Bottle feeding
Skin to skin
Skin to skin is a really important part of bonding with your baby. Immediately after birth, your baby should be place on their front between your breasts, dried off so they don’t get cold. They should be naked with a hat on and covered with a blanket or towel from their shoulders down. It’s important to ensure that their head is turned to the side so they can breath well. Ideally, your baby should be left in this position for at least an hour after birth.
Skin to skin gives you both a little time to recover from the birth as well as helping to regulate your baby’s heart rate, breathing , temperature and blood sugar.
Your baby is in just the right place for their feed, even if you are formula feeding try and give your baby their first feed skin to skin. Skin to skin is not just for after the birth, if your baby is a little sleepy or distressed skin to skin helps to calm them.
Responsive bottle feeding
Feed your baby responsively - waiting for the feeding cues (see page 16 on your postnatal care plan)
Hold your baby close when you are feeding them and look into their eyes, talk to your baby while they feed.
Limit the number of people who feed your baby, ideally it should just be you and one other person.
Paced bottle feeding
When bottle feeding your baby, it's important to pace the feed so that the baby is in control of the flow of milk.
- Hold the bottle horizontally (or just slightly tipped) in order for the baby to control the flow of milk.
- Invite your baby to take the teat into their mouth by stroking their top lip with the teat.
- Hold your baby semi-upright.
- Follow your baby’s cues for when they need a break - splayed fingers and toes, milk spilling out of the side of their mouth, not sucking, turning their head away. If this happens lower the teat in their mouth so the flow ceases or remove the teat, if that appears to be what your baby needs.
- Avoid forcing your baby to complete the feed.
Equipment
- Bottles with teats - try to find ones that are easy to clean.
- Bottle and teat brush.
- Sterilising equipment.
- Formula milk powder or ready to feed liquid formula.
Further Information
- UNICEF - Guide to bottle feeding
- Start for life guide to bottle feeding - independent up to date information about formula milk
- First Steps nutrition - practical help and information about infant formula in the UK
