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The first weeks 10 VITAMIN D Vitamin D supplements are recommended for all breastfeeding mothers as it is difficult to get enough from food. Vitamin D is also made by the skin when it is exposed to summer sunlight between April and September. Ask your GP or health visitor where to get vitamin D supplements. Babies love to breastfeed. They usually come off by themselves when they have had enough. If you stop breastfeeding, it can be difficult to re-start. Giving formula milk to a breastfed baby can decrease your supply of breast milk. Your breast milk is perfect for your baby and adapts to meet your baby’s changing needs. Most babies need no other food or drink until they are about six months old. YOUR DIET A healthy, well-balanced diet is important for you and your family’s health and means eating a variety of foods from the five main food groups (see pages 74-75). Don’t go for long periods without food or snatching a snack, as this can just leave you feeling tired. If you have an allergic reaction to certain foods, check with your health visitor before omitting any food from your diet. You should avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin and limit oily fish to two servings a week. Small amounts of caffeine and alcohol pass into breast milk. So keep your intake of tea, coffee, cola and alcohol low, as they may affect your baby’s feeding, sleeping or digestion. Stick to no more than one or two units of alcohol once or twice a week, and avoid drinking alcohol before you feed your baby. Or you may decide not to drink alcohol at all. Some ideas for healthy foods You could try: ● Sandwiches or pitta bread filled with salad vegetables, grated cheese, mashed salmon or sardine or cold meat. ● Yoghurts and fromage frais. ● Hummus and bread or vegetable sticks. ● Ready-to-eat apricots, figs or prunes. ● Vegetable and bean soups. ● Fortified unsweetened breakfast cereals, muesli and other wholegrain cereals with milk. ● Milky drinks or unsweetened fruit juices. ● Fresh fruit. ● Baked beans on toast or baked potato. HOW OFTEN, HOW LONG? Some babies settle into a pattern of feeding quite quickly. Others take longer. In the early weeks, you may find that your baby’s feeds are sometimes long, sometimes short, sometimes close together, and sometimes further apart. Try to follow what your baby tells you. Feed when your baby asks to be fed, and for as long as your baby wants. Once you’ve put your baby to your breast, let the feed go on until your baby wants to stop. Your baby will show that he or she has finished by either letting go of your breast or falling asleep. Most mothers then offer the other breast after a short break.
The first weeks Allow your baby to decide when he or she has had enough. Both breasts might not always be wanted at each feed. Your baby will show that he or she has finished by either letting go of your breast or falling asleep. Start each feed on the breast that was offered second at the previous feed. If you feed as often and for as long as your baby wants, you’ll produce plenty of milk and give your baby what he or she needs. At first, it may seem that you’re doing nothing but feeding and changing nappies. Remember that this stage will not last very long. Young babies take longer to feed. As babies get older, the feeding time gets shorter. Growth spurts may also affect your baby’s feeding patterns. Babies have growth spurts at approximately ten days, six weeks and three months. Your baby may feed more frequently at these times, until your milk supply increases to meet the bigger demand. TWINS, TRIPLETS OR MORE Twins, triplets or more multiples can be breastfed successfully. It may help to start feeding each of your babies separately until feeding is well established. You may need help putting your babies to the breast at the start, but once you have learned how to position and attach one baby at a time, you may wish to encourage twins to feed at the same time. If you breastfeed two babies together, you will not only save time, but also produce more milk, though you may have to wake one baby up to keep them feeding together. For more information about twins (or more), turn to page 29. HUNGER OR THIRST? Breast milk is drink and food in one. If the weather is hot, your baby may want to feed more often. There’s no need to give your baby drinks of water, even in a very hot climate. HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? You may wonder whether your baby is getting enough. If you feed as frequently and for as long as your baby wants, you’ll find that your baby will stop feeding when he or she is full-up. You can be sure your baby is getting enough milk if he or she: • has plenty of wet nappies each day and is having nothing but breast milk; • is growing and generally gaining weight – some babies gain weight steadily, other perfectly healthy babies gain little or no weight one week, then feed more often and make up for it over the next week or two (see pages 37–8); • is awake and alert for some of the time. If you notice that your baby isn’t growing in length or generally gaining weight, and is very sleepy or lethargic with no alert times, then he or she may not be getting enough milk. Persistent green stools may also be an indication that your baby is not getting enough milk. Always make sure that your baby feeds fully on one breast before offering the other breast. If you are concerned, talk to your midwife or health visitor. Night feeds are important. A small baby can receive as much milk at night as during the day, and night feeds encourage the body to make more of the hormone that produces breast milk. When your baby is small it’s important for night feeds to continue. If your baby seems unusually sleepy and is slow to start feeding, he or she may be ill, so contact your GP. For information and advice about breastfeeding please ask your midwife, health visitor or GP. You can also contact one of the following voluntary organisations’ helplines: La Lèche League 0845 120 2918 National Childbirth Trust 0870 444 870 Breastfeeding Network 0870 900 8787 Association of Breastfeeding Mothers 0870 401 77 11 You can also visit the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) website: www.breastfedbabies.org The Feeding your baby leaflet and Off to a good start booklet, published by the HPA, are other useful sources of information. 11
Page 1 and 2: Birth five to This book gives you a
Page 3 and 4: Birth five to Your complete guide t
Page 5 and 6: 1 The first weeks There’s somethi
Page 7 and 8: The first weeks SCREENING AT A GLAN
Page 9 and 10: The first weeks B REASTFEEDING Brea
Page 11: The first weeks 2 Be patient… Sta
Page 15 and 16: The first weeks USING BREAST PUMPS
Page 17 and 18: The first weeks STERILISING All the
Page 19 and 20: The first weeks Follow the manufact
Page 21 and 22: The first weeks S LEEPING Some babi
Page 23 and 24: The first weeks room is too hot.
Page 25 and 26: The first weeks If you’re finding
Page 27 and 28: The first weeks NAPPY RASH Most bab
Page 29 and 30: The first weeks WASHING AND BATHING
Page 31 and 32: The first weeks T WINS ( OR MORE) P
Page 33 and 34: YEARS MONTHS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2
Page 35 and 36: How your child will grow • Walk o
Page 37 and 38: How your child will grow BRUSHING Y
Page 39 and 40: How your child will grow HEIGHT AND
Page 41 and 42: How your child will grow You should
Page 43 and 44: 3 Learning and playing What we call
Page 45 and 46: Learning and playing I DEAS FOR PLA
Page 47 and 48: Learning and playing H OW TO MAKE S
Page 49 and 50: Learning and playing TRANSITION FRO
Page 51 and 52: Learning and playing MAKING CHILDCA
Page 53 and 54: 4 Habits and behaviour There are so
Page 55 and 56: Habits and behaviour PROBLEMS WITH
Page 57 and 58: Habits and behaviour • By twelve
Page 59 and 60: Habits and behaviour A NEW BABY IN
Page 61 and 62: Habits and behaviour • Sometimes
Page 63 and 64:
Habits and behaviour time he or she
Page 65 and 66:
Habits and behaviour out to buy one
Page 67 and 68:
5 Feeding your child Food is one of
Page 69 and 70:
Feeding your child - push the bowl
Page 71 and 72:
Feeding your child ALLERGIES Babies
Page 73 and 74:
sensible for adults, but not for ba
Page 75 and 76:
Feeding your child • Squashes, fi
Page 77 and 78:
Feeding your child FAMILY F OOD For
Page 79 and 80:
Feeding your child ‘When you go s
Page 81 and 82:
Feeding your child Types of vegetar
Page 83 and 84:
Feeding your child • Fruit and ve
Page 85 and 86:
Feeding your child F OOD SAFETY You
Page 87 and 88:
Feeding your child • If your chil
Page 89 and 90:
6 Illness and accidents Every child
Page 91 and 92:
Illness and accidents ● ● out-o
Page 93 and 94:
Illness and accidents smoking or en
Page 95 and 96:
Illness and accidents D IARRHOEA YO
Page 97 and 98:
Illness and accidents ● ● ●
Page 99 and 100:
Illness and accidents Alternative t
Page 101 and 102:
Illness and accidents After these m
Page 103 and 104:
Illness and accidents ILLNESS INFEC
Page 105 and 106:
Illness and accidents practice nurs
Page 107 and 108:
Illness and accidents swelling wher
Page 109 and 110:
ecome a carrier and develop serious
Page 111 and 112:
Illness and accidents ❑ ❑ ❑
Page 113 and 114:
Illness and accidents ● ● ●
Page 115 and 116:
Illness and accidents IF YOUR CHILD
Page 117 and 118:
Illness and accidents at the knee a
Page 119 and 120:
Illness and accidents THINGS STUCK
Page 121 and 122:
Illness and accidents W HEN A CHILD
Page 123 and 124:
Your own life P HYSICAL PROBLEMS A
Page 125 and 126:
Your own life visitor about other l
Page 127 and 128:
Your own life Stress also comes fro
Page 129 and 130:
Your own life • Share the housewo
Page 131 and 132:
Your own life • Suggest a regular
Page 133 and 134:
8 Your services There is a wide ran
Page 135 and 136:
Your services H OW TO CHANGE YOUR G
Page 137 and 138:
make. The money cannot be taken out
Page 139 and 140:
Your rights and benefits of childca
Page 141 and 142:
Your rights and benefits child’s
Page 143 and 144:
Your rights and benefits Anything e
Page 145 and 146:
Your rights and benefits Who gets t
Page 147 and 148:
Your rights and benefits HOUSING BE
Page 149 and 150:
USEFUL ORGANISATIONS Some of these
Page 151 and 152:
Council for Disabled Children 8 Wak
Page 153 and 154:
INDEX A accidents 108-18 additives
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