Infant feeding

It's never too early to start thinking about how to feed your baby, but you do not need to make up your mind until your baby is born.

Some of the benefits of breastfeeding are:

  • your breast milk meets all of your baby’s nutritional needs
  • breast milk protects your baby from infections and diseases
  • breastfeeding provides health benefits for you
  • breast milk is available for your baby whenever they need it
  • breastfeeding can build a strong emotional bond between you and your baby. Formula milk does not provide the same protection from illness and does not give you any health benefit

Accessing support

The Stockport Infant Feeding team are here to help and support you to feed your baby and build a strong and loving relationship with them, from pregnancy onwards.

You can contact them on 07767 870 506 if you have any questions or concerns about feeding. They're always happy to offer advice and support. Get in touch for details about their breastfeeding support sessions, complex feeding clinic, and breastfeeding workshops, and to find out more about their open‑access clinics.

You can also find information on the Stockport Infant Feeding Facebook page.

About the language we use

We will always use whatever language, name, pronouns or terminology a family feel most comfortable with, as we recognise the importance of providing inclusive, respectful information, care and support to all.

The terms ‘mother’, ‘woman’ and ‘breastfeeding’ may be used in the information provided here. Individual parents and families may use different words and we respect their chosen terminology.

Health benefits of breastfeeding for your baby

Breastfeeding has long-term benefits for your baby, lasting right into adulthood. Any amount of breast milk has a positive effect. The longer you breastfeed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefit.

Breastfeeding can help to reduce your baby’s risk of:

  • infections, with fewer visits to hospital as a result
  • diarrhoea and vomiting, with fewer visits to hospital as a result
  • sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
  • obesity
  • cardiovascular disease in adulthood

Giving nothing but breast milk is recommended for the first 6 months (26 weeks) of your baby’s life.

After that, giving your baby breast milk alongside solid foods for as long as you and your baby want will help them grow and develop healthily.

Breast milk adapts as your baby grows to meet your baby’s changing needs.

Health benefits of breastfeeding for you

Breastfeeding and making breast milk also has health benefits for you. The more you breastfeed the greater the benefits.

Breastfeeding lowers your risk of:

  • breast cancer
  • ovarian cancer
  • osteoporosis (weak bones)
  • cardiovascular disease
  • obesity

Skin to skin contact

However you feed your baby, skin to skin immediately after birth, and also in the weeks and months afterwards, is a really good way to:

  • get to know your baby
  • reduce stress when they're upset
  • regulate their temperature, breathing and heart rate
  • promote bonding
  • encourage feeding
  • protect and increase breast milk production
  • provide soothing and comfort

Infant feeding and relationships: helping your baby to grow and develop

Responding to your baby’s needs for food and comfort will not only support their brain development, but will also make them feel secure. This can help them to settle and reduce their crying too.

Babies have a strong need to be close to their parents, as this helps them to feel secure and loved. This allows them to release a hormone called oxytocin which helps them to be happy babies and also helps their brain to grow and develop.

Holding, smiling and talking to your baby also releases oxytocin in you, which can make you feel calm and happy and support your bond with your baby.

Breastfeeding: Oxytocin levels are high during breastfeeding, helping your baby’s brain to grow.

Bottle feeding: If you're bottle feeding, you can help to raise oxytocin levels by holding them close, looking into their eyes, talking to them and spending time in skin to skin contact.

Breastfeeding peer support

In Stockport, we're very lucky to have some special mums who have decided to give their time to volunteer for the team. They have completed an extensive course to become volunteers and can give advice and support on breastfeeding and bottle feeding.

While you're in hospital, you can ask to see if peer support is available to help you with breastfeeding, hand expressing or paced bottle feeding.

Safe feeding

Prop feeding is dangerous and should never be done.

Leaving a baby with a bottle propped in their mouth puts them at serious risk of choking or suffocation.

Prop feeding (or bottle propping) is when a baby is left with a bottle held in place before they can hold it themselves. People sometimes use cushions, blankets, or soft toys to support the bottle, whether the baby is in a car seat, bouncer, crib, or on a sofa.

This is unsafe because:

  • babies can’t control the flow of milk, which may keep coming even after they stop sucking
  • they may inhale milk instead of swallowing, leading to silent choking
  • soft items used to hold the bottle can slip and cover the baby’s face, blocking their breathing

Always hold your baby during feeds. It’s safer and supports bonding too.

For more information on the dangers of prop feeding, visit the Health for Under 5s website.

For information on safe bottle feeding, read the NHS bottle feeding advice.

Find more advice and support

You can find some short videos about positioning and attachment, expressing, paced bottle feeding and tips for feeding on our maternity and breastfeeding playlist on YouTube.

You can find more information and support from:

Meet the Stockport Infant Feeding team

Watch our video to get to know the Stockport Infant Feeding team and learn how we can support you and your baby.