A New Beginning

How to pace feed: • Hold your baby in an upright position, supporting their head and neck with your arm or hand. • Use the nipple to touch your baby’s upper lip. Encourage them to open their mouth wide. • Let your baby pull the nipple into their mouth — don’t force them to take it. • Keep the nipple horizontal so it remains partially full. This will slow the flow of milk. • Give your baby breaks and watch for signs they are ready to end the feeding. • If your baby is drinking too fast, tip the bottle down or remove it to slow the pace. If your baby spits up after you feed them: • Try giving them less or try smaller amounts more frequently. • Try burping them several times during the feeding. • Hold them upright for 15 to 30 minutes after a feeding. • Avoid bouncing them or active play right after a feeding. • Avoid placing them on their tummy right after a feeding.

PACED BOTTLE FEEDING This is the recommended way to feed your baby with a bottle. In paced bottle feeding, your baby controls the flow of milk. Letting your baby set the pace of their feeding helps prevent choking and overfeeding by allowing them to eat more slowly and take breaks as needed. In this method, you hold the bottle horizontally and the baby more upright. When you notice your baby pausing between bursts of sucking, remove the nipple from mouth. Then allow the nipple to rest on your baby’s lip until they start sucking again.

Contact your health care provider if your baby:

• Vomits 1/3 (or more) of their formula at most feeding sessions • Projectile vomits — or forcefully spews out the contents of their stomach

Burping Your Baby

POSITIONS FOR BURPING

After feeding, it’s time to try to burp your baby. During the first few days after birth, not all babies will burp. So just do

SCAN + PLAY

your best. To burp your baby, gently pat them on the back or stroke their back with an upward motion. If your baby doesn’t burp after a few minutes, you can keep feeding. Try burping a few more times during the feeding when the sucking slows down or stops.

Lying belly down across your lap

Sitting in your lap with chin supported

Over your shoulder

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A New Beginning