Breastfeeding advice
Straight answers to the questions I am asked most often, written by an IBCLC lactation consultant and registered midwife. If something here does not answer your question, or you would rather talk it through with someone, get in touch.
Before your baby arrives
Is my baby getting enough?
How do I know my baby is getting enough milk?
The clearest signs your breastfed baby is getting enough come from what comes out, not from how long or often they feed. From around day five, look for at least six heavy wet nappies and two or more soft yellow poos in 24 hours, steady weight gain, and calm feeding with swallowing. Those signs matter far more than the clock.
How often should a newborn feed?
Most newborns feed at least eight times in 24 hours, and often 10 to 12, especially in the early weeks. There is no set schedule. Feed responsively, whenever your baby shows early cues, day and night. A little more or less than this is normal, as long as nappies and weight gain are on track.
Is my milk supply actually low?
Most parents who worry about low supply actually have plenty. Frequent feeding, softer breasts, fussy evenings and low pump yields are usually normal and not signs of low milk. The signs that matter are nappies and weight. If those are on track, your supply is very likely fine. Genuine low supply is uncommon and nearly always has a treatable cause.
Newborn weight loss, what's normal and when to worry
Some early weight loss is normal. A loss of up to about 10% of birth weight is within the usual range, and most babies are back to their birth weight by two to three weeks. A loss of around 8 to 12% usually prompts a feeding plan, and more than 12% needs prompt medical review. Your midwife weighs your baby and guides you.
Supplementary nursing systems, topping up at the breast
A supplementary nursing system is a small container of milk with a fine tube taped alongside your nipple, so your baby gets a top-up while feeding at the breast. It suits babies who need supplementing but are latching, mothers building supply, adoptive and induced lactation, and relactation. It works because the baby's sucking still stimulates your breast. The honest downside is that it is fiddly and takes practice, and it is not the right tool for every situation.
Why is my baby feeding every hour? Cluster feeding explained
Yes, a baby feeding every hour is usually normal cluster feeding, especially in the first few weeks and in the evenings. As long as nappies, weight gain and feeding are reassuring, frequent feeding is very rarely a sign of low supply. It is tiring, but it is normal, and it passes.
Breastfeeding pain
Blocked ducts, what to do about a sore lump in your breast
A blocked duct is a tender, firm area in the breast, usually with no fever. Current advice is gentle care rather than force. Feed as normal, use cold between feeds, take ibuprofen to bring the swelling down, and use light lymphatic sweeping towards the armpit. Do not dig, do not use heat, and do not use an electric toothbrush on it. See your GP if you develop a fever or feel unwell, or if a lump has not gone within a few days.
Breastfeeding pain, why it happens and how to ease it
Breastfeeding should not be painful. Some tenderness in the first few days can be normal, but ongoing nipple or breast pain almost always has a cause that can be found and fixed. The commonest cause by far is a shallow latch. Other causes include engorgement, mastitis, thrush and tongue tie.
Engorgement and mastitis, easing painful and swollen breasts
Painful, swollen or hard breasts are common in the early weeks and usually settle with gentle care: frequent responsive feeding, a good latch, cold compresses between feeds, and paracetamol and ibuprofen. Current advice avoids deep massage and heat. See your GP if you feel unwell with a fever, or the redness spreads, as mastitis can need antibiotics.
Latch and nipple pain, why breastfeeding hurts and how to ease it
Breastfeeding should not be painful beyond some brief early tenderness. Ongoing nipple pain, or cracked, bleeding or misshapen nipples, is a sign the latch needs adjusting. In most of the cases I see, a deeper latch, where the nipple sits right at the back of the mouth, is what fixes it. Thrush, vasospasm and tongue tie are other causes worth checking.
Tongue tie and breastfeeding, signs, assessment and what helps
Tongue tie is common, and so is the label. It only matters if it is genuinely stopping your baby moving their tongue enough to feed. Many babies with a tongue tie feed perfectly well. A proper assessment looks at how your baby actually feeds, not just how the frenulum looks, before deciding whether a release would help.
Vasospasm, when your nipple goes white and burns after a feed
Vasospasm is when the blood vessels in the nipple clamp down after a feed, turning the nipple white, then sometimes blue or red, with burning or throbbing pain. Cold sets it off. Warmth eases it. Cover up and apply dry heat the moment your baby comes off, keep your chest warm, and avoid cold air. It is very often triggered by nipple compression from a shallow latch, so fixing the latch usually fixes the vasospasm.
First few weeks
A sleepy baby who will not wake to feed
Newborns are sleepy, but a baby who will not wake for feeds needs attention rather than admiration. In the first few weeks, wake your baby if it has been more than four hours since the start of the last feed, aiming for at least eight feeds in twenty four hours. Undress them down to the nappy, hold them skin to skin, and hand express a little milk onto their lips. A baby who is getting sleepier rather than more alert, or who is feeding less than they were, needs to be seen the same day.
Breastfeeding twins, how it actually works
Yes, you can make enough milk for two. Supply responds to how much milk is removed, so two babies feeding well build two babies' worth of supply. The hard parts of twins are rarely the milk. They are the early arrival, the time, and the exhaustion. Feeding both at once saves hours a day and is worth learning, usually with a twin feeding pillow and someone to help you position them at first.
Collecting colostrum, your baby's first milk explained
Colostrum is your baby's first milk, thick, golden and rich in antibodies, made in tiny amounts because that is all a newborn needs. Some parents collect it by hand in late pregnancy, from around 36 to 37 weeks and only with their midwife's go-ahead, to have a small store ready in case their baby needs a little extra.
My baby will not latch, what to do next
If your baby will not latch, there are three jobs and they happen in this order. Feed your baby, usually with expressed milk. Protect your supply by expressing every time your baby would have fed, at least eight times in twenty four hours. Then work on the latch calmly, with lots of skin to skin and no pressure at a hungry moment. A baby who will not latch is telling you something, and it is almost always fixable once you know what.
Safe sleep for your baby, the safer sleep basics
Always sleep your baby on their back, in their own clear, flat sleep space in your room for the first six months, on a firm flat mattress with no pillows or soft bedding. Keep your baby smoke free and not too hot, and never sleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair. This follows NHS and Lullaby Trust safer sleep advice.
Skin to skin and the golden hour, why those first moments matter
Skin to skin, holding your baby against your bare chest, steadies their temperature, heart rate and breathing, calms you both and supports feeding. It is especially powerful in the first hour after birth, the golden hour, but it keeps helping through the early weeks, and partners can do it too.
What is jaundice in a newborn, signs, causes and when to get help
Jaundice, a yellow tinge to the skin and eyes, is very common in newborns and usually harmless, appearing around day two to three and fading by about two weeks. Feeding well and often helps clear it. Get urgent help if it appears in the first 24 hours, your baby is very yellow or sleepy and not feeding, or has pale stools or dark urine.
Your first few weeks with a newborn, what to expect
The first weeks are about frequent feeding, lots of skin to skin, plenty of nappies and safe sleep, while you recover too. Newborns feed at least eight to twelve times a day, and that is normal. Watch nappies and weight for reassurance, follow safer sleep advice, and ask for help early with feeding or your own wellbeing.
Feeding after birth
Expressing and bottles
Bottle feeding your baby, doing it safely and responsively
Whether the bottle holds expressed milk or formula, feed responsively: hold your baby close and upright, use a slow-flow teat, pace the feed, and never prop the bottle. Sterilise equipment for the first year, make up formula safely following NHS guidance, and offer the breast first if you are combining breast and bottle.
Expressing milk and bottle feeding, a supportive guide
Expressing and bottle feeding are normal parts of many families' lives, whether with your own milk or formula. You can express by hand, with a manual pump or an electric pump, and give bottles in a slow, baby-led way called paced bottle feeding. Done well, you can combine breast and bottle while protecting your supply.
Hand expressing, manual pump or electric pump, which is right for you
There are three ways to express: by hand, with a manual pump, or with an electric pump. None is best across the board. Hand expression is gentle and always free, a manual pump suits occasional use, and an electric pump suits regular expressing. Getting the flange size right matters most for comfort and how much you collect.
My baby will not take a bottle
Bottle refusal is common and it is rarely about the bottle. Try when your baby is calm rather than very hungry, have someone else offer it while you are out of the room, warm the teat, and let your baby draw it in rather than pushing it. Start a few weeks before you actually need it, and offer little and often rather than in one long battle. If your baby is holding out, a cup or a beaker is a perfectly good alternative.
Paced bottle feeding, a calmer way to give a bottle
Paced bottle feeding is a slow, baby-led way to give a bottle. Hold your baby fairly upright, use a slow-flow teat, keep the bottle level, and let your baby pause and stop when full. It avoids overfeeding, reduces wind and discomfort, and protects breastfeeding if you are combining the two.
Pumping and flange fit, getting the right size so expressing works
If pumping hurts or you collect little, the flange is very often the reason. It should fit so your nipple moves freely in the tunnel without rubbing, with little areola pulled in. Many pumps come with a flange that is too big, and a great many people need a smaller size. Measure your nipple, and re-check, as it can change.
Feeding as your baby grows
Going back to work while breastfeeding
You do not have to stop breastfeeding to go back to work. Most people express once for every feed missed, start practising two to three weeks beforehand, and feed directly morning, evening and overnight. In the UK your employer must provide somewhere to rest, and you should notify them in writing that you are breastfeeding so a risk assessment is done. If expressing at work is not workable, feeding when you are together and giving formula while apart is a perfectly good plan.
How to stop breastfeeding safely and gently
Drop one feed every three to five days, and start with the feed your child cares about least, usually a middle of the day one. Leave the first morning and last evening feeds until the end. Express only enough for comfort, never to empty, or your supply will not get the message. Expect a dip in mood as your hormones shift. If you have to stop suddenly, take ibuprofen, use cold, wear a supportive bra and watch closely for blocked ducts and mastitis.
Introducing solids while you are still breastfeeding
The NHS advises starting solids at around six months. The three readiness signs that matter are sitting up and holding their head steady, coordinating eyes, hands and mouth to get food to themselves, and swallowing food rather than pushing it back out. Milk stays the main source of nutrition until around a year, so offer food after a breastfeed at first, not instead of one. Start allergens early and one at a time once solids are going.
Tandem feeding, breastfeeding through pregnancy and beyond
Tandem feeding is breastfeeding an older child and a new baby at the same time. Feeding through pregnancy is generally considered safe in an uncomplicated pregnancy, though your supply usually drops and your nipples often become sore around the middle months. When the baby arrives, feed the newborn first or give them one side to themselves, because they have no other way of getting milk. Many older children self wean during pregnancy, and that is normal too.
How breastfeeding works
How your baby and your body work together to make breastfeeding work
Breastfeeding is a partnership. The more milk your baby removes, the more your body makes, driven by the hormones prolactin and oxytocin. Your baby signals what they need, even prompting more antibodies when they are unwell. This is why responsive feeding matters, and why you cannot spoil a baby by feeding them.
What is breast milk, the living fluid made just for your baby
Breast milk is a living fluid, not just food. It contains living white cells, antibodies, friendly bacteria, special sugars that feed those bacteria, enzymes, hormones and stem cells. It changes constantly, from colostrum to mature milk, within a single feed, through the day, and even responds when your baby is unwell.
Looking after yourself
How partners and family can support a breastfeeding mum
Partners and family cannot do the feeding, but they can do almost everything else, and that support hugely affects how breastfeeding goes. Bring water and snacks to every feed, take the baby for winding and cuddles, handle the household and night jobs, protect her rest, and watch for signs she is struggling so she gets help early.
Looking after yourself while breastfeeding, eating, drinking and breast care
Looking after yourself helps you and your milk. Eat regularly without a special diet, take a daily vitamin D supplement, drink to thirst, and rest when you can. Care for your breasts, and get to know them, so you notice any lump that does not settle after a feed or after treating mastitis, which should be checked by your GP.
Mum's thumb and carpal tunnel, easing wrist and hand pain after birth
Wrist, thumb and hand pain are very common in new mums, from all the lifting, holding and feeding, plus pregnancy fluid changes. Mum's thumb and carpal tunnel usually settle. Change how you lift your baby, use pillows to take their weight at feeds, rest your wrists, try a splint, and see your GP if symptoms are severe or not improving.
Vitamin D for you and your baby, what to give and when
Every breastfed baby in the UK should have daily vitamin D drops from birth to one year, 8.5 to 10 micrograms a day. This applies whether you breastfeed fully or partly, and whether or not you take vitamin D yourself. Babies having 500ml or more of formula a day do not need drops, as formula is already fortified. You should take 10 micrograms daily while breastfeeding.
When everyone has an opinion about how you feed your baby
Almost everyone gets unasked-for feeding advice, and most of it comes from people who love you and raised babies in a different era. Much of it is outdated but harmless. A few things are genuinely unsafe, including honey before one year, water before six months, and adding cereal to bottles. You are allowed to say no without justifying yourself.
Breastfeeding help
Nipple shields, when they help and how to use them well
A nipple shield is a thin silicone cover worn over the nipple during feeds. Used with support, it can help with latch difficulties, flat or inverted nipples, a premature baby, or very sore nipples as a short-term bridge. Because it can reduce milk transfer for some babies, keep an eye on nappies, weight and supply, and get help to use one well.
Oversupply and a fast let-down, too much milk and how to manage it
Too much milk and a fast let-down can leave you sore and leaking, and make your baby gulp, splutter and pull off. It usually settles as your supply regulates. Laid-back feeding, one breast per feed and gentle self-care help. Change breast pads often to protect your skin, and get help before recurrent blocked ducts or mastitis set in.
Local support
Feeding support, tailored to you and your baby
These articles are general information, not a substitute for personalised support. If something doesn't feel right, book a consultation or get in touch.
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