YOUR KIDSBreastfeeding

Why Breastfeed?

Breastfeeding is normal and is important for the health of both you and your baby. Breastfeeding is important for nutrition, immunologic protection, and the growth and development of infants and toddlers. Breastmilk is all the food and drink your baby needs for the first six months of their life.

The Canadian Paediatric Society and Health Canada recommend exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding for two years and beyond, following the introduction of complementary solid foods. Exclusive breastfeeding means your baby receives only breast milk.

Breast milk is always fresh and at the right temperature.
Breast milk is the perfect food to help your baby grow and develop to reach their highest potential.
Promotes healthy tooth, palate and jaw development.
Decreases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Reduces the chance your baby will have diarrhea, ear, stomach or lung infections.
Children who were breastfed perform better on intelligence (IQ) tests.

It is very important to us that you are well informed before deciding how you will feed your baby. At CK Public Health we support all parents by providing evidence-based information. Our fact sheet, Are You Thinking of Using Infant Formula?, gives you information on the safe preparation and storing of infant formula.

Getting the Best Start

Before You Have Your Baby

Are you pregnant and considering breastfeeding your baby? Learning about breastfeeding now can help you prepare to successfully breastfeed your baby.

Breastfeeding can take a little time for both you and your baby to learn. Pregnancy is a great time to get information and talk to professionals who know about breastfeeding to discuss any questions or concerns you might have. We offer a free series of online prenatal classes which includes a section on breastfeeding.

We also offer a prenatal in-person breastfeeding class 4 times a year. For information on both in-person and virtual classes that you can attend, visit our Parenting Classes page.

Prenatal/Antenatal hand expression can assist you to have an easier time starting and continuing breastfeeding, and getting comfortable with these skills before your baby arrives. Hand expression during pregnancy helps stimulate milk-making cells in the breast which may help you produce more milk sooner after your baby is born.

Visit More Milk Sooner's Collecting Colostrum Prenatally page to learn more about prenatal/antenatal hand expression.

When Your Baby is Born

You can take steps immediately after birth to help get breastfeeding off to a good start. While you're in the hospital with your baby, it's always ok to ask your nurse for help with latching and feeding your baby.

Keeping your baby skin-to-skin with you for the first couple of hours after birth, until the end of your baby's first feed, is the best way to help your baby get off to a good start with breastfeeding. Skin-to-skin means your naked baby is placed on your bare chest for at least an hour, or until the end of the first feed. Having you baby on your chest will encourage them to latch and start feeding. Research has shown that skin-to-skin is the best place for your baby to adjust to life in the outside world.

Benefits of skin-to-skin:

Stabilizes your baby's blood sugar, heart rate and breathing.
Your baby will cry less, use less energy and be calmer.
Your baby will stay warmer.
Establishes breastfeeding and increases your milk supply.

If there are medical reasons for separation from your baby after birth, your partner can start skin-to-skin with baby until you are available.

It is important to begin breastfeeding as soon as you can, preferably within the first hour after birth. Breastfeeding early can provide you newborn with colostrum (the first milk) which is packed with nutrients and antibodies. This is all the milk your baby needs until the mature milk comes in after the first few days.

Babies who are exclusively or partially breastfed should get a daily supplement of vitamin D, which is available as drops.

Substance Use & Breastfeeding

The safest choice is to not drink alcohol if you are breastfeeding. However, moderate alcohol consumption, up to one standard drink, especially if taken with a meal, will not be harmful to your baby. Ideally, if you decide to have an occasional alcoholic drink, breastfeed your baby first and then wait at least 2 hours after consuming one standard drink before breastfeeding again.

Breastfeeding is the best choice for your baby even if you smoke. Breastfeeding may help protect your baby from the negative effects of smoking.

Smoking can:

Expose you and your baby to harmful chemicals.
Lower the quality of your breast milk.
Affect your milk production.

If you smoke, you can reduce your baby's exposure to harmful chemicals by:

Smoking right after breastfeeding instead of just before.
Using smoking cessation aids.
Keeping your home and car smoke-free.
Washing your hands and clothes before you hold your baby, if you've smoked.

Introducing Solids

When your baby is around six months of age, and is showing signs of readiness, you may offer solid foods to meet their nutritional needs. As you introduce solids, continue to breastfeed.

For more information, visit our Introduction to Solids section on our Child Growth & Development page.

YOUR KIDSBreastfeeding

Why Breastfeed?

Getting the Best Start

Before You Have Your Baby

When Your Baby is Born

Substance Use & Breastfeeding

Introducing Solids

Pregnancy to Parenthood

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CK Public Health

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