Infant feeding

Knowing what to expect when breastfeeding should help you feel as confident as possible when you’ve just given birth and want to breastfeed your baby.

Your breast milk is uniquely made for your growing baby’s needs. Your breast milk can make a big difference to both you and your baby’s health. The longer you feed your baby breast milk, the more they benefit. Breast milk gives your baby all the nutrients your baby needs for around the first six months of life (and beyond). Breast milk may help protect your baby against infection, childhood illness and obesity. As a mum, breast feeding also reduces your chance of getting some illnesses later in life such as breast and ovarian cancer, and naturally uses approximately 500 calories a day. Plus, breast milk is free!

The skin to skin contact that breastfeeding naturally provides, enables a very special bonding experience for you and your baby. It will help to comfort you and your baby, helping baby to feel warm, calm and at ease. Being close to your baby also encourages your milk stimulation. Responsive feeding describes the sensitive, mutual nature of feeding when mother and baby respond to each other’s needs and cues. For example the mother can offer her breast if the baby appears unsettled or if the mother feels full and wants to sit down with her baby.

After a while you will be able to identify when your baby is hungry. Common signs are stirring, facial movements, eyes flickering, wriggling, moving head/mouth around, rooting for the breast, sucking fingers, crying.

Click on the links below to find out more

• Why breastfeed?
• How do I know that my baby is getting enough milk?
• Feeding cues
• Feeding in public
• Growth Spurts
• Attaching and Positioning at the breast
• Responsive feeding
• Breastfeeding and safer sleep

If you would like to find out more about becoming a breastfeeding peer supporter, click here

Breastfeeding in public can mean breastfeeding in front of a relative or friend in your own home, or in a public place, such as a cafe or shopping centre.

During your baby’s first few days, you may prefer to breastfeed only where you feel most comfortable. But, as you get more used to doing it, you’re likely to feel more confident about breastfeeding in front of other people when you’re out and about.

Most people support women breastfeeding in public. The more it’s done, the more normal it will become.

Here are some ideas to help you get started.

• Know your rights. You should not ever be made to feel uncomfortable about breastfeeding in public. It is illegal for anyone to ask a breastfeeding woman to leave a public place, such as a cafe, shop or public transport.
• Plan ahead. Before you go out, it can help to think about where you will feel comfortable breastfeeding when your baby gets hungry. Ask breastfeeding friends for recommendations.
• A midwife, health visitor or peer supporters at a local breastfeeding drop-in will also know of good places in your area where you can feed your baby.
• Clothes and bra. What you wear when you’re breastfeeding is a matter of personal taste and what you feel comfortable in. For example, some mums like to wear loose tops that can be lifted up.
• Others, who prefer to keep their tummy covered, wear two stretchy tops, so that the top layer can be lifted up and the bottom layer can be pulled down. A soft, non-underwired bra can be easily pulled up or down when you want to feed your baby.
• Baby slings, scarves and cloths. Some baby slings are designed so you can breastfeed while your baby is in the sling. Some mums feel more comfortable putting a scarf or muslin cloth over their chest while they’re breastfeeding.
• Take someone with you. It can help to go with a friend who has an older baby and can take you to places that she already knows. You could go with someone else, such as your mum, partner, sister or friend, so that there’s always someone to talk to.
• Avoid the loos. Do not feel that you should sit in a public toilet to breastfeed. You would not eat in there, so do not feel that your baby should be fed there. Breastfeeding in public – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Go to a local feeding group or baby group – look at our ‘What’s On’ section to see what’s available in Torbay currently.

If you’re planning on going back to work you can find some useful information on Start for Life and here Breastfeeding at study or work – Baby Friendly Initiative (unicef.org.uk).

Your baby shows you signs to let you know when they are hungry. These are called feeding cues. These cues get stronger as your baby gets hungrier, until they cry as a last signal to you.

The more you get to know your baby, you’ll start to notice their personal feeding cues.

After a while you will be able to identify when your baby is hungry. Common signs are stirring, facial movements, eyes flickering, wriggling, moving head/mouth around, rooting for the breast, sucking fingers, crying.

If you notice these signs, try and feed your baby as soon as possible.

If your baby has started crying, they may be very upset which can be stressful and can make it more challenging to get them attached to the breast.

If this happens, take time to calm your baby down and then try again.

Most babies go through several growth spurts (also called frequency days or wonder weeks) during the first 12 months. It’s important to be aware of these so you understand and don’t doubt yourself (or your milk supply) when you experience them.

What is a growth spurt?

During a growth spurt, breastfed babies feed much more often than they may have been (sometimes as often as every hour or what feels like constant feeding) and often act fussier or grumpier than usual. You may feel like baby is suddenly “attached” to you, is really fussy, not sleeping as well and hard to settle or you suddenly feel like you don’t have enough milk.

Baby is actually working to increase the amount of milk (because of their own growth) and the content of the milk also changes! Just as babies grow and change, so does our breastmilk to adapt to them- another huge benefit of breastfeeding as formula can not do this!

Physical growth is not the only reason that babies may have a temporary need for increased breastfeeding. Babies often exhibit the same type of behavior (increased breastfeeding with or without increased fussiness) when they are working on developmental advances such as rolling over, crawling, walking or talking. Breast milk is for growing the brain as well as the body!

When do babies have growth spurts?

Common times for growth spurts are 2-5 days old and around 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months (more or less). Babies don’t read calendars, however, so your baby may do things differently.

How long do growth spurts last?

Growth spurts usually last 3-5 days, but sometimes last a week or so.

What is the best way to handle a growth spurt?

Follow your child’s lead. Baby will automatically get more milk by breastfeeding more frequently, and your milk supply will increase due to the increased breastfeeding.

It is not necessary (or advised) to supplement your baby with formula or expressed milk during a growth spurt. Supplementing (and/or scheduling feeds) interferes with the natural supply and demand of milk production and will prevent your body from getting the message to make more milk and change the content during the growth spurt.

Some breastfeeding mums feel more hungry or thirsty when baby is going through a growth spurt. Listen to your body — you may need to eat or drink more during the time that baby is nursing more often.

Babies have small tummies – only the size of a cherry when they are born! This means they will feed little, and VERY frequently in the first 6 weeks especially. Remember – responding to your babies cues will help you establish breastfeeding. Babies rarely need “extra” milk or additional feeds. Please speak to your health visitor if you are worried. The below signs reassure you that your baby IS getting enough milk.

If you are unsure or have worries about any of these, please get in touch with your health visiting team.

You do not need a feeding schedule. Health professionals recommend “responsive” or “on demand” feeding – this means following your baby’s cues and feeding them when they are hungry.

Although most babies gradually settle into a feeding routine, they vary in how often they want to feed. Feed your baby when they show signs that they are hungry.

Watch this useful video demonstrating responsive bottle feeding or find out more from Start for Life here.

What happens in your baby’s first years has a big effect on how healthy they will be in the future. Mum’s milk gives your baby all the nutrients they need for around the first 6 months of life and it remains important, along with solid food, beyond 6 months. 

Image from Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative

Breastfeeding delivers many benefits including supporting close and loving relationships, improving maternal mental health and can reduce the risk of postnatal depression.

However you decide to feed your baby, 0 to 19 Torbay trained professionals will support your choice and will provide you with as much evidence-based information as you need to make your decision easier.

What’s in breastmilk? The CHILD Cohort Study takes a look

Through these close relationships, breastfeeding helps baby’s brain development and formation of a positive attachment. Breastfeeding also has numerous physical health benefits. In addition breastfeeding is environmentally friendly and saves your family time and money. 

Watch this video looking at the impact of infant feeding on the environment.

There’s lots of new research finding out more about the power of breastmilk – look at this fascinating insight into the baby’s microbiome.

However you plan to feed your baby, skin to skin after birth is a really good way for you to start to get to know each other.
In the first few hours after birth, having uninterrupted skin to skin with your baby will help them to go through some important developmental stages.

Research has shown that skin to skin at birth with both parents is important. This is your opportunity to begin a bond with your child. Research studies have shown that even 30 minutes of skin-to-skin increases dopamine and oxytocin and lowers testosterone, ensuring that you will have an automatic positive association from close contact with their baby.

It’s not just for the first few hours though – whether you choose to breast or bottle feed, skin to skin has important functions for parent and baby throughout baby’s first year and beyond.

Skin to skin – i.e. baby stripped down to nappy and held against mum or dads bare chest, has been found to be very important for baby in:

• Regulating their heartbeat – calming them down and soothing them
• Regulating their temperature – skin to skin is an excellent way of keeping a baby nice and warm
• Regulating their breathing – again calming and settling them
• Encouraging feeding – skin to skin stimulates a baby’s natural urge to feed, whether breast or bottle fed
• Feeling safe, secure and close to their parent – with the smells, sounds and sensations they’re familiar with
• Reducing stress – releasing calming hormones and comforting them when they’re upset
• Being contented – a baby held and cuddled often tends to be more settled and less “clingy”, rather than becoming “spoilt” as some people fear

It’s also important for mother too, in that it:

• Regulates a mothers heartbeat and breathing
• Develops the relationship between mother and baby and increases a mothers resilience to cope with the challenges the early days can bring
• Encourages the release of hormones related to breastmilk supply and breastfeeding
• It has also been found to have some pain-relieving properties for mother too, as she focuses on her baby held close to her face

For dad and other family members:

• Skin to skin is good for other family members and baby too – calming them both, promoting bonding and giving other family members a really good way of comforting and soothing baby whilst mother rests
• Amazingly, skin to skin with people other than mother can still stimulate a baby’s natural urge to feed, whether breast or bottle fed

For more information about the value of skin to skin go to the Baby Friendly Initiative’s webpage, or ask your midwife

Carry on with skin-to-skin (baby can wear a nappy) when you get home; your baby is never too old for this! Skin-to-skin helps you and baby to feel calm and also aid with feeding through tuning-in to baby’s cues and increasing your milk supply. Your baby will be happier if you keep them near you and feed them whenever they are hungry. This will remind your body to produce plenty of milk. It is fine to feed your baby when they need comforting, when your breasts feel full or when you just want to sit down and have a rest. It is not possible to overfeed a breastfed baby. This is called responsive breastfeeding– feeds are not just for nutrition, but also for love, comfort and reassurance between both baby and mother.

Take a look at Unicef’s Baby Friendly video below – Breastfeeding and early relationships:

The skin to skin contact that breastfeeding naturally provides, enables a very special bonding experience for you and your baby. It will help to comfort you and your baby, helping baby to feel warm, calm and at ease. Being close to your baby also encourages your milk stimulation. Responsive feeding describes the sensitive, mutual nature of feeding when mother and baby respond to each other’s needs and cues. For example the mother can offer her breast if the baby appears unsettled or if the mother feels full and wants to sit down with her baby.

Expressing milk is when you take milk from your breasts so you can feed it to your baby straight away, or store it in the fridge or freezer to use at a later time. You can express breastmilk by hand or with an electric or manual pump, whichever you feel more comfortable using.

There are various reasons why you may need or choose to express milk:

• If your baby is premature or needs extra help after birth and cannot be with you
• If you’re returning to work or are planning on being apart from your baby
• If your breasts feel uncomfortably full, or you have mastitis
• If you would like to boost your milk supply
• Or this is your preferred method of feeding.

Dependent on why you want to express your milk it may be best to wait until you and your baby feel confident with breastfeeding.

Remember, practice makes perfect. It can take time to learn how to express milk. In the beginning milk can come out in all directions. Relax and don’t worry!

Find out more from the NHS website on Expressing and storing breast milk and Start for Life.

Breast Pump Hire
Torbay children’s centres loan out electronic breast pumps free to low income parents or £30 per month including a £10 refundable deposit.
Breast pumps can:

• Support and sustain breastfeeding.
• Encourage breastfeeding for more than 6 months.
• Support bonding between infants and mothers.
• Improve the health of mothers and infants.

Loaning out the breast pumps; includes pump and a non-returnable collection set. Each pump is cleaned after each hire to prevent cross contamination. Registration is completed (if required) before each hire. Liability form is completed for each hire, to cover non-returned or damaged pumps.

Call 01803 210200 or email torbayChildrensCentres@actionforchildren.org.uk

Your baby shows you signs to let you know when they are hungry. These are called feeding cues. These cues get stronger as your baby gets hungrier, until they cry as a last signal to you.

The more you get to know your baby, you’ll start to notice their personal feeding cues.

After a while you will be able to identify when your baby is hungry. Common signs are stirring, facial movements, eyes flickering, wriggling, moving head/mouth around, rooting for the breast, sucking fingers, crying.

If you notice these signs, try and feed your baby as soon as possible.

If your baby has started crying, they may be very upset which can be stressful and can make it more challenging to get them attached to the breast.

If this happens, take time to calm your baby down and then try again.

Good hygiene is very important when making up a formula feed.

Your baby’s immune system is not as strong as an adult’s. That’s why bottles, teats and any other feeding equipment need to be washed and sterilised before each feed. Find out more from the NHS here.

Paced feeding is way of giving your baby more control over feeds. Babies usually take small amounts of milk and stop for a rest, and then take more. You can help them to “pace” their feeds so that it mimics the way they would breastfeed.

Find great advice for the NHS Start for Life website. They also have advice on responsive feeding, signs of hunger, feeding on demand and night feeds on the same link.

You do not need a feeding schedule. Health professionals recommend “responsive” or “on demand” feeding – this means following your baby’s cues and feeding them when they are hungry.

Although most babies gradually settle into a feeding routine, they vary in how often they want to feed. Feed your baby when they show signs that they are hungry.

Watch this useful video demonstrating responsive bottle feeding or find out more from Start for Life here.

However you plan to feed your baby, skin to skin after birth is a really good way for you to start to get to know each other.
In the first few hours after birth, having uninterrupted skin to skin with your baby will help them to go through some important developmental stages.

Research has shown that skin to skin at birth with both parents is important. This is your opportunity to begin a bond with your child. Research studies have shown that even 30 minutes of skin-to-skin increases dopamine and oxytocin and lowers testosterone, ensuring that you will have an automatic positive association from close contact with their baby.

It’s not just for the first few hours though – whether you choose to breast or bottle feed, skin to skin has important functions for parent and baby throughout baby’s first year and beyond.

Skin to skin – i.e. baby stripped down to nappy and held against mum or dads bare chest, has been found to be very important for baby in:

• Regulating their heartbeat – calming them down and soothing them
• Regulating their temperature – skin to skin is an excellent way of keeping a baby nice and warm
• Regulating their breathing – again calming and settling them
• Encouraging feeding – skin to skin stimulates a baby’s natural urge to feed, whether breast or bottle fed
• Feeling safe, secure and close to their parent – with the smells, sounds and sensations they’re familiar with
• Reducing stress – releasing calming hormones and comforting them when they’re upset
• Being contented – a baby held and cuddled often tends to be more settled and less “clingy”, rather than becoming “spoilt” as some people fear

It’s also important for mother too, in that it:

• Regulates a mothers heartbeat and breathing
• Develops the relationship between mother and baby and increases a mothers resilience to cope with the challenges the early days can bring
• Encourages the release of hormones related to breastmilk supply and breastfeeding
• It has also been found to have some pain-relieving properties for mother too, as she focuses on her baby held close to her face

For dad and other family members:

• Skin to skin is good for other family members and baby too – calming them both, promoting bonding and giving other family members a really good way of comforting and soothing baby whilst mother rests
• Amazingly, skin to skin with people other than mother can still stimulate a baby’s natural urge to feed, whether breast or bottle fed

For more information about the value of skin to skin go to the Baby Friendly Initiative’s webpage, or ask your midwife

Carry on with skin-to-skin (baby can wear a nappy) when you get home; your baby is never too old for this! Skin-to-skin helps you and baby to feel calm and also aid with feeding through tuning-in to baby’s cues and increasing your milk supply. Your baby will be happier if you keep them near you and feed them whenever they are hungry. This will remind your body to produce plenty of milk. It is fine to feed your baby when they need comforting, when your breasts feel full or when you just want to sit down and have a rest. It is not possible to overfeed a breastfed baby. This is called responsive breastfeeding– feeds are not just for nutrition, but also for love, comfort and reassurance between both baby and mother.

Take a look at Unicef’s Baby Friendly video below – Breastfeeding and early relationships:

The skin to skin contact that breastfeeding naturally provides, enables a very special bonding experience for you and your baby. It will help to comfort you and your baby, helping baby to feel warm, calm and at ease. Being close to your baby also encourages your milk stimulation. Responsive feeding describes the sensitive, mutual nature of feeding when mother and baby respond to each other’s needs and cues. For example the mother can offer her breast if the baby appears unsettled or if the mother feels full and wants to sit down with her baby.

Expressing milk is when you take milk from your breasts so you can feed it to your baby straight away, or store it in the fridge or freezer to use at a later time. You can express breastmilk by hand or with an electric or manual pump, whichever you feel more comfortable using.

There are various reasons why you may need or choose to express milk:

• If your baby is premature or needs extra help after birth and cannot be with you
• If you’re returning to work or are planning on being apart from your baby
• If your breasts feel uncomfortably full, or you have mastitis
• If you would like to boost your milk supply
• Or this is your preferred method of feeding.

Dependent on why you want to express your milk it may be best to wait until you and your baby feel confident with breastfeeding.

Remember, practice makes perfect. It can take time to learn how to express milk. In the beginning milk can come out in all directions. Relax and don’t worry!

Find out more from the NHS website on Expressing and storing breast milk and Start for Life.

Breast Pump Hire
Torbay children’s centres loan out electronic breast pumps free to low income parents or £30 per month including a £10 refundable deposit.
Breast pumps can:

• Support and sustain breastfeeding.
• Encourage breastfeeding for more than 6 months.
• Support bonding between infants and mothers.
• Improve the health of mothers and infants.

Loaning out the breast pumps; includes pump and a non-returnable collection set. Each pump is cleaned after each hire to prevent cross contamination. Registration is completed (if required) before each hire. Liability form is completed for each hire, to cover non-returned or damaged pumps.

Call 01803 210200 or email torbayChildrensCentres@actionforchildren.org.uk

Although we would recommend breastfeeding as the best option for you and your baby, we know that there are many reasons why a mum may give their baby formula instead of breast milk. If you choose to do this we won’t treat you any differently and will give you the same support as a breastfeeding mum. This includes advice on:

• making up formula feeds
• cleaning and sterilising bottles
• how to bottle feed
• knowing how much to feed your baby
• knowing when your baby is full

The Start for life website contains lots of useful information about how to prepare infant formula and sterilise feeding equipment to minimise the risk to your baby.

Infant formula is usually made from cow’s milk and has been treated to make it suitable for babies. There are many types of formula so always check the label before giving to your baby. However it is recommended to always use first stage milks until at least twelve months when it is recommended that your baby moves on to full fat cow’s milk. Your baby can stay on first stage milk whilst you are introducing them to solids at around six months. Vitamins are added to formula milk. If your baby is taking 500ml or more a day then additional vitamins should not be given.

Formula comes in two forms; ready-made formulas which are sterile and sold in cartons, and powered infant formula which is not sterile and must be made up safely. Instructions for doing this can be found here: Guide to bottle feeding leaflet

You and your partner should feed your baby to build up a close and loving bond between yourselves.

• Make sure that you are sitting comfortably, always hold your baby close to you and look into their eyes when feeding. This helps the baby feel safe and loved.
• Hold your baby fairly upright for feeds, with their head supported so that they can breathe and swallow comfortably.
• Brush the teat against your babies lips, and when your baby opens their mouth wide, allow them to draw in the teat.
• Gently insert the teat into your baby’s mouth, keeping the bottle in a horizontal position (just slightly tipped), to prevent milk from flowing too fast.
• Allow just enough milk to cover teat and pace the feed to meet babies’ needs, gently removing it if baby appears to want a break and may need to burp.
• If the teat becomes flattened while you are feeding, pull gently on the corner of your baby’s mouth to release the vacuum.
• Your baby will know how much milk they need. Forcing your baby to finish a feed will be distressing, and can mean your baby is overfed.

Skin to skin contact whilst bottle feeding, enables a special bonding experience for you and your baby.

After a while you will be able to identify when your baby is hungry. Common signs are stirring, facial movements, eyes flickering, wriggling, moving head/mouth around, rooting/sucking fingers, crying.

Peer supporters are mums who have themselves breastfed and have trained as volunteers to help other mums. Ask your midwife, health practitioner or family hub practitioner about your local peer supporter. You can also find them in many of our groups.

Other support available

• Infant Feeding phone: 07500 952216
• Social media, NHS Infant Feeding Torbay
• Infant Feeding clinic – every Monday at St. Edmunds and Wednesdays at the Beehive; please call us on 0300 333 5352 (Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm) or email: publichealthnursing.torbay@nhs.net to book
• Baby Feeding Group – Mondays at St. Edmunds and Wednesdays, drop in, Beehive, check out all dates and times on our what’s on page
• The breastfeeding friend from Start for Life provides 24/7 support and is available on Amazon Alexa and Facebook Messenger.
• The infant feeding specialist midwife can be contacted on 01803 656275.
• We offer support with breastfeeding and infant feeding to make healthy eating choices. Understanding of attachment and bonding. Contact our advice line or our Facebook page Torbay Infant Feeding
• Start for Life – Breastfeeding, Lots of helpful information and advice on breastfeeding.

If you are interested in becoming a breastfeeding peer supporter, click here to find out more.

Join our baby feeding group and meet other parents, get information, advice and support from family hub staff and peer supporters. Once a month we offer our no rush to mush session so you can find out when your baby might be ready to start solids. We also talk about supporting early relationship building, returning to work and breastfeeding, finding the right bra and more.

• Support and Information: Our trained Infant Feeding peer supporters are here to help you.
• Social Interaction: Connect with other parents and share experiences.
• For All Ages: Whether you’re expecting a baby or have a little one, this group is for you.
• No Booking Required: Just drop in and feel welcome!

Come enjoy a cuppa, chat, and a supportive community. See you there!

Check our what’s on pages for dates, times and venues, just search baby feeding group.

Classes to support antenatal women to learn about breastfeeding and breast milk. Partners, family and friends welcome to attend.

Classes cover:

• A basic guide to breastfeeding.
• Best ways to establish a good milk supply.
• Breastfeeding positions and how to get your baby to latch.
• How to know if your baby is getting enough.
• When and where to get breastfeeding support.
• Expressing breastmilk for your baby.
• Plus any other questions you might have about breastfeeding.

Where and When

Held in the TREC at Torbay Hospital from 5pm-6:30pm.

For dates and times, please go to the What’s On Page of our website: What’s on – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)

How to find the TREC:

From the Cadewell Lane entrance to Torbay Hospital, take the first left then first left again over the speed ramps.

Follow the road and you will see the maternity unit on your right. Take the 2nd right, follow the road and the TREC/Horizon Centre are situated on your left. Walk past the Horizon Centre and TREC is the next building.

There are designated parking areas that are pay and display. The postcode is TQ2 7AA.

Booking a place:

To book or for further information, please email tsdft.breastfeedingmasterclass@nhs.net.

Other Information:

Find us on Facebook and Instagram: NHS Infant Feeding Torbay.

Infant feeding specialist midwife: 01803 656275

If you would like support with infant feeding give us a call, contact our hub or email the team. This is for specialist 1 to 1 support from our infant feeding team for those experiencing problems with feeding. Depending on your needs you will receive phone support or be seen face to face. You can also find lots of advice and support at our Facebook page NHS Infant Feeding Torbay.

• Infant Feeding phone: 07500 952216
• Infant Feeding clinic – every Wednesdays at the Beehive, Paignton and Thursday at St. Edmunds, Torquay; please book through the Advice Line, details below
• To see our specialist infant feeding lactation consultant Health Visitor, contact the advice line to make an appointment. Tel: 0300 333 5352 (Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm) or Email: publichealthnursing.torbay@nhs.net

Our Torbaby follows the Solihull Approach Antenatal Programme.

The Torbaby Solihull Antenatal group is a 6 week programme for expectant parents and their families who live in Torbay. It covers topics that help to provide an understanding of pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby. The group is led by Health Visitors and Midwives. The group provides an opportunity to meet other expectant parents and families in a nurturing environment.

WEEK 1 – Helping your baby and you through pregnancy and birth

• Recognise and understand your feelings
• Recognise what/who helps you process your feelings relating to your baby during your pregnancy and birth
• Think about the support needed during pregnancy

WEEK 2 – Getting to know your baby in the womb

• Get to know your baby and develop your relationship
• Understand the positions of your baby in the womb
• Understand how your baby is developing: brain, sensory and physical development

WEEK 3 – You, your baby and the stages of labour

• Get to know your baby through the labour and birth
  Understand signs of labour
  Understand stages of labour

WEEK 4 – Helping you and your baby through labour and birth

• Understand active birth positions
• Understand the process of labour – including how the baby helps
• Think about pain relief
• Think about support in labour and at home

WEEK 5 – Feeding your baby

• Bonding and developing a relationship with your baby
• How to keep your baby safe
• Baby blues and postnatal depression
• Different ways of feeding your baby and the support available

WEEK 6 – Practical session

• Bathing, holding a baby, changing a nappy and more

Booking essential!

Suitable for: Antenatal mums and their birth partners
Duration: Weekly 2 hour session for 6 weeks

Refreshments are provided

Interested in attending?

Sign up for Torbaby here

Groups focused on child development.

This is a weekly group for parents with their babies to attend and is based on offering specific advice and guidance for new mothers.

The weekly group will focus on a specific theme and there will be general help support and advice around your child’s development.

Each week there will be a theme focused around your child’s development run by the family hub staff.

Torbay family hubs loan out electronic breast pumps free to low income parents or £30 per month including a £10 refundable deposit.

Breast pumps can:

• Support and sustain breastfeeding.
• Encourage breastfeeding for more than 6 months.
• Support bonding between infants and mothers.
• Improve the health of mothers and infants.

Loaning out the breast pumps; includes pump and a non-returnable collection set. Each pump is cleaned after each hire to prevent cross contamination. Registration is completed (if required) before each hire. Liability form is completed for each hire, to cover non-returned or damaged pumps.

Call 01803 210200 or email familyhub@torbay.gov.uk

As you start weaning your baby, they may be at risk of choking. Find out what to look for and what to do.

Would you like additional support with starting your baby on solid food? If your baby is over 6 months old we are offering monthly sessions at Turning Heads in Torquay.

Supporting a Solid Start: For families who need support with introducing solid food to their baby. These are referral only monthly sessions for babies over 6 months old. There will be support provided from Community Nursery Nurses and food provided for babies to try. Talk to your health visiting team or contact our advice line on 0300 333 5352 to book your space.

For dates and times, go to our what’s on page and search supporting a solid start.

You can also find great information, advice and videos on weaning here for Start for Life.

If you are pregnant or have a child under four years old you could get a Healthy Start card to help buy some basic foods. This important means-tested scheme provides vouchers to spend with local retailers. Pregnant women and children over one and under four years old can get one voucher per week. Children under one year old can get two vouchers per week.

The vouchers can be spent on:

• plain cow’s milk – whole, semi-skimmed or skimmed. It can be pasteurised, sterilised, long life or UHT
• fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables including loose, pre-packed, whole, sliced, chopped or mixed fruit or vegetables, fruit in fruit juice, or fruit or vegetables in water, but not those to which fat, salt, sugar or flavouring have been added
• fresh, dried and tinned pulses, including but not limited to lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas but not those to which fat, salt, sugar or flavouring have been added
• infant formula milk that says it can be used from birth and is based on cow’s milk.

You can also get free vitamins from your local Torbay Family Hub.

Find out more at: healthystart.nhs.uk/healthy-start-vouchers/how-to-apply

Introducing your baby to solid foods (often called weaning onto foods) should start around six months of age (26 weeks). Before introducing solid foods your baby must show three clear developmental signs; stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady, co-ordinate their eyes, hands and mouth, and swallow food rather than pushing most of it back out with their tongue. There are many myths around signs of ready such as; chewing fists, watching you eat, requiring extra feeds and waking during the night. These are not necessarily signs of being ready for solids and some extra breast or first stage milk will help until they are ready for food.

Eating solid foods is a significant developmental milestone and babies enjoy exploring new flavours and textures. To begin with solid food is complimentary to baby’s milk and therefore it is less important how much they eat which can vary greatly day today, and more about getting used to the idea and enjoying eating.

Babies don’t need three meals a day to start with, so you can start by offering foods at a time that suits you both.

Gradually you can increase solid food and introduce more varieties and textures, whilst slowly reducing baby’s milk intake.

Eating solid foods should be a pleasurable and exciting learning experience for your baby. Baby-led weaning can be messy but that is all part of the fun. Your baby can feed themselves using their own fingers, but if you are using a spoon wait for your baby to open their mouth before offering the food.

Always stay with your baby when they are eating in case they choke.

• First Steps Nutrition – Baby’s and new mums
• First Steps Nutrition – Eating well early years
• Introducing solid foods
• The NHS website – Food allergy
• The NHS website – Foods to avoid giving babies and young children
• The NHS website – How to help a choking child
• The NHS website – Your baby’s first solid foods
• StartforLife – Weaning

Once they’re old enough, you can start encouraging your baby to drink from a cup or beaker.

Dieticians and dentists recommend babies start to learn to drink water from a cup from six months old. They can start drinking water from this age whether they’re breastfed, formula fed or fed a combination.

• Starting with a cup with two handles to help them hold it. Once they’re confident with this, introduce a cup with handle and eventually a beaker they need to hold with both hands
• Filling the cup half way with thick drinks, e.g. smoothies, milkshakes and yoghurt drinks, to give them more time to practice their lip seal around the cup
• Slowly helping them lift the cup to drink from. Once they’re confident, start giving them less and less help.

Find out more about drinks and cups for babies and young children from the NHS here.

(ABM)www.abm.me.uk

0300 330 5453 (everyday, 9.30 am – 10.30pm)

www.laleche.org.uk/get-support
0345 120 2918 (everyday, 24 hours)

To get in touch, call 0800 138 0509 (Mon-Fri 10am-1pm and 7pm-10pm) or complete the Ask Twinline form online. The best way to get a quick response is to call. Emails will be responded to within three working days.  Find helpful information and advice here.

From Bump to Breastfeeding is a set of films following the journey of four mums (and we hear from other mums along the way) who decide to breastfeed their babies. The films will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about breastfeeding and how to do it successfully. You can also download their free Baby Buddy app.

National Childbirth Trust (NCT)
www.nct.org.uk
0300 330 0700 (everyday, 8am – midnight)

Breastfeeding Friend from Start4Life (or BFF) is an app that lets you get NHS-trusted advice at any time, day or night. You can get it for your:

• Facebook Messenger
• Google Home
• Amazon Alexa

Once you’ve downloaded the app, you can simply ask for 24/7 tips, info and useful advice from your phone or smart speaker:

For Facebook Messenger, you can chat with Breastfeeding Friend, and either:

• click on common breastfeeding topics, such as “new to breastfeeding”, “guide to latching on” or “sore nipples”;
• or type in your own question – for example, “How do I deal with mastitis?” or “Should I take vitamins while breastfeeding?”

For Google Assistant or Alexa, you can simply ask for what you need:

• “Hey Google, ask Breastfeeding Friend for a quick tip”
• “Hey Google, ask Breastfeeding Friend for the feeding guide”
• “Alexa, ask Breastfeeding Friend – is my baby getting enough milk?”
• “Alexa, ask Breastfeeding Friend how do I breastfeed?”

Whether you’re experiencing breastfeeding difficulties, you’ve got sore nipples, or you want to know about vitamins and what you should include in your diet – if it’s a breastfeeding related question, Breastfeeding Friend is ready to help you.

Lots more information on breastfeeding, infant formula and bottle feeding, and introducing your baby to solid foods. You can download free resource’s here.

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/baby-friendly-resources/

Here’s a couple of recommended helpful apps you can download, support with your questions on breastfeeding or unsure if your baby is ill.

Breastfeeding Friend from Start for Life, click on the picture

This media library is full of helpful videos and resources to help you on your breastfeeding journey.