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88 4.1 Milk Feeding
●● Mothers may need to adapt their lifestyle to Whichever method is chosen it is important that:
allow more time for feeding. Help with their
household tasks and looking after other children ●● the mother washes her hands thoroughly before
may encourage some mothers to be more relaxed she starts
about the time taken for breastfeeding.
●● all containers, bottles and pump pieces are
Tongue-tie washed in hot soapy water and sterilized before
use.
On occasions an infant with a marked tongue-tie
may experience difficulty with breastfeeding. This Milk can be expressed from one breast for around
can be resolved with minor surgery. five minutes or until the supply slows down or
appears to stop. Milk can then be expressed from
Mixed Breast and Formula the other breast. Then the mother can go back to
Feeding the first breast and start again. Expressing from
alternative breasts can continue until the milk
Introducing any formula milk is likely to decrease an stops or drips very slowly.
infant’s breast milk intake and subsequently the
mother’s supply of breast milk. If a mother has chosen If there are problems beginning, the following
to supplement with formula milk, one feed per day at may help the milk to flow:
a specific time will have less effect on her supply of
breast milk than topping up with formula milk after ●● the mother should be comfortable and as relaxed
every breastfeed. as possible – sitting in a quiet room with a warm
drink may help
Expressing Breast Milk
●● if possible, skin-to-skin contact with the infant
NICE recommends that all mothers are taught to
hand express their breast milk (NICE 2008b). It ●● having her infant close by or having a
may be necessary to express breast milk if: photograph of the infant to look at or being able
to smell the infant’s scent (e.g. on a baby blanket
●● the mother needs help to attach her infant to a or garment)
full breast
●● having a warm bath or shower prior to
●● the mother’s breasts feel full and uncomfortable expressing, or applying warm flannels to her
breast
●● the infant is too small or sick to breastfeed
●● light, gentle massage of the breast by the mother
●● the mother needs to be away from her infant for using her fingertips or by rolling her closed fist
long periods of time such as social engagements over her breast towards the nipple. She should
or returning to work work around the whole breast, including
underneath. She should not slide her fingers
●● the mother requires surgery along her breast as this can damage the skin.
●● the mother chooses to bottlefeed her infant After massaging, light stimulation of the nipple
with her own expressed milk rather than between her first finger and thumb encourages the
breastfeeding. release of hormones which stimulate the breast to
produce and release the milk.
There are three main methods of expressing breast
milk: As mothers get used to expressing their milk,
they will find that they do not need to prepare so
●● hand expression carefully. Just like breastfeeding, it gets easier as
time goes by.
●● using a hand pump
Hand expressing is free and convenient and is
●● using an electric pump/battery pump. particularly useful if a mother needs to relieve an
uncomfortable breast. The best way to learn is to
