Protecting Breastfeeding When Giving Breast and Formula

This information has been compiled from Irish and UK public health guidance HSE (Irish Health Service Executive) and NHS (National Health Service UK). Always follow public health guidance of your own country.

Types of formula milk – Types of formula milk

Page reviewed by HSE December 2022

and

Types of formula milk – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Page reviewed by NHS April 2023

Please check the above web pages for more detailed information on the types of formula and always check with your own healthcare professional before introducing formula.

In this lesson, I have compiled information from the Irish Health Service Executive on how to safely prepare your baby’s bottle.

Remember that public health advice can change with new research and circumstances, so always check with your healthcare professional and follow the latest guidance.

If you are not living in the Republic of Ireland, follow the public health advice of your own country.

The following pdf booklet from safe food (an all-island body, set up under the British-Irish Agreement Act 1999 to promote awareness and knowledge of food safety and nutrition on the island of Ireland) was published in 2018.

1448-Safefood-Baby-Bottle-Leaflet-

Please also refer to the newer HSE information from November 2022 as it also has updated guidance on giving your baby the correct amount of Vitamin D when formula feeding.

Preparing baby formula – HSE.ie

Although it is mentioned in the video above (Video by HSE Ireland from May 2021), it is always safest to make up each bottle of formula individually for each feed!

In this video, my son and I are 6 weeks postpartum and have started to introduce a bottle of expressed breast milk.

We are going to demonstrate the technique of paced bottle feeding which is said to make it easier for breastfed babies to switch between breast and bottle. No brand names are mentioned in this video in order to adhere to the WHO Code of marketing of breast milk substitutes. Breastfed babies do not necessarily have to take a bottle in the mother’s absence. There are alternative feeding methods such as cup feeding which allow you to offer expressed breast milk to baby.

Please also see the next lecture on how to offer a bottle and teat and different bottle feeding positions for young

infants.

Let us take a brief look today at how to reduce temporary supplemental feeds when you are ready to do so. Sometimes, for various reasons, full breastfeeding is not, or not yet, possible and you are combination feeding by medical or personal necessity or by choice. You can fast forward here to 05:33 min hear about the approaches for reducing supplemental feeds.

0 Intro

00:51 E-Course Introduction

02:00 How can you tell that you are ready to reduce supplemental feeds?

04:44 A note on reducing supplementation when using a supplemental nursing system

05:55 "Finish at the Breast"

06:24 "Bottle Sandwich"

06:56 "Stretched Feeds"

Resources and references for this video: Mainly from Lucy Ruddle's (IBCLC) book "Mixed Up" (April 2021)

Let’s talk about bottles when combination feeding As with teats, step 9 of the WHO 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding states that “Mothers should be counselled on the use and risks of bottles on breastfeeding.” Healthcare professionals should not advertise for a certain bottle brand to adhere to the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Bottle shape and size are usually not as important as the bottle teat type when combination feeding. Watch to find out more.

When giving expressed breastmilk or formula in addition to breastfeeding by necessity or choice, many parents decide to offer the supplement via teat and bottle. On the topic of bottles and teats, step 9 of the WHO 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding states that “Mothers should be counselled on the use and risks of bottles, teats and pacifiers.” Healthcare professionals should not advertise for a certain teat brand to adhere to the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. There is little evidence to support one type of teat over another. It seems more important that the baby is fed responsively, that caregivers observe and respond to the baby’s cues during feeding and that babies are allowed to set their own feeding pace.

Things discussed in this video:

01:38 Teat shape

04:35 Teat texture

05:57 Flow rates

07:19 Air valve

There may come a time when you think about whether or not to introduce a pacifier to your breast, combination or formula fed baby. But with so many different opinions and products on the market, it can be a minefield and really difficult to make the right choice for you and your baby.

00:21 When to introduce a pacifier?

01:43 When can a pacifier be useful?

03:53 Which pacifier features?