Nutrition

The recommended, healthiest nutrition for newborns is breastmilk. It is recommended to start breastfeeding immediately after birth, and if necessary, seek assistance from a lactation consultant in the obstetrics department. Later, it is possible and worth consulting nurses at Family Care Centers to make sure that the breastfeeding is done in an optimal way. Please note that the recommendation is full breastfeeding until the age of six months, then continuing breastfeeding to the age of two years or later, as long as it suits you and your infant.

You can also feed infants using pumped breastmilk and if necessary infant formula too, according to the manufacturer’s preparation instructions. Please note that the quantities stated on the infant formula packaging are not official Ministry of Health recommendations and do not always suit your infant. Infants should be fed based on signs of hunger and satiety (fullness) rather than at fixed times. We should not force a bottle into their mouth and we will always maintain eye contact throughout feeding.

It is not advised to awaken sleeping infants to feed them unless you have been given a medical direction recommending this.