Feeding Your Baby

Breast milk provides all the nutrients your baby needs for healthy development in the first stages of their life, and also gives them both short and long-term health advantages. Find out about the benefits of breastfeeding here, and also your bottle-feeding options.

Benefits of breastfeeding for babies

Breast is best for your baby because:

** breast milk is natural - it's the food specifically designed for your baby
** breast milk changes as your baby grows so they get exactly what they need
** breastfeeding helps protect your baby from infections because antibodies are passed into the milk
** it is recommended for the first six months of your baby's life as it provides all the nutrients a baby needs
** breastfed babies are five times less likely to be admitted to hospital with infections like gastroenteritis and respiratory infections
** it helps to avoid constipation in your baby
** breastfed babies are less likely to get allergies like eczema
** breast milk contains growth factors and hormones that help your baby develop
** breastfed babies are less likely to become obese in later childhood Benefits of breastfeeding for mothers 

Breast is best for mothers because:

** it is free
** there is no need to sterilise bottles, prepare feeds or keep your baby waiting
** you can do it anytime, any place, anywhere
** it is a lot easier than bottle-feeding in the middle of the night
** your womb will return to normal size more quickly
** you will use up more calories
** breastfeeding reduces the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer

If you have problems with breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is a skill and all new skills need practice. If you want to breastfeed and are finding it difficult, you could ask your midwife for advice or see a breastfeeding counsellor. Alternatively, the NHS Choices breastfeeding website has tips on how to breastfeed and a list of helplines.

Tips on how to breastfeed from NHS Choices
Breastfeeding helplines

You may also want to check out our Breastfeeding page, Breastfeeding

Bottle-feeding

Bottle-feeding may seem like hard work at first, but if you get into a routine you'll be able to relax and enjoy feeding.

One advantage to bottle-feeding is that fathers and carers can feed your baby and give you a bit of a break. You can use formula or you could express breast milk for your baby to have. You could also use a combination of both expressed breast milk and formula. All of these options would give the nutrition your baby needs.

Remember:

** make sure all your equipment is properly sterilised - you can make your baby ill if the bottle is dirty
** always follow the instructions on the formula packet - do not pack the formula down or be tempted to add more formula than is recommended
** always test the temperature of the milk and don't heat it in the microwave - you may scald your baby's mouth

Take a look at direct.gov.uk for more information