Breastfeeding Your Child

TBreastfeeding is the most natural way to feed your baby. It provides all the nutrition your baby needs during the first six months of life, satisfies their hunger and thirst at the same time. It also helps to create a loving bond between you and your baby.
Breast milk has a number of health benefits for your baby:

• Breastmilk contains all the nutrients your baby needs for the first six months.
• It also satisfies the baby’s thirst.
• It helps develop the eyes and brain and other body systems.
• The act of breastfeeding helps with jaw development.
• It helps the baby resist infection and disease, even later in life.
• It reduces the risk of obesity in childhood and later in life.
• It contains a range of factors that protect your baby while their immune system is still developing.

You will know your baby is getting enough breast milk if he or she:

• is feeding at least 8 times a day (with some of those feeds occurring overnight)
• has at least 5 wet disposable nappies or 6 to 8 wet cloth nappies per day
• has 2 or more soft or runny bowel movements per day for around the first 6 weeks of life (babies have fewer bowel movements once they reach about 6 weeks)
• is gaining weight and growing as expected
• is alert when awake, and reasonably contented.

Building your milk supply

When it comes to breastfeeding, supply equals demand. The more you feed your baby, the more milk your breasts will make. Some tips for establishing and maintaining a good milk supply include:

• let your baby feed until he or she stops sucking and swallowing and lets go of your breast, and then offer your second breast
• offer your breast at night as well as during the day
• avoid giving any extra feeds from bottles, as this reduces your baby’s need to suck at your breast and reduces your milk supply
• avoid the use of dummies (pacifiers).