby from low blood glucose.
Braxton hicks sensations
You may find when you express your womb goes hard then relaxes.
These are ‘Braxton Hicks’ contractions. Don’t worry unless it begins to feel like period-type cramping or mild labour pains.
This is extremely rare, but if it happens, stop and rest. If you’re concerned contact labour ward triage on 01296 316103.
Safe storage labelling
You can store expressed colostrum:
- in the fridge for 5 days
- in the freezer for 6 months
Label each syringe with:
- your name, date of birth and NHS number
- the date and time of when colostrum was expressed.
Ask your midwife for a colostrum harvesting pack.
If you can’t or choose not to breastfeed, we’ll support you in this decision. For further personalised advice talk to your midwife of health visitor.
If you’ve made the choice to bottle feed, please bring in your own formula. We have sterilising facilities if you want to bring in powdered milk. You can buy starter packs available from most supermarkets and pharmacies.
Bring a bottle brush if you want to use the sterilising facilities. We don’t supply formula in the hospital unless it’s clinically needed.
When using formula remember to:
- sterilise all equipment that comes into contact with formula milk
- use a first stage formula for babies up to one year
- make up the formula according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Never add more or less than stated by the supplier.
- use tap water instead of bottled water to prepare formula feeds. Bottled water can contain high levels of sodium.
A healthcare professional will ensure you know how to sterilise and make up feeds safely before you leave the hospital.
Responsive bottle feeding
Follow the 10-step guide to responsive bottle feeding from the First Steps Nutrition Trust.
Find out more about bottle feeding.
Get unbiased information on the different formula milks available
If you had your baby with us or live within our catchment area, we can assess tongue function if there are feeding issues. If necessary, we can undertake a fenulotomy (tongue tie division).
Referrals for this procedure must come through the specialist infant feeding team.
Contact us if you have any questions relating to this.
Watch the video below about the importance of developing close and loving relationships with babies in their early days and weeks:
Watch the video below about a study into whether a baby’s gut bacteria can influence childhood health:
How to care for your baby at night
Watch the video below about how to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS):