First 12 Months

Feeding Your Newborn

Before your baby is born, find out as much as you can about both breast feeding and bottle feeding. Breast feeding is best, as your milk provides all the nutrients you baby needs, as well as helping you get back into your pre-pregnancy shape. Talk to your healthcare professional and chat to your mum and other new mums about their baby feeding experiences to really find out about your feeding options.

No matter how you choose to feed your baby, feeding is one of the most intimate and satisfying elements of being a new mum.

Nestled up together, you and your baby will really get to know each other – and the first time your baby looks adoringly at you during a feed, your heart will do a double somersault!

If you’ve got a question about feeding your baby, would like a bit more information about feeding, or you’d like one of our very helpful leaflets, contact our specially-trained team of mums at the SMA Careline* on 0845 776 2900 in the UK or 1800 931 832 in ROI. SMA Nutrition* has over 80 years of experience of feeding babies and infant nutrition and we’re only too happy to share our expertise and skills.

Click here for more information on breast feeding and click here for more information on bottle feeding.

“Is there a ‘proper’ way to wind my baby?”

It’s important to ‘wind’ or ‘burp’ your baby at the end of every feed – or during a feed - to make sure there are no pockets of air in her little tummy, which can make her quite uncomfortable.

There are two positions commonly used for winding or burping a baby: over your shoulder or with her sitting up on your lap, making sure she’s well supported.

Choose whichever position is comfortable for you and then rub your baby’s back gently. Take your time – it might take a little while for all that wind to come up. If nothing happens, resume the feed.

And remember that your baby might bring up some milk, so always have a cloth handy to protect your clothes.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Breast feeding is best for babies. Infant milks are intended to replace breast milk when mothers do not breast feed. Good maternal nutrition is important for the preparation and maintenance of breast feeding. Introducing partial bottle feeding may have a negative effect on breast feeding and reversing a decision not to breast feed is difficult. You should always seek the advice of a doctor, midwife, health visitor, public health nurse, dietitian or pharmacist on the need for and proper method of use of infant milks and on all matters of infant feeding. Infant milk should always be prepared and used as directed. Unnecessary or improper use of infant milk may present a health hazard. Social and financial implications should be considered when selecting a method of infant feeding.

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