S1: Supporting parent’s feeding choices

The Beat podcast is designed for healthcare professionals only and is brought to you by Nutricia. In this episode of The Beat podcast, our regular host Avril, a Midwife, Childbirth Educator and Hypnobirthing practitioner, talks to fellow midwife, Pip. Pip is currently working as a Delivery Suite Sister and has a wealth of experience supporting parents-to-be through all aspects of pregnancy, birth and the postpartum. Pip has trained and worked in some of the leading maternity units in the UK, and is also the founder of Midwife Pip, a midwifery platform that aims to provide parents-to-be with the latest pregnancy advice, antenatal classes and postpartum support services. During this episode, Avril and Pip focus on the topic of parents’ feeding choices. They discuss their personal observations of working closely with new parents-to-be, talk about how those parents are deciding on whether to breastfeed, formula feed or combination feed, and the challenges in helping parents to make informed decisions about what is right for them.

Important notification: Breastfeeding is best for babies and provides many benefits. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, you eat a varied, balanced diet. Combined breast and bottle feeding in the first weeks of life may reduce the supply of your own breastmilk, and reversing the decision not to breastfeed is difficult. The social and financial implications of using an infant formula should be considered. Improper use of an infant formula or inappropriate foods or feeding methods may present a health hazard. If you use an infant formula, you should follow manufacturer’s instructions for use carefully – failure to follow the instructions may make your baby ill. Always consult your doctor, midwife or health visitor for advice about feeding your baby.