Feeding your baby

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is well established as one of the key determinants of infant and maternal health.

Breastfeeding is good for your baby as:

  • breast milk is the only natural food designed for your baby
  • breastfeeding protects your baby from infections and diseases
  • breast milk is the right temperature for your baby
  • breastfeeding can build a strong physical and emotional bond between you and your baby.

Breastfeeding is good for mums as:

  • breastfeeding lowers your risk of breast and ovarian cancer
  • breastfeeding naturally uses up to 500 calories a day
  • breast milk is free and available whenever and wherever your baby needs a feed
  • breastfeeding can help to build a strong physical and emotional bond between you and your baby
  • breastfeeding can give you a great sense of achievement.

We provide a comprehensive range of workshops for women around infant feeding. Please ask your midwife for information.

Breastfeeding videos

UNICEF and the World Health Organization have created a range of helpful videos on breastfeeding as part of the Baby Friendly Initiative.

The Baby Friendly Initiative

The Baby Friendly Initiative was set up in 1992 by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF to recognise hospitals that enable mothers to make an informed choice about infant feeding and to be supported in that choice. The Royal Free trust has been awarded the prestigious Baby Friendly Award and in 2016 in recognition of our commitment in providing the highest standards of care around infant feeding and relationship building.

Find out more about the Baby Friendly Initiative.

Feeding your baby: information in different languages

You can access information on breast feeding and bottle feeding your baby in different languages on the UNICEF website. 

Useful links

In this section: