How often, how long?

Many mothers worry about their milk supply. The general rule is that the more the baby feeds from the breast, the more milk the breast will produce. In the early days, feeding 8-12 times a day is quite normal. Another sign that your baby is feeding well is that your is having frequent wet and dirty nappies. The better your diet, the better your body's ability to produce nourishing milk. You will probably feel hungrier and thirstier whilst you are breastfeeding, this is perfectly normal.

It is best to feed when your baby wants to be fed, on demand. The sucking process not only releases milk to satisfy your baby but also stimulates the production of more. When your baby is full up, they will stop feeding. Start each feed on alternate breasts. Let your baby decide when they have finished the breast before changing over to the second breast, if necessary. Some feeds may be short, 5 to 10 minutes, other feeds may be longer, approximately 30 minutes.  Breastmilk is easy to digest and normally babies will usually feed every 2 to 3 hours.
 

Some babies adjust well to a working mother’s lifestyle. They will take the opportunity to have good feeds morning and evening from the breast and will be happy to take expressed breast milk from a bottle or cup when mother is working.

Prior to going back to work, it is important to practice expressing breast milk and introduce your baby to a bottle or a cup.

Once baby is over 6 months old, they will be having solid foods in their diet, so will be able to manage longer without feeding from the breast.

If you are breastfeeding, then the better your own diet, the better your body’s ability to produce nourishing milk for your baby’s health and development. So eat a healthy balanced diet and drink plenty of fluids.

You should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. Sources of protein – such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs and pulses. And finally, dairy foods such as milk and cheese.

The good news is now you can get back to enjoying a more varied menu, but you should still avoid shark, swordfish, marlin and large amounts of tuna due to high levels of mercury, which can be passed on to your baby via your breast milk. Click here to find out more about nutrition during breastfeeding

Fresh breast milk can be stored in the fridge for 48 hours, expressed breast milk can be kept for 24 hours in the fridge.  If freezing, breast milk can be stored for up to 3 months in the freezer.  Frozen breast milk should be defrosted slowly in the fridge or by running under a cold tap and used within 24 hours.

It may help to offer the breastfeed at a different time to the solids, for example a mid-morning feed or afternoon feed. Breast milk is still an essential part of the diet providing much of the protein; vitamins and minerals baby needs for their first year.

If you are worried about the amount of breastfeeds your baby is taking or general weaning information, it would be a good idea to discuss this with your health visitor.