Feeding your baby
BREASTFEEDING
At John Flynn Private Hospital it is our aim to provide you with optimum care and support in breastfeeding your baby. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months of your infants' life and a complementary diet of food and breast milk from six months to past the second year. Breastfeeding can also continue if you are planning to return to work outside of the home.
John Flynn is an accredited BFHI hospital, and follow their framework that helps to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. The Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) is a joint World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF project that aims to create a healthcare environment where breastfeeding is the norm, and practices known to promote the well-being of all mothers and infants are promoted.
Our hospital staff support breastfeeding and our Breastfeeding Policy supports and protects you and your baby as you gain confidence during your hospital stay and when you go home.
Our Breastfeeding Policy is based on the W.H.O. Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding:
- John Flynn Private Hospital has a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all healthcare staff.
- John Flynn Private Hospital trains all healthcare staff in the skills necessary to implement this policy.
- John Flynn Maternity Unit staff inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
- John Flynn Maternity Unit staff place babies in skin-to-skin contact with their mothers immediately following birth for at least an hour and encourage mothers to recognise when their babies are ready to breastfeed, offering help if needed.
- John Flynn Maternity Unit staff show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they are separated from their infants.
- John Flynn Maternity Unit staff give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
- John Flynn Maternity Unit practises rooming-in; allowing mothers and infants to stay together 24 hours a day.
- John Flynn Maternity Unit encourages breastfeeding on demand.
- John Flynn Maternity Unit staff give no artificial teats or dummies (pacifiers or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.
- John Flynn Maternity Unit staff foster the establishment of breastfeeding support and refer mothers on discharge from the facility.
If you would like to see the full breastfeeding policy, please contact the Maternity Unit on (07) 5598 9040.
Advantages of Breastfeeding:
For Mother:
- Bonding
- Health benefits
- Uses up maternal fat stores
- Minimises bleeding after birth, delay in the onset of menstruation
- May lead to stronger bones and less osteoporosis
- Reduced risk of cancers
For Baby:
- Easier to digest than other forms of milk
- Breast milk changes over days, weeks, months and years to meet baby’s changing nutritional, immunological and developmental needs
- Food allergies rarer and less severe
- Better jaw development
- Higher IQ scores
- Long term health benefits
- Reduced gastric problems
- Reduced hospital admissions
For the Family:
- A healthier baby means reduced costs in Doctor’s visits and medicine
- Cheap compared to artificially feeding
- Safe and convenient
In Hospital:
All our maternity staff are trained to assist with breastfeeding and as soon as your baby is born (either vaginal or caesarean birth) we will immediately place your baby onto your chest to assist in establishing instinctive breastfeeding behaviours. This uninterrupted skin-to-skin time is important in assisting in the early establishment of breastfeeding. It also enables you to recognise early feeding cues, promotes bonding between you and your baby and helps to calm your baby. Typically, after the first cry, your baby will generally lie still and relaxed for a while, then it will become more active with open eyes and put their fist into their mouth as well as reaching out for the nipple. Your baby will often gaze into your face and eyes during this stage and then begin to crawl towards the breast where their mouth will gape widely, grasp the nipple and begin to suckle.
Correct breast attachment and positioning of your baby are vital to avoid problems. Breastfeeding should not hurt. There may be some initial discomfort, a 'drawing sensation', but this should ease quickly. Education and supervision of initial feeds is an important feature of our postnatal care.
The key to beginning, and continued milk production, is demand feeding and adequate removal of milk from the breast. Once the milk has 'come in' the breasts decide how much milk needs to be made for your baby according to how much has been removed, so supply equals demand. We recommend that your baby has unlimited access to breastfeeds right from birth according to their individual needs. This will help establish a good milk supply and is why 24-hour rooming-in (staying close to your baby) is so important.
For the first few days your baby may sleep long periods or may be wakeful and need lots of feeds. The frequency of feeds will depend on your baby.
Our policy is not to initiate the use of artificial teats for breastfeeding babies where possible. The sucking action required for dummies and/or artificial teats, and that required for breastfeeding varies significantly and can be confusing for your baby. In addition, dummies can sometimes mask hunger signs in your baby meaning you may miss those important opportunities to feed your baby and establish your milk supply.
After discharge:
Some mothers are concerned about the idea of going home before their 'milk is in' or before breast feeding is 'fully established'. By the time you are ready for discharge your milk may or may not be 'in' or may be in the process of 'coming in'. Our aim is to have you attaching your baby to the breast correctly and independently, and being able to recognise effective sucking.
Your lactation will take a few weeks to fully establish and will undergo numerous changes during that time in response to baby’s feeding pattern and needs.
A general guide to know that your baby is feeding well:
- Feeding at least 6-8 times in 24 hours
- Has 6-8 pale, wet nappies in 24 hours
- Does soft poos
- Is looking bright and alert and contented
- Is sleeping between most feeds in the 24 hour period, and is gaining satisfactory weight
For ongoing support when at home there are private Lactation Consultants available, Support Groups and The Australian Breast Feeding Association. Contact details are provided on discharge.
Previous experiences/concerns
We understand that breastfeeding your baby is not always easy and that your previous experiences or concerns are important. In these situations, a Lactation Consultant is available to discuss your concerns and to help you develop a plan prior to the birth of your baby. If you feel that this would be of benefit to you, please contact the Maternity Unit on (07) 5598 9040 to arrange an appointment.
Antenatal Information:
Breastfeeding information during your pregnancy is available in our Antenatal Classes.
BOTTLE FEEDING WITH FORMULA
If your informed choice is to bottle feed your baby, we ask that you supply your own formula and bottles and bring them with you to the hospital. The maternity staff will then provide individual instructions on how to feed your baby while you are in hospital.
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