INTRODUCTION

As a new parent you are faced with many decisions about what is best for you and your baby, how to feed your baby is one of these decisions.

Health Canada, Canadian Paediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada and the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada recommend:

Breast/chestfeeding – exclusively for the first six months, and continued for up to two years or longer with appropriate complementary feeding – is important for the nutrition, immunologic protection, growth, and development of infants and toddlers.

This recommendation is based on research that shows human milk provides many health benefits in addition to containing valuable nutrition for a baby’s growth and development.

For babies who are not fed human milk, commercial iron fortified infant formula is recommended.

Discuss your thoughts about feeding your baby with your partner during pregnancy. Ask your healthcare professional for more information and about the supports that are available to you.

Section 1 – Breast/chestfeeding benefits

Section 2 – Breast/chestfeeding basics

Section 3 – Milk supply and normal newborn feeding patterns

This section covers how to know if your baby is getting enough milk and what to expect with a normal newborn feeding pattern.

Section 4 – When to seek help

Section 5 – Nutrition for the breast/chestfeeding parent

Section 6 – Expressing milk

Section 7 – Milk storage

Section 8 – Formula feeding