Beginning in utero and on birthing, a baby's gut is still developing and very immature.
In utero the baby is nourished through the umbilicum, with breast milk being the continuum of this nourishing process on birthing. Breast milk is the bridge between the inside and outside world. Breast milk houses natural human nutrients for the immature gut and body systems to continue to develop outside the womb.
During the first six months, the ideal first nutrition of an infant is mother’s milk.
Baby's second nutrition begins with small tastes of food, perhaps sharing at a family mealtime.
This awakens the touch, smell, taste sensations of licking and handling foods to enjoying a few teaspoons of mashed vegetables and other foods off the parents plate. Breastmilk consumption may naturally and gradually decrease to 50% of the diet by the age of one year.
Between one year and eighteen months, breastmilk is still of great value but many decrease to around 25% of the diet, depending on the baby.
Babies are born to breastfeed!
We offer breastfeeding education to families and the wider community. We are a helping hand during any attachment or supply difficulties and will guide you through nipple and breast problems along with baby’s colic and reflux. We will work with you to find the best solution to achieve your end result of a successful breastfeeding partnership and other outcomes when required.
“Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth of infants; it is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers”
- WHO (World Health Organisation)
Routine Questions - Practical Parenting - Feeding Baby Q&A
An article published in the June 2014 Practical Parenting Magazine offers some great advice from Expert Sandy...
Here is a summary of the key topics and some of the questions asked, please see the full article which you can download, a link is provided at the bottom of the article.
Supply & Demand - What does it actually mean?