Feeding & Nutrition

Breast milk is important for all babies and is even more important for sick or premature babies.  Breast milk has many benefits. It helps to boost your baby’s immune system, protect them from infections and help them grow. Babies in the neonatal unit who are fed breast milk are also more likely to come home from hospital earlier.

Giving your premature or sick baby breast milk is one of the most important things you can do for them. Although it can be challenging, many parents find expressing a positive and comforting thing and something only they can do for their baby.

Yes! Colostrum is the name of the milk that mothers produce in small amounts from mid-pregnancy and during the first few days after birth. Most mothers make just drops at first, but precious drops help your baby in many ways. It is more like a medicine than a food for your baby.

In full-term, uncomplicated births, babies begin to breastfeed within minutes after birth. Breastfed babies also feed frequently throughout the day and night. If your baby can't breastfeed because they are unwell or premature, expressing your milk as soon as possible after birth (within 2 hrs) and at least 8-10 times a day (including once at night) encourages a good milk supply in the early days and beyond.

Even if you haven’t yet decided how to feed your baby, we will encourage and support you to express (collect) your milk as soon as possible after delivery. You can do this using a pump ( Ardo Carrum ) ( Medela Symphony )or by  hand.

Hand expressing is a useful skill to learn especially in the early days. We will show you how to collect your colostrum which can be given straight to your baby. We also know that the sooner and more often you use the breast pump in the first days after birth, and the more support you have, the more likely you will be to make plenty of milk.

Expressed breast milk (EBM) is best given to your baby as soon as possible after expressing. If you need to store your EBM you can store it in the fridge or the freezer. It is best transported to and from the Neonatal Unit in a cooler bag with ice packs. Please speak to staff in the Neonatal Unit about how to safely store and transport your EBM. 

If your baby needs more milk than you are producing (usually in the early days)  or you can't express milk, donor breast milk can be given (see leaflet at the end of this page). However, with help and support your milk volumes should increase. 

Kangaroo Care is skin-to-skin contact when a baby is placed against the parent’s chest. For your baby, you matter the most. Knowing that you are close, being skin-to-skin and hearing your voice will release a hormone called oxytocin, which is important for your baby’s brain development.

 Kangaroo Care/ Skin to skin has many more benefits including:

• Improvements in milk production and establishing breastfeeding
• Better sleep
• More stable body temperature, heart rate and oxygen level
• Improved weight gain for the baby
• IImproved bonding and can help parents to feel closer to their babies and more confident in caring for them.
• Protection from infection

Your baby may be fed using a tube whilst they are on the Neonatal Unit. During tube feeding , breast milk or formula is given through a tube passed into your baby’s nose or mouth to their stomach. Staff on the neonatal unit will encourage you to be as involved as possible in the care of your baby. If you feel comfortable doing so, they should show you and your partner how to give tube feeds.

Long before they are ready to feed, babies in the Neonatal Unit will benefit from Non-Nutritive Sucking (see leaflet at the bottom of this page). Non-nutritive sucking is the term used to describe a baby sucking on a finger, a dummy or an empty breast without getting any nutrition. The way babies suck on a dummy or finger is different to the suck they use for a milk feed on the breast or bottle. There is strong evidence to suggest that for babies born prematurely, offering non-nutritive sucking on a dummy can:

• Help your baby settle and calm themselves so that they use less energy and can grow a little faster.
• Support the development and co-ordination of normal sucking patterns, which may result in earlier oral feeding, less reliance on tube feeding & potentially earlier discharge dates.
• Establish the relationship between sucking and feeling full.
• Soothe during procedures or tests by decreasing a stress response.
• Stimulate the stomach so that food is digested more easily, leading to faster growth.

Long before they are ready to feed, babies in the Neonatal Unit will benefit from Non-Nutritive Sucking (see leaflet at the bottom of this page). Non-nutritive sucking is the term used to describe a baby sucking on a finger, a dummy or an empty breast without getting any nutrition. The way babies suck on a dummy or finger is different to the suck they use for a milk feed on the breast or bottle. There is strong evidence to suggest that for babies born prematurely, offering non-nutritive sucking on a dummy can:

• H elp your baby settle and calm themselves so they use less energy and can grow faster.
• Support the development and coordination of normal sucking patterns, which may result in earlier oral feeding, less reliance on tube feeding & potentially earlier discharge dates.
• Establish the relationship between sucking and feeling full.
• Soothe during procedures or tests by decreasing a stress response.
• Stimulate the stomach so food is digested more easily, leading to faster growth.

As your baby grows and becomes stronger, they will show you that they are ready to feed by mouth. For many babies, this will be when they are around 33-34 weeks gestation, but this is very individual to your baby and their condition. Your baby will need to learn how to suck, swallow and breathe altogether and so it is important to be patient and follow your baby’s cues. 

Babies don’t need to be taught how to feed, their feeding skills develop over time.  Supporting your baby’s feeding journey will help you and your baby develop a close loving relationship. Try to be with your baby as often as you can, learn to recognise feeding cues & stress signs and how to respond to your baby. Take time to discuss your baby’s feeding journey with staff in the Neonatal Unit.

Breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed your baby and feeding your baby directly from the breast has lots of benefits for you and your baby. If you choose to breastfeed we will encourage and support you and your baby to do so.

Sometimes parents choose to bottle feed their baby in the Neonatal Unit. You can bottle-feed expressed breast milk or formula or a combination of both. It is recommended that breastfeeding is fully established before introducing a bottle as this can sometimes interfere with breastfeeding. It is important to talk to the Neonatal Staff about how best to feed your baby.