Feeding Your Baby

Your feeding options

There are so many things to think about when you’re expecting a baby that you might feel overwhelmed! But before your wee one arrives, it’s a good idea to have a think about how you’ll feed them. To help you make a decision, take a look at these pages so you can start thinking about the best feeding option for you, your baby and your family.

Getting started with breastfeeding

Choosing to breastfeed is a great decision for your baby but it’s not always easy. Breastfeeding is something you and your baby learn to do together. Recognising your baby's signs that they're hungry, practice and building up your confidence are the keys to successful breastfeeding. You'll find all the info you need to get off to a good start here. 

When we’re talking about breastfeeding we use the words ‘women’, ‘mums’ and ‘breastfeeding’ because most people who feed their babies this way identify as women. However, we recognise that not all people who breastfeed or chestfeed identify as women.

Keeping going with breastfeeding

Once you’ve been breastfeeding for a few days or weeks, you might start thinking about getting out of the house more, or wondering about expressing so that your partner can share feeding duties. You've done so well to get this far, and if you are able to continue breastfeeding we've got tons of info and advice to help you here.

Looking after yourself when you’re breastfeeding

Many mums are so wrapped up in caring for their baby that they forget to find time to look after themselves too. But it’s important to keep yourself healthy, for everyone’s sake. The following pages can help.

Breastfeeding in different situations

In an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to think about anything except looking after your new wee one. But in the real world, that isn’t necessarily the case. In this section we have tips to help if you’re breastfeeding twins or caring for other children, if you’ve had a caesarean or your baby is premature or poorly.

Breastfeeding challenges

Your newborn will most likely try to feed soon after birth, but that doesn't mean they're born knowing exactly how. Even if things don’t go well at first, don't feel it's your fault or give up straightaway. Most issues can be resolved by following the advice in these pages. Here we look at some of the most common problems that can arise and what you can do to get round them.

Breastfeeding support

From local antenatal and breastfeeding groups to support from family and friends, there's lots of help out there for breastfeeding mums. This section has lots of info on how you can get help and support from breastfeeding groups and other organisations. And it shows dads, partners and family members how they can get involved and give you a much needed break.

Expressing

Expressing your milk gives you a great alternative to breastfeeding. This section explains how to express and store your milk safely.

Weaning and first foods

Getting your baby to eat solid food is a whole new experience! From tips to make sure things keep going smoothly to weaning recipes, here you’ll find tried and tested techniques from parents and professionals who've learnt things the hard way, so hopefully you don’t have to.