Feeding my baby | Bradford Families and Young Persons

Breast or bottle?

Whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding we have information and support that might help with any issues you may be having.

Breastfeeding

Breast milk is specially made for each individual baby by the mother, for the baby’s need at that time, with all the fluid (drink) and nutrition (food) a baby requires, with ongoing benefits after food is introduced from six months.

Mother’s milk is also packed with amazing antibodies which are really important in building your baby’s immune system. Those antibodies play an essential role in protecting your baby from many illnesses and reducing the risk of some illnesses later in life too.

Breastfeeding has long term health benefits for mum too, as well as reducing environmental waste – it’s good for everyone and the planet!

There may be times when breastfeeding is challenging. Never ignore any issues you may have – talk to your health visitor, midwife, GP or breastfeeding specialist as soon as possible, they will be able to help you sort it out quickly.

I have a question about breastfeeding

Having someone to provide a listening ear and some practical tips to help you along your breastfeeding journey can be really helpful.

Breastfeed Together is our breastfeeding peer support service.

Local trained volunteers provide parent-to-parent support with everyday breastfeeding situations, whatever the age of your baby. You can come along to one of the Breastfeed Together support groups to chat to our peer supporters and other mothers. Groups take place in the community and online. Visit the Breastfeed Together webpage on the NHS website, or find them on Facebook.

The NHS start4life website has lots of helpful information and tips for breastfeeding challenges, from milk supply, sore nipples, reflux, colic and much more.

The Breastfeeding Friend, a digital tool from Start for Life, has lots of useful information and expert advice to share with you – and because it's a digital tool, you can access it 24 /7.

Better Lives Healthy Futures from Bradford NHS trust have a page dedicated to breastfeeding which includes information on common problems and how they might be solved, the protected right to breastfeed in public, the importance of colostrum (the first few drops of milk expressed after birth), links to further resources and more.

Talk to someone now

For confidential breastfeeding information and support, call the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212. Lines are open 9:30am to 9:30pm every day.

Did you know?

That our local family hubs hold regular Breastfeeding together drop-in sessions. Take a look at our family hubs page for more information and a timetable of activities for your family hub area. You will also find information on our health visitor and midwife clinics that are also held there.

Bottle Feeding

If you've decided to bottle feed, you may be worried about what formula to buy, what equipment you'll need and how to get the hang of feeding your baby when everything is so new.

The NHS start4life website can provide you with lots of helpful information and advice on bottle feeding. This includes:

How to make up a feed
How to bottle feed
Bottle feeding challenges

If you have any worries or concerns, the best thing to do is speak to your midwife or health visitor.

Further support for bottle feeding

The NHS website has lots of practical information on bottle feeding.

Have a look The Breastfeeding Network website for advice on introducing a bottle.

Important

Never leave your baby alone to feed with a propped-up bottle as they may choke on the milk.