Feeding your baby
Breastfeeding gives your baby the best start in life and can help you build close relationships with your baby. Any amount of breastfeeding has a positive effect. The longer you breastfeed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefits. Exclusive breastfeeding (giving your baby breast milk only) is recommended for around the first six months of your baby's life. Combi-feeding can also be a great option to give your child some breast milk, even when exclusively breastfeeding is not something you can physically or emotionally manage. After 6 months, giving your baby breast milk alongside other food will help them continue to grow and develop.
In Sunderland we are working towards being a Breastfeeding Friendly City. We have the UNICEF Baby Friendly Award, which means we help raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding with parents.
Our trained staff in the Family Hubs can support you to breastfeed, provide advice on what to do if you are struggling to breastfeed and help you to understand other options for feeding your baby (expressing breast milk/infant formula).
How your partner can support breastfeeding
Getting support from a partner can be very helpful when you're breastfeeding. Practical ways partners can help with breastfeeding include:
Going to antenatal or breastfeeding sessions - ask your midwife or at a local Family Hub for details
Giving emotional and practical support - praising and encouraging someone who is breastfeeding can help to build their confidence
Arranging paternity leave - talk to your employer about paternity leave early on, so you can plan leave that suits your family's needs
Making life easier - for example, bring your partner dinner if the baby wants to feed at the same time, or bring them a glass of water and a magazine while they're feeding the baby, or perhaps arrange for family or friends to keep your partner company while you're at work
Doing your bit around the home - so your partner can focus on caring for the baby and getting breastfeeding off to a good start
Providing some stress relief - if you have young children, take the stress away from your partner by keeping them entertained when the baby is feeding
Getting involved in your baby's care - spending time skin to skin with baby, bathing your baby, changing nappies and helping at bedtime are great ways to get close to your baby
Visit your local Family Hub social media pages for information on Breastfeeding and Infant Feeding sessions near you.
Extra support - Healthy Start Vouchers
If you get certain benefits, then you might be able to get Healthy Start vouchers. These are free from the government and you can use them every week to buy milk, fruit, vegetables and pulses (fresh, frozen or tinned), and formula milk. You can also get free vitamins for you and your baby.
Moving on from milk
Most babies can start their first tastes of food from about six months old, this is called weaning. You should not begin weaning your baby before 6 months unless there is a medical reason. Our Family Hubs have courses and information with the latest tips on what to safely start your little ones off with, from first tastes to first dinners. We've got healthy recipes the whole family can enjoy and ideas to get even the fussiest of toddlers to eat well.
Please speak with your health visitor for more information on weaning