gill rapley, msc. demand feeding cue-led feeding needs-led feeding
TRANSCRIPT
What does ‘baby-led feeding’ really mean?
Gill Rapley, MSc
Demand feeding
Cue-led feeding
Needs-led feeding
Some definitions
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
Why breastfeed this way?
Demand feeding
Cue-led feeding
Needs-led feeding
Baby-led feeding
Responsive feeding
Some definitions
New book!
Breastfeeding works best when it’s:
Frequent
Effective
Exclusive
on Demand
Skin to skin (in the early weeks)
Breastfeeding = FEEDS
The first breastfeed
Positioning and attachment
Demand / cue / needs-led feeding
Baby-led weaning (solid foods)
Child-led weaning (off the breast)
Baby-led breastfeeding encompasses:
Who does the feeding?
Mothers don’t breastfeed – babies do!
The mother provides the opportunity – the baby
does the rest
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
Babies are capable beings
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
Mother and baby
fine-tune the
mechanics of
breastfeeding
between them –
with the baby
leading
The “mother-baby dance”(Christina Smillie)
Babies haven’t read the books – they are very adaptable when it comes to positions
for feeding!
Choosing to breastfeed
Initiating breastfeeding
Sustaining breastfeeding
Incorporating other foods
Deciding when to stop
Babies are quite capable of:
... provided they are given the opportunity
“There are only a very few mothers who cannot breastfeed – but there are many who are not enabled to”
(Belinda Phipps, CEO, NCT)
Enabling breastfeeding
There are only a very few babies who cannot breastfeed – but there are many who are not enabled to
Culture
Technology
Expectations
Why doesn’t it happen?
Family
Friends and peers
Health professionals
Media – advertising
Media – impressions of ‘normal’
What (or who) gets in the way?
A hard life ...
Support at home?
... but they were happy
Peer support
Networking
a pram/buggy
Parenting tools
a playpen
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?
A full-time paid job
A multi-function car seat
A baby monitor / CCTV
A mobile phone – with apps
Facebook & Twitter
A BabyNes
21st century parenting
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 nightTo be able to feed easily, whenever and
wherever they wantTo be understood and responded to without
having to cry
Babies’ expectations(whatever the century)
Recognise babies’ innate abilitiesUnderstand how to facilitate (and recognise)
effective feedingGet to know all our babies’ signals, not just
the feeding cuesFocus on using breastfeeding to comfort
and calm – nutrition will take care of itselfHave a ‘babymoon’
Becoming baby-led
Shut out the 21st century; surround yourself with real supporters
Listen for your instincts – and follow themKeep your baby close, day and nightGet to know his signals, and what he
needs to do to breastfeedExperiment with different ways to hold himTake every opportunity to ‘sit down for a
rest’ – with your baby, skin to skin
Having a ‘babymoon’
D AD
The father’s role
“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)
Baby-led care in the NNU
We can support mothers to:have a babymoonhold their baby whenever, and for as long
as, they wishkeep their baby close – day and nightdiscover how to help their baby to feed
himself at the breastoffer the breast for comfort (and food)
Supporting baby-led breastfeeding
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
Pass it on ...
Yabba
Yabba
dabba
DOO!
