Breastfeeding - Better Lives Healthy Futures

It may take time for you both to get used to breastfeeding and it can be different for every woman.

It’s important to ask for support if you’re struggling. There are lots of people who can assist – and having a supportive friend can help you feel more prepared and get off to a good start.

When your baby is born they may need to rest close to you before feeling ready to latch on and start feeding. The midwives will help you to hand express small drops of your colostrum (first milk) to give to your baby until your baby is ready to suckle.

Your colostrum is full of special antibodies to help protect your baby’s health and develop their immune system. Giving the first feed of your colostrum is very beneficial to your baby.

The links and resources at the bottom of this page will help you get off to the best start when breastfeeding and support you and your baby along your journey. A mother is totally capable of making enough milk for as many babies as she has and there are lots of resources on breastfeeding twins or multiples. It is really good to talk to other mums who have breastfed twins or more.

However you feed your baby, they will benefit greatly from the calming effect of skin-to-skin contact after birth and at any time after. It feels good for you and your baby – Dads can also enjoy skin-to-skin.

If you’re separated from your baby for any reason, having skin-to-skin once you’re able to be together, is an important part of getting to know your baby and calming your baby, both of which benefit feeding. Your partner can also offer skin-to-skin for your baby if you are not feeling able to do this for any reason.

Breastfeeding in public

Breastfeeding in public is protected by law. It’s your right to breastfeed anywhere you and your baby would like to. Having the confidence to breastfeed wherever you are, can help you to continue breastfeeding for as long as you wish to. Some places such as local shopping centres may have a private breastfeeding area. If you feel anxious, you may have a friend who is confident to go out with you so you gain confidence breastfeeding out and about – here, there and everywhere!

Did you know?

Contact

If you need support with feeding, call our on-duty Health Visitor Mon-Fri 9.00am-5.00pm on 01274 221223.

For more support lines and resources scroll to the ‘further information’ section at the bottom of this page.

Further information

Breastfeeding in Bradford - useful contacts

Find all the key contacts you may need on your breastfeeding journey here, including your maternity services, health visiting services, peer support groups and national help lines.

Breastfeeding first days

There’s a lot to think about when it comes to breastfeeding such as skin-to-skin, colostrum (your first milk), frequency of feeding and building up your milk supply. This page offers information for the early days.

First birth feed

All mums have different birth experiences. Find out why skin-to-skin is so important and about breastfeeding for the first time.

Problems breastfeeding

Breastfeeding isn’t always straight forward so it’s important to know about what problems can arise and how to get help and support for them. This page offers information on lots of common problems and advice on how to help.

Expressing breast milk

There may be times that you need or want to express your breastmilk, even if you have chosen not to breastfeed but want to hand express some colostrum before you move to bottle feeding. This page helps talk you through expressing.

Hand expression video

Hand expressing can be useful whether you have chosen to breast or bottle feed. This page has a really useful video showing you how to hand express and talks about when it might be useful.

Baby Buddy app

This free mobile app gives you easy access to evidence-based information on range of areas, during pregnancy and the early stages of parenting.

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM)

The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM) offers lots of useful guidance on breastfeeding, including mums with twins or more.

Better Start Bradford

Better Start Bradford work with families to give children the best possible start in life in Bowling and Bakerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton through a range of innovative projects to support them through pregnancy and the earliest years of their children’s lives.

Breastfeeding and Returning to Work

The longer you breastfeed, the greater the health benefits for you and your baby. If you're thinking of going back to work or study whilst breastfeeding, the NHS website has some helpful information