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90 4.1 Milk Feeding
Thawing frozen breast milk Introducing a cup or beaker
Frozen breast milk should only be defrosted in the
fridge and then used within 24 hours. It should not Infants can learn to drink from a cup from the time
be re-frozen once it has begun to thaw. A microwave they are capable of sitting (around 5–6 months).
oven should not be used to warm or defrost breast Many infants are never bottlefed as they go directly
milk. from breastfeeding to taking milk from a cup.
Continuing Breastfeeding when Nutritional Needs for
Returning to Work Breastfeeding Mothers
Mothers returning to work after giving birth can Although requirements for some nutrients are
consider continuing breastfeeding by: increased during lactation, eating a healthy balanced
diet based on the five food groups as for during
●● expressing milk so that someone else can feed pregnancy (see Table 3.2.1 page 64) will usually
her infant while she is away ensure nutritional requirements are met, except for
vitamin D – a daily supplement of 10 µg vitamin D is
●● finding childcare close to her work and recommended (Department of Health 1991).
arranging to breastfeed during breaks in her
work day Pregnancy and breastfeeding are times when
families are often well motivated to adapt their
●● asking her employer for flexible hours around lifestyles and change to healthier eating habits.
breastfeeding; employers now have a duty to
consider such requests The nutritional quality of breast milk is only
affected by the mother’s diet if she is undernourished.
●● asking her employer for support and logistics to Strict dieting regimes with restricted food choices in
express and store her milk while she is at work. order to lose weight while breastfeeding are not
The Workplace Regulations and Approved appropriate. Undernourished women and those on
Code of Practice require employers to provide very restrictive diets may require some extra
suitable facilities for pregnant and breastfeeding nutrient supplementation. Vegan mothers who are
mothers to rest. breastfeeding need to plan their diets well and may
need additional supplements of calcium and vitamin
Information on the rights of mothers returning to B12 in addition to vitamin D.
work is available on the Maternity Alliance website
(www.maternityalliance.co.uk). Foods to limit
Infants reluctant to take a bottle Oily fish and large fish should be limited as for
pregnancy (see Chapter 3.2, page 71).
An infant who steadfastly refuses a bottle from his
or her mother may be more likely to take it from Alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream
someone else when the mother is not around. and passes into breast milk. The highest level of
However, for infants who refuse any bottle the alcohol in milk will occur between 30 and 90
following may work: minutes after ingesting alcohol. Breastfeeding
mothers who choose to drink alcohol should not
●● trying a different teat ingest alcohol for about two hours before
breastfeeding and should keep alcohol intake to a
●● running the teat under warm water to raise it to minimum (e.g. one or two units once or twice a
body temperature week). Regular or binge drinking should be avoided.
●● breast milk given in a cup or beaker or on a Caffeine in tea, coffee, chocolate and energy
teaspoon drinks does not need to be avoided but some
mothers find large amounts of caffeine unsettle
●● wrapping something that smells of the mother their baby.
around the bottle or cup.
