Will you be breastfeeding or bottle feeding?
Feeding choices
You often decide during your pregnancy how you are going to feed your baby: breastfeeding or bottle feeding (formula). We will, if desired, further discuss these options with you during your pregnancy.
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Research has shown that breast milk is the healthiest food for your baby because it contains antibodies that support your baby's immune system, protecting it against infections. Children that are given breast milk are less likely to develop allergies or be obese, and will be ill less often. In addition, breast milk is tailored to the development of your baby. The composition of breast milk will change over time in line with your baby’s needs.
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Breastfeeding is natural; but that doesn't automatically mean that it's easy straight away. You and your baby need to learn together, so it's important to take your time. We, together with the maternity nurse, will support you in this and provide advice. It may also be useful to hear and read more about it before the birth of your baby. When you're around 30 weeks pregnant, we will give you the GroeiGids Borstvoeding (GrowthGuide Breastfeeding), and you can attend one of the breastfeeding information events. Click here for an overview of the information events, lactation consultants and places where you can hire breast pumps.
A lactation consultant is a breastfeeding specialist.
We and the maternity nurse will be able to address some of the most common start-up problems when breastfeeding. However, when your question is a little more specific or you have an issue that takes a little longer to be resolved, you can get in touch with a lactation consultant. Some maternity care agencies employ their own lactation consultants. We regularly work together with specialists from Boezemvriend and Mamma-Minds. The costs of lactation support vary and are unfortunately not covered by your basic health insurance.
Bottle feeding
You may not want to or be able to breastfeed and will bottle feed your baby. There are many different types and brands of formula on the market; but it's important to always buy Stage 1 Infant Milk. This is the only infant milk suitable for babies aged 0 to 6 months.
Formula is given to the baby using bottles. There are as many different styles and sizes of bottles on the market, as there are teats. We recommend that you start with a 'standard' teat for newborn babies. If your baby is having trouble feeding, then we'll look whether it may be better for your baby to use a different teat.