Breastfeeding Videos Launched

Videos provide guidance for parents preparing to breastfeed their babies

Tuesday 02 November 2021 The Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital has today launched a suite of educational videos on the subject of breastfeeding, developed by the Hospital’s team of Clinical Midwife Specialists and Lactation Consultants.

The 10 videos aim to help parents to prepare for breastfeeding their babies. Topics covered in the videos include: preparing to breastfeed; the benefits of harvesting colostrum; positioning and attachment; signs of effective breastfeeding; common challenges encountered in breastfeeding; and guidance on a number of techniques, such as hand expressing.

As breast milk can be very beneficial to premature and sick babies, the Coombe has also developed a series of videos especially for women who experience, or are at risk of, a pre-term birth. Topics covered in these videos include: the benefits of breastfeeding for premature and sick babies; expressing breast milk; boosting milk supply; and premature babies’ journey to exclusive breastfeeding.

Mary Toole, Clinical Midwife Specialist at The Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital said: “Breastfeeding is a learned skill and it takes time and patience for both mother and baby to become skilled at it. Breast milk provides complete nutrition for babies; it contains essential antibodies that protect them from infection, as well as hormones and enzymes which support their normal growth development and good health. Breast milk changes as babies grow, which means that the combination of nutrients in breast milk changes over time to meet a baby’s changing needs.”

Professor Michael O’Connell, Master of the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, said: “Breastfeeding is hugely beneficial to both mothers and babies and as such, it’s a priority in various areas across the Hospital, from preparation at antenatal classes all the way through to midwife care for high-risk, low-risk, premature and full-term babies. At the Coombe, one of our most important roles is providing parents with up-to-date information and education, and so we hope that these videos will provide additional support to parents who are at various stages of pregnancy and parenthood.”

The videos are available to view at the Coombe’s website: www.coombe.ie/breastfeeding.