1 / 33

What does ‘baby-led feeding’ really mean?

What does ‘baby-led feeding’ really mean?. Gill Rapley, MSc. Some definitions. Demand feeding Cue-led feeding Needs-led feeding. Why breastfeed this way?. Ensures customised milk production and respects baby’s innate appetite control Prevents complications for the mother

tassos
Download Presentation

What does ‘baby-led feeding’ really mean?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. What does ‘baby-led feeding’ really mean? Gill Rapley, MSc

  2. Some definitions • Demand feeding • Cue-led feeding • Needs-led feeding

  3. Why breastfeed this way? • Ensures customised milk production and respects baby’s innate appetite control • Prevents complications for the mother • Cuts out the guesswork BUT: the emphasis is still on the baby’s nutritional needs

  4. Some definitions • Demand feeding • Cue-led feeding • Needs-led feeding • Baby-led feeding • Responsive feeding

  5. New book!

  6. Breastfeeding = FEEDS Breastfeeding works best when it’s: Frequent Effective Exclusive on Demand Skin to skin (in the early weeks)

  7. Baby-led breastfeeding encompasses: • The first breastfeed • Positioning and attachment • Demand / cue / needs-led feeding • Baby-led weaning (solid foods) • Child-led weaning (off the breast)

  8. Who does the feeding? Mothers don’t breastfeed – babies do! The mother provides the opportunity – the baby does the rest

  9. Babies are capable beings They have innate reflexes and instincts to: • locate the breast • use their head, arms and legs to orientate themselves and adjust their body position • root, attach effectively, and suckle

  10. Babies’ innate abilities ... ... are triggered or enhanced by skin-to-skin contact and a laid-back maternal position They need the freedom to experiment and time to practise, to get it right

  11. The “mother-baby dance” (Christina Smillie) Mother and baby fine-tune the mechanics of breastfeeding between them – with the baby leading Babies haven’t read the books – they are very adaptable when it comes to positions for feeding!

  12. Babies are quite capable of: • Choosing to breastfeed • Initiating breastfeeding • Sustaining breastfeeding • Incorporating other foods • Deciding when to stop ... provided they are given the opportunity

  13. Enabling breastfeeding • “There are only a very few mothers who cannot breastfeed – but there are many who are not enabled to” (Belinda Phipps, CEO, NCT) • There are only a very few babies who cannot breastfeed – but there are many who are not enabled to

  14. Why doesn’t it happen? • Culture • Technology • Expectations

  15. What (or who) gets in the way? • Family • Friends and peers • Health professionals • Media – advertising • Media – impressions of ‘normal’

  16. A hard life ...

  17. Support at home?

  18. ... but they were happy

  19. Peer support

  20. Networking

  21. Parenting tools a pram/buggy a playpen

  22. Did Wilma have ... • A hospital birth? Skin contact? Nursery care? • Input from health professionals? • Advice from parenting ‘gurus’? • Concerns about spoiling the baby, or being used as a dummy? • A safety pin, to help her remember which breast to use first? • Formula and bottles?

  23. 21st century parenting • A full-time paid job • A multi-function car seat • A baby monitor / CCTV • A mobile phone – with apps • Facebook & Twitter • A BabyNes

  24. Babies’ expectations(whatever the century) • To breastfeed unaided soon after birth (before anything else happens) • To touch and smell their mothers, as well as hear and see them, 24/7 • To feel warm and safe, day and night • To be able to feed easily, whenever and wherever they want • To be understood and responded to without having to cry

  25. Becoming baby-led • Recognise babies’ innate abilities • Understand how to facilitate (and recognise) effective feeding • Get to know all our babies’ signals, not just the feeding cues • Focus on using breastfeeding to comfort and calm – nutrition will take care of itself • Have a ‘babymoon’

  26. Having a ‘babymoon’ • Shut out the 21st century; surround yourself with real supporters • Listen for your instincts – and follow them • Keep your baby close, day and night • Get to know his signals, and what he needs to do to breastfeed • Experiment with different ways to hold him • Take every opportunity to ‘sit down for a rest’ – with your baby, skin to skin

  27. The father’s role D AD

  28. Baby-led care in the NNU “Hospital routines should not be deemed as more important than parents for babies’ wellbeing; parents should only ever be denied access to their baby on occasions where it is judged to be in the baby’s best interest.” (UNICEF UK BFI guidance, 2012)

  29. Supporting baby-led breastfeeding We can support mothers to: • have a babymoon • hold their baby whenever, and for as long as, they wish • keep their baby close – day and night • discover how to help their baby to feed himself at the breast • offer the breast for comfort (and food)

  30. Pass it on ... • Babies are vulnerable, but they aren’t incapable – or passive • They can be trusted to know what they need and how to get it • Being baby-led makes breastfeeding – and parenting – easier

  31. Yabba Yabbadabba DOO!

  32. Thank you gill@rapleyweaning.com

More Related