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Feeding your Baby
Every woman's journey to motherhood is different, but one of the first decisions every new mother makes is how to feed her child.
The foundations for a healthy life are laid in pregnancy, infancy and childhood. There is plenty of evidence internationally supporting that breastfeeding contributes positively to infant and maternal health, as well as the social wellbeing of a baby, mother, family and community.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and New Zealand Ministry of Health recommend for a baby to be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age and beyond.
Breastmilk contains antibodies that matures the gut and helps your baby fight off viruses, bacteria and infection. The act of breastfeeding supports not only the physiological growth and development of a baby, but also psychological development by enveloping the baby in warmth, smell and taste of familiarity.
Your LMC midwife will be able to support you in your baby feeding decisions. You may find these apps useful; both are free to download.
Mama Aroha App
Mama Aroha Breastfeeding Principles and Information App, in collaboration with NZBA and Hāpai Te Hauora, includes the key principles to breastfeeding. This toolkit is designed to be visual and informative making it an easy to follow tool while learning the art of breastfeeding. This version provides health professionals, mothers and whānau with the most essential information and principles to better understand breastfeeding. They say a picture paints a thousand words, so you will find the images do all the talking. Download free to you phone through App Store or Google Play
BreastfedNZ App
Nau mai Welcome to the BreastfedNZ App! This resource is grounded in both experience and evidence, with content thoughtfully curated by our team of qualified and compassionate breastfeeding specialists and lactation consultants. Our primary audience is the breastfeeding whānau families based in Aotearoa New Zealand. What sets this app apart is its content and guidance has been informed by the personal stories of the whānau families we serve. Thank you to all those whānau and friends whose generosity contributed the richness of this platform. We wish to also acknowledge the tangata whenua indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Other Resources
Canterbury Breastfeeding Advocacy Services
Lactation Consultants / Breastfeeding Peer Counsellors
Rotary Community Breast Milk Bank
Human Milk for Human Babies
mother to mother informal milk sharing Facebook page