There is nothing you can do for your child in his/her whole life that will affect them both emotionally and physically as profoundly as breastfeeding. It is also important for your own body and affects a surprising number of health issues (see Human Milk below).
We hope you find the following resources and links helpful prior to and throughout your Infant Feeding Journey. Although most of the information is about Breastfeeding we do have an information section for those who have made an informed choice to feed using Formula milk (Responsive Bottle Feeding).
We are a Baby Friendly Accredited Trust, to find out more about this click here.
Antenatal Online MS Teams Breastfeeding Workshop/Information Sessions
Please see login details below:
June 12th 2025 11am - 1pm
Meeting ID: 347 658 624 771 1
Passcode: ip3bo6u4
July 10th 2025 11am - 1pm
Meeting ID: 347 658 624 771 1
Passcode: ip3bo6u4
August 14th 2025 11am - 1pm
Meeting ID: 347 658 624 771 1
Passcode: ip3bo6u4
September 12th 2025 11am - 1pm
Meeting ID: 343 580 361 208 6
Passcode: pw74No9g
October 9th 2025 11am - 1pm
Meeting ID: 347 658 624 771 1
Passcode: ip3bo6u4
November 21st 2025 11am - 1pm
Meeting ID: 310 641 303 829 3
Passcode: AK9Nx3wK
December 11th 2025 11am - 1pm
Meeting ID: 347 658 624 771 1
Passcode: ip3bo6u4
If these dates and times aren’t suitable for you please use this link to avail of a Breastfeeding Workshop kindly shared by Dorset Healthcare that you can watch at your own convenience: dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/breastfeedingcourse
Breastfeeding Support
For information on breastfeeding support, click HERE
Eating Well Before, During and After Pregnancy
As an expectant mum or new mum it’s important that you look after your nutrition. Have a look at these informative videos made by our Public Health dieticians.
‘Human Milk, Tailor-Made for Tiny Humans’ is an independent advertising initiative created by a small team of parents, focussing on the composition of human milk and the science of breastfeeding.
Human Milk, Made for Tiny Humans
Good Start
This book presents the reasons why mothers and babies benefit from breastfeeding and explains how to breastfeed successfully. It covers issues including how breastfeeding works, positioning and attachment, how to know if breastfeeding is going well, expressing milk, breastfeeding and babies in special care, advice on breastfeeding and bed-sharing, dealing with common problems, fitting breastfeeding into your life, and going back to work.
Research shows that it is optimal to place new babies Skin-to-Skin with their mothers. A new-born is familiar with its mother before birth and feels safest on her skin after being born.
Skin-to-skin contact is usually referred to as the practice where a baby is dried and laid directly on the mother’s bare chest after birth, both of them covered in a warm blanket and left for at least an hour or until after the first feed. Skin-to-skin contact can also take place any time a baby needs comforting or calming and can help boost a mother’s milk supply.
Why is skin-to-skin contact important?
There is a growing body of evidence that skin-to-skin contact after the birth helps babies and their mothers.
The Practice:
calms and relaxes both mother and baby
regulates the baby’s heart rate and breathing, helping them to better adapt to life outside the womb
stimulates digestion and an interest in feeding
regulates temperature
enables colonisation of the baby’s skin with the mother’s friendly bacteria, thus providing protection against infection
stimulates the release of hormones to support breastfeeding and mothering.
Skin-to-skin contact also provides benefits for babies in the neonatal unit, in that it:
improves oxygen saturation
reduces cortisol (stress) levels, particularly following painful procedures
encourages pre-feeding behaviour
assists with growth
may reduce hospital stay
improves milk volume if the mother expresses following a period of skin-to-skin contact, with the expressed milk containing the most up-to-date antibodies.
See also a video by Nils Bergman. Nils is a Sweedish specialist in perinatal neuroscience and was a founder of Kangaroo care and is a promoter of skin to skin contact.
In this video he talks about the importance of the first 1000 minutes
Attaching your Baby to the Breast
Good attachment will help a baby get more milk and make breastfeeding more comfortable. This video shows why good attachment is so important to breastfeeding success and what a mother can do to deeply attach her baby to her breast.
Weaning is the introduction of solid foods to your baby and is advised from around 6 months of age.
Your baby should be introduced to a healthy and varied diet alongside their usual breast milk or first infant milk (formula).
Your Health Visitor will discuss the topic of weaning with you at your baby’s 14–16 week review where they will provide you with a leaflet of advice and guidance on weaning.
To view the ‘Weaning Made Easy’ leaflet, CLICK HERE
To view the Weaning Made Easy’ leaflet in Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese and Russian, click here.
We are a Baby Friendly Accredited Trust and therefore support the wellbeing and life chances of all babies, whether breast or bottle fed. Whilst breastfeeding is the best option for babies, and we support mothers who breastfeed, we also aim to support those mothers who have made the informed choice to formula feed. This ensures all babies receive high standards of care and the best possible chance to thrive regardless of feeding type.
This booklet is aimed at promoting health in the workplace and sets out some easy steps that employers can take to support breastfeeding mothers:
Promoting Breastfeeding for Mothers Returning to Work Leaflet
At the moment we offer all staff and service users who are breastfeeding a return to work pack which includes a cool bag, ice block, water bottle and breastmilk storage bottle. These are subject to funding and availability.
Ask your Health Visitor for more information.
If you’re a member of staff and live outside the Trust area please email Kelly.Leonard@setrust.hscni.net to reserve your pack.
Breastfeeding Welcome Here Scheme
The Breastfeeding Welcome here scheme is an initiative which aims to accommodate and support families who wish to breastfeed whilst out and about. A business will display the logo in their window so it’s very clear and welcoming to breastfeeding mother’s. The website also has a list of businesses who have signed up to the scheme so a mum can check this according to postcode beforehand. This scheme is supported by the Public Health Agency (PHA).
Breastfeeding is really important for the health of both mother and baby, yet Northern Ireland has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. While half of all new mums here start breastfeeding, many quickly stop. This is often because they feel there is a lack of support, particularly when they want to feed their baby outside the home.
If local businesses can make it clear that they are supportive of breastfeeding mothers, by displaying their membership of the Breastfeeding Welcome Here Scheme, many new mums will be more confident about breastfeeding and will be likely to continue breastfeeding for longer. This will benefit both their health and their baby’s.
