Breastfeeding

Making milk for your baby

We encourage, support and help mums to breast feed their babies. Breast milk is the best medicine you can give your baby.  We have a dedicated breast-feeding support worker within our unit.  We would like you to express within an hour of delivery – so we can give your baby colostrum.

The benefits of breast milk

• Is easy for a premature baby to digest, and helps their gut to grow and mature.
• Helps their brains to grow so improving their developmental outcome.
• Promotes unique bonding with your baby
• Reduces the risk of your baby developing NEC (Necrotising Enterocolitis).
• Gives your baby unique nutrition and immunity
• Protects your baby by reducing the risk of infections including sepsis, meningitis, gastroenteritis, respiratory and ear infections.
• Reduces a mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancers and osteoporosis

Breast milk is completely tailor-made to your baby.  Following a period of skin to skin with your baby, your milk will contain the most up to date antibodies for your baby within a few hours.   These antibodies will be passes onto your baby when they are given your milk.

See our own video on breast feeding, and listen to some of our mums that have been in the unit.

Alternatively, you may choose to give your baby formula milk. Staff will ensure you have all the information you need to help you make an informed choice.

Feeding

Premature babies usually need help to feed because they cannot suck properly, or co-ordinate sucking and swallowing.  Your baby may be fed with a fine tube through the nose or mouth into the stomach.

We will teach you how to do this, so you can participate in feeding your baby.  We will also help you transition from tube feeding to breast feeding.

Non-Nutritive Sucking

Non-nutritive sucking is where a baby sucks without receiving any nutrition.   We have specialised pre-term dummies for babies.

Benefits of Non-nutritive Sucking

• Supports the development of normal sucking patterns (suck, swallow, breath).
• Helps to soothe your baby during tests and procedures
• Encourages the association between sucking and having a full tummy, when offered with a tube feed.
• Stimulates the stomach that can help the baby digest milk more easily

Useful links

• Providing the best medicine – video summary of the evidence in support of breast (milk) feeding in neonatal units
• The Baby Friendly Initiative
• FeedGood Parent Club website
• Establishing a good milk supply

Quick Links

• Neonatal Home
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Special care baby Unit & Transitional Care
• Developmental Timeline
• Infant Feeding
• Hand washing & Infection
• FAAB & Book Bug
• Family Experiences
• Neonatal Psychology Service
• Glossary and Resources