Feeding your baby

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of many health conditions for both babies and mothers. Your breast milk provides all the nutrition your baby needs to grow and develop. It also contains vital immune-boosting properties that help protect against infections and diseases.

How Breastfeeding Supports Your Baby’s Health

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of, among many other things:

• Colic and reflux.
• Diarrhoea and vomiting.
• Chest and ear infections.
• Childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related health issues.
• Eczema and asthma.

Breastfed babies are more likely to gain a healthy weight and receive the ideal nutrition tailored to their needs as they grow.

Breastfeeding also benefits mothers by:

• Reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
• Helping to lose pregnancy weight naturally.
• Being free and always available.

We understand that every family’s feeding journey is unique. In addition to breastfeeding directly, you may also consider:

• Combi Feeding – Your baby has breastfeeds alongside bottles of either expressed breastmilk and/or formula.
• Exclusive Pumping – Your baby receives breastmilk exclusively by bottle, with milk expressed using a breast pump.

Our Infant Feeding Team can offer guidance and support on all feeding options to help you find what works best for you and your baby.

Skin-to-skin contact is essential for all babies, whether breastfeeding or not. Holding your baby close:

• Helps regulate their heart rate and breathing.
• Reduces stress and keeps them calm.
• Encourages early breastfeeding by stimulating their instincts.
• Strengthens bonding between parent and baby.

Colostrum is the first milk your body produces and is packed with protective factors that coat your baby’s gut, reducing the risk of infections and allergies. Babies only need small amounts at first—around a teaspoon per feed on day one.

We encourage starting hand expressing from 37 weeks’ gestation.

Hand Expression

How to hand express?

1. Massage your breast gently to stimulate the milk ducts.
2. Place your thumb and finger in a ‘C’ shape about 2cm from the base of your nipple.
3. Press backwards and compress—avoid sliding your fingers.
4. Once milk appears, release and repeat the rhythm.

Colostrum can vary in colour and thickness. It can be stored in syringes, refrigerated during the day, and frozen within 24 hours for up to 6 months.

Bringing Colostrum to Hospital

Bring frozen colostrum in an insulated bag with an ice pack. Please inform your midwife on arrival so it can be stored in the hospital’s breast milk freezer.

Bring frozen colostrum in an insulated bag with an ice pack. Please inform your midwife on arrival so it can be stored in the hospital’s breast milk freezer.

Positioning and attachment - how your baby feeds

Good attachment ensures efficient milk transfer and prevents sore nipples.

Signs of Good Attachment

✔️ Baby has a wide-open mouth, with their chin touching the breast
✔️ No pain after the initial latch
✔️ Baby’s cheeks are full and round
✔️ Sucking pattern changes from short, rapid sucks to long, drawn-out sucks with pauses

If attachment is poor, your baby may struggle to get milk efficiently, leading to longer or more frequent feeds. Your midwife can support you with positioning to improve comfort and milk transfer.

• Feeding frequency: 8-12 times in 24 hours
• Wet nappies: 1 on day 1, increasing to 5-6 per day by day 5
• Bowel movements:
• Days 1-2: Black, tar-like meconium
• Days 3-4: Green changing stools
• Day 5+: Yellow, soft to watery stools
• Weight gain: Most babies regain birth weight by 2 weeks. If weight loss is over 10%, additional support will be provided.

Meeting your baby’s needs

Newborns seek food, comfort, and reassurance as they adjust to the world. Holding and responding to your baby helps them feel secure, supporting their brain development and emotional well-being.

Breastfeeding is more than just feeding—it provides comfort and bonding. Also, babies cannot be overfed at the breast, and feeding on demand helps to establish your milk supply.

Recognising and Managing Common Breastfeeding Challenges

Many mothers experience changes in their breasts as milk production increases. Some challenges include:

Blocked Ducts

• Symptoms: A tender lump in the breast, which may feel worse before a feed.
• Treatment: Ensure good attachment, frequent feeding, massage, cold compresses, and hand expressing can help.

Mastitis

• Symptoms: Flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, body aches), with redness and swelling in the breast.
• Treatment: Frequent feeding, hand expressing, painkillers if sore, and rest. If symptoms worsen after 24-48 hours, see your GP for antibiotics.
• Do not stop breastfeeding, as this helps clear the infection.

For babies experiencing feeding difficulties that cannot be resolved by your community midwife, we offer a weekly Feeding Clinic led by an IBCLC Lactation Consultant.

📞 To book an appointment, ask your midwife for a referral.

For same-sex couples where both parents are women, we can support the non-birth mother in inducing lactation. This means they may be able to breastfeed their baby alongside the birth mother, even if they have not been pregnant.

If this is something you are interested in, let your midwife know, and they will arrange an antenatal appointment with our IBCLC Lactation Consultant to help you create a personalised plan.

Breastfeeding support is available from:

• Your community midwife or health visitor.
• The Infant Feeding Team (via referral from your midwife)
• Local breastfeeding support groups:

BAMBI Peer Support 

Liverpool BAMBIS:

• Rachel Maudsley, Co-ordinator
• Louise Riley, Peer Support Worker
• Marie Veryard, Peer Support Worker

(Babies & Mums Breastfeeding Information and Support) are a team of peer supporters who offer breastfeeding support and information to pregnant women, breastfeeding mums & their families.

They are available in our Maternity wards and in the community via all 26 of the Liverpool Children's Centres.

* Please note, peer support is delivered by Liverpool Bambis for mothers in the Liverpool area. If you live in another area you may not receive a visit from Bambis, although we do aim to see everyone. You will get excellent care, support and breastfeeding information from all maternity staff. *

• Liverpool Women's Hospital Bambis: 0151 702 4411 – 7 days a week, 9am-5pm (except for 25/12).
• Community Bambis Liverpool: 0151 233 6874 – 7 days a week, 9am-5pm (except bank holidays).
• Out of area breastfeeding support in the community contacts:
• Sefton Breastfeeding Support 0151 291 8010
• Halton Breastfeeding Support 0300 029 0029
• Helens Breastfeeding Support 0174 437 1111
• Knowsley Breastfeeding Buddy 0775 970 8090
• Koala North West (Wirral) 0151 608 8288
• Koala North West (Cheshire West) 0151 608 8288

For additional information visit the Bambis Liverpool Infant Feeding guide. Please, scan the following QR code for access:

For any concerns about feeding, don’t hesitate to ask for help—we are here to support you every step of the way.

As a partner your role is to respond to your baby's need for love, comfort and security. Your support and understanding will help your partner to breastfeed. Women are much more likely to breastfeed for longer when they have their partner's or another person's support. This leads to a greater sense of achievement for mum, and health benefits for both mum and baby.

Things you can do:

• Attend antenatal breastfeeding classes
• Give emotional and practical support
• There are many other ways you can bond with your baby such as bathing baby, skin contact and changing nappies, helping with these things means mum gets a rest

Whether you are bottle-feeding your own expressed breast milk, formula milk, or a combination of both, this information will help you do so as safely as possible.

Combining Breastfeeding and Bottle Feeding

If you are supplementing breastfeeding with formula, it’s important to continue giving as much breast milk as possible to maximise its health benefits. If you would like to return to full breastfeeding at any time, speak to your midwife or health visitor for support.

Why Avoid Giving Formula Supplements to a Breastfeeding Baby?

When babies are learning to breastfeed, it’s important to avoid unnecessary formula supplements. Giving formula can make your baby feel full, reducing their desire to nurse, which can then impact your milk supply. The more your baby breastfeeds, the more milk your body will produce to meet their needs.

However, if your baby requires formula for medical reasons, you can still express your milk and continue breastfeeding to maintain and increase your supply. In hospital, if your baby needs a supplement, it should be given using a feeding cup instead of a bottle and teat. A staff member will show you how to cup-feed safely.

Bottle Feeding and Skin-to-Skin Contact

If you have chosen to bottle-feed, offering your baby their first feed while in skin-to-skin contact can help build a close and loving bond.

-to-skin contact means placing your baby directly onto your bare chest after birth. Holding your baby this way for at least an hour, or until after their first feed, helps to:

• Comfort and calm your baby.
• Regulate their heart rate and breathing.
• Support their transition to life outside the womb.

Skin-to-skin contact isn’t just for the first moments after birth—you can continue to enjoy these special cuddles as often as you like!

Responsive Bottle Feeding

Responsive bottle feeding means following your baby’s hunger and fullness cues, just like with breastfeeding. This helps to build a strong bond, helps babies regulate their intake and reduce the risk of overfeeding.

This is especially helpful for babies who switch between breast and bottle.

• How to practice responsive feeding:
  ✔️ Offer the bottle when your baby shows signs of hunger, such as rooting, sucking on hands, or stirring from sleep.
  ✔️ Hold your baby close and upright, making eye contact while feeding, instead of lying flat.

✔️ Hold the bottle horizontally so that milk flows more slowly, preventing gulping.
✔️ Encourage your baby to suck actively by tipping the bottle just enough to fill the teat with milk.
✔️ Pause frequently (every 20–30 seconds) to allow your baby to rest and recognise when they are full.
✔️ Avoid forcing your baby to finish a bottle—let them stop when they show signs of being full, such as turning away, losing interest, or slowing down.

✔️ Switch sides during the feed to support eye development and avoid a strong preference for one side.

Responsive feeding can help prevent overeating, wind, and discomfort, making feeds a calmer experience for both you and your baby.

Due to health and safety regulations set by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Liverpool Women’s Hospital can no longer store opened bottles of formula milk in a fridge.

• All parents who choose to bottle-feed must bring ‘First Milk Starter Packs’ to the hospital. These can be bought at most supermarkets and contain six single-use, ready-made formula bottles with teats.
• Please do not bring larger bottles of formula, as they cannot be stored safely once opened.
• Expensive brands are not necessarily better than more affordable ones—all infant formulas must meet the same safety and nutritional standards

For more information about this subject, please follow the links:

Simple Guide to Infant Formula

Responsive Bottle Feeding & What Formula to Choose

How to prepare formula (Guide to bottle feed)