Numerous health authorities, including the World Health Organization and the Canadian Paediatric Society, recommend:
that babies exclusively breastfeed for about six months.
that you also offer nutritious solids from six month on.
that breastfeeding should continue for two years and beyond.
Supplemental Feedings
In hospital, families sometimes worry about whether their baby is getting enough milk, especially on the baby’s second night when they normally wake up frequently needing to be fed and held.
Coping with this period of cluster feeding can be exhausting, especially if you are unprepared. Additionally, mothers may feel pressured by their family to give a ‘relief bottle’ of formula. An unnecessary bottle and formula can create some problems for you and your baby.
What if baby needs more than mother's own milk?
Sometimes after breastfeeding, babies in the hospital may need additional milk for medical reasons, such as low sugar levels. Some mothers will be able to express some additional milk for their baby, and these drops of milk can be given with a spoon or with a cup.
If additional milk is need, we offer two choices:
- Pasteurized human donor milk is available from our milk bank. This milk is generously donated by mothers with extra milk and is triple screened and pasteurized. This milk is available on medical priority to babies in the hospital and in the community.
- The second choice is formula. Donor milk or formula can be given to the baby by cup, syringe or bottle. Your nurse will help you find what works best for you and your baby. She will help you support your baby to breastfeed better and help you to express and pump your milk if necessary. She will also give you information on storing your milk.
To ensure that we have given you information and respect the choices you make, your nurse will review the following two forms with you if you plan to formula feed or need additional milk for your baby:
- Request for formula: Reviews infant feeding information to ensure that you have enough information to make an informed choice and that your questions about formula use have been answered.
- Donor milk request: Reviews process to obtain screened pasteurized human donor milk for babies who need additional milk for medical reasons.
Please feel free to ask your nurse, midwife, or doctor for more information.
Created: Oct. 29, 2008