- Feeding Your Newborn
Babies are born to have their mother's milk, and so obviously this website provides information about how a brand mum to be should approach breastfeeding her new baby for the first time.
Here is a link to information on breastfeeding your newborn baby
However we are aware that newborn breastfeeding information is available in much of the literature given to expectant mums whereas bottlefeeding is rarely covered, and so we are including here some of the things an expectant mother might want to know about feeding her baby with infant formula, though we will intersperse this information with some facts about the benefits of even a day of breastfeeding, for a baby.
We do appreciate that for some mothers it is simply not possible to breastfeed, and so for those mothers we provide a link HERE straight to the formula feeding information, so that they are able to read the material about formula feeding from the outset without reading the information designed to encourage mums who have CHOSEN to formula feed to just think about giving one feed or one day's feeds, or whatever, at the breast.
Just one feed can give your baby colostrum, which helps them to get rid of any meconium in their bowel, and begins to line the delicate, porous gut. This will massively help to reduce the chance of them developing allergies and atopic disease.
If baby is born in hospital and you have chosen to formula feed then you will usually be offered a choice of a couple of name-brand formulas to use, though not necessarily the one you would have chosen for yourself - see the information on 'which formula?' to the right. We suggest you speak to the hospital beforehand and find out whether the brand you would want is provided there, and if not take a supply in with you. In this case you will also need the paraphenalia that goes with it - bottles, teats, and a steriliser if the ward don't have one.
Some hospitals no longer provide formula for healthy babies as they see this as a way of encouraging breastfeeding, so if your hospital is one of these you will obviously need to take your own formula in too.
If this applies to you, or if your baby is born at home then it's worth knowing that it is easier to plan ahead and buy ready-to-use formula in small cartons or ready-to-drink bottles, and, as this is a sterile product, it is also much safer for a newborn baby than making up feeds from powder which is known to be contaminated with salmonella, E-coli and E.Sakazakii.
Bottle-fed babies should be fed a whey-based milk to start with - see our comparison of the main UK brands
If you are using your own bottles rather than ready-to-use bottles, it's important to familiarise yourself with the guidelines on safe preparation of the formula, and the instructions on how to sterilise the bottles and teats.
At first your newborn may not take much more than 2fl oz (60ml) of milk at each feed.
They may fare better with a prem teat rather than the standard newborn teat which will look enormous next to baby.
Colic doesn't normally start straight away, it usually doesn't show up until at least week 2, but just in case here is some information you may find useful.
