Infant Feeding Team
OVERVIEW:
The Infant Feeding Team are available 7 days a week to support with breastfeeding problems. On discharge you will be given our contact details if you require on-going support.
- About Us
The UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative works with healthcare professionals to provide parents with the best support to build close and loving relationships with their baby, and to feed their baby in ways that support optimum health and development.
The Trust was reaccredited as GOLD service in 2020. Our Neonatal Unit is also Baby Friendly accredited.
The Infant Feeding Team are available seven days a week to support with breastfeeding problems. On discharge you will be given our contact details if you require ongoing support.
Part of the role of the team is to provide ongoing training and support to midwives and maternity support staff around infant feeding, as well as write and update guidelines and policies. This means any of the staff are able to answer your questions and you can expect to receive consistent and evidence based support from your community and hospital team throughout your pregnancy and in the early days after having your baby.
We will contact you a couple of days after you have been discharged and we have a dedicated answer machine if you need to chat 01942 778557. We aim to contact you within one working day.
- During Pregnancy
Taking time out to connect with your baby during pregnancy by talking, reading, singing, noticing and responding to movements can help you to start building a bond with your baby. Partners, siblings and other close family members can also start bonding with your baby in these ways.
Bonding and closeness helps to stimulate your baby’s brain and promote cognitive development (such as thinking, remembering and understanding) as well as providing comfort for your baby.
During pregnancy your Community Midwife will talk to you about feeding, caring and comforting your baby in the early days of life. Your Community Midwife can also talk to you about how to hand express and when to try this. Some women will be encouraged to collect and store colostrum (the first form of milk made for your baby) before their baby arrives depending on their care. For more information click here.
Colostrum harvesting/expressing your milk in the antenatal period leaflet
Building a happy baby, a guide for parents
If you have had problems with feeding in previous pregnancies your Midwife can refer you to the Infant Feeding Team for further support.
- After the Birth
At birth you will be supported to spend time with your baby in skin to skin. If you are unable to hold your baby skin to skin we would encourage your partner to do this until you are able. It is important to stimulate your milk supply in the first few hours following birth and at regular intervals to encourage milk production. Your baby may feed very frequently in the early days, this is normal newborn behaviour.
For those mothers who go on to bottle feed, skin contact remains an important way to support the bonding process and therefore offering the first feed in skin contact is encouraged.
If your baby is not with you or does not latch and feed we will encourage and support you to hand express regularly to stimulate your milk supply until your baby is well enough or ready to latch.
- Caring for Your Baby Responsively
Building a close and loving relationship with your baby will help you to tune in to your baby’s needs. Responding to your baby’s cues supports this bond, it is impossible to spoil a baby with love and reassurance.
Feeding your baby offers reassurance, comfort, love and nutrition. You are encouraged to offer a breastfeed when your baby shows signs of hunger, distress or is unsettled. Or if you wish to feed your baby, sit down, cuddle, are going out, have full breasts etc.
The staff can also advise you about responsive bottle feeding. Responding to feeding cues, gently inviting baby to take the teat, pacing feeds and safe preparation of infant formula milk.
We have produced the following skin to skin video.
- Breastfeeding Your Baby
You will receive effective, timely help and information to meet your individual needs (positioning and attachment, hand expression, understanding signs of effective feeding, responsive feeding, etc.).
You will know if your baby is effectively attached if:
- Feeding is pain-free
- Chin indenting breast
- Mouth wide open
- Cheeks full and rounded
- More areola may be visible above top lip
- Rhythmic suck/swallow
You may find whilst trying to establish breastfeeding that you run into problems. Whilst these can be debilitating and painful, thankfully the most common ones can be solved relatively quickly and easily – given the right support.
Unfortunately, too often support is not available or, what is worse, mothers are told that problems such as engorgement and sore nipples are a normal part of breastfeeding. This is not true.
Here, you can read about how different problems develop, how to spot them at a early stage and how to solve them, either by yourself, or with the support of a health professional.
https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/support-for-parents/
If you are having problems with feeding following discharge from hospital, please contact your midwife or the Infant Feeding team on 01942 778557 / 07917580276 or email wwl-tr.maternityinfantfeeding@nhs.net
Following discharge from your midwife you can contact your health visitor or the community infant feeding team by emailing wwl-tr.communityinfantfeeding@nhs.net
The community infant feeding team will contact you by telephone on discharge from hospital, and can provide home visits if required.
- Useful Websites
There are various free breastfeeding support groups around the Borough, and these can be found below:
There are various charities providing mother support who you can also contact for infant feeding support. These are not endorsed by Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust but some of these may incur a cost:
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers: https://abm.me.uk/
Breastfeeding Network (BfN) – including the Drugs in Breastmilk Information Service: https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/
Breastfeeding Together – http://www.breastfeedingtogether.co.uk/
La Leche League: https://www.laleche.org.uk/
National Breastfeeding Helpline (supported by ABM and BfN National Childbirth Trust): https://www.nationalbreastfeedinghelpline.org.uk/