You can join our virtual breastfeeding support group on Microsoft Teams on Fridays from 10.00am to 11.00am.
You can also call our Surrey-wide 0-19 Advice Line or speak to a health professional at your local Child health drop-in.
Visit the Breastfeeding and Infant Feeding Surrey Facebook page for top tips, videos and information.
At around 28 weeks pregnant, you will be invited to meet the health visiting team at an antenatal session covering:
- caring for and developing a close, loving relationship with your baby
- feeding your baby
- the value of breastfeeding
- how to get breastfeeding off to a good start
- helping your baby transition from ‘womb to world'
- Baby brain development
Colostrum collecting
Your midwife may have suggested you collect colostrum whilst pregnant. You can speak to your midwife about how to access the colostrum collecting syringes/kit.
Watch this video to find out more about collecting colostrum.
At the new birth visit your health visitor will ask if you are happy with your baby’s feeding and complete a breastfeeding assessment with you so that you feel confident that breastfeeding is going well.
She will talk to you about how to hold your baby to feed and about laid-back feeding which allows baby to use his natural reflexes.
Your health visitor can talk to you about how your baby attaches to the breast so that feeding is not painful:
- Attaching your baby to the breast
- responsive breastfeeding
- how often your baby may wish to breastfeed.
- How poor attachment can cause pain for the mother and sore nipples
- How to express your milk for your baby
- Using a nipple shield
- Breast compression
- Top tips for feeding your baby out and about
Your health visitor will talk to you about the importance of developing a close and loving relationship with your baby and what you can do to help 'build a happy baby'. Your baby will love to be close to you and that’s good for their brain development.
You will receive information about:
- Caring for your baby at night and safer sleep information
- Breastfeeding and returning to work or study
- Growth and how to contact the Health Visiting team
- Breastfeeding your toddler
- How dads and partners can support breastfeeding and advice for dads and partners
- Siblings and a new baby
If you are giving your baby a bottle feed:
- how to responsively feed your baby
- how to pace the bottle feeds
- Returning to work and giving expressed breast milk
- If you are giving your baby formula milk, talk to your health visitor about how to do this safely and complete a bottle feeding assessment.
For further information about the cost and composition of infant formulas visit First Steps Nutrition.
When your baby is around six months old, you can start to introduce family foods. Visit our Introducing Family Foods page for advice.
Talk to your health visitor or community nursery nurse to book an Introducing Family Foods face-to-face or virtual workshop in your area.
- National Breastfeeding Helpline: 0300 100 0212 (9.30am to 9.30pm)
- Association of Breastfeeding Mothers: 0300 330 5453 (9.30am to 10.30pm)
- La Leche League: 0345 120 2918 (8.00am to 11.00pm)
- NCT: 0300 330 0700 (8.00am to midnight)
- Your GP/Family Doctor can support you if you have any health concerns about you or your baby
- Medication: your pharmacist can give you information about the medication you can take whilst you are breastfeeding
- Feeding your baby/infant when they have Bronchiolitis