Some mothers battle with the uncertainty of not knowing how much breast milk their baby is actually getting and many wonder whether mixed feeding is necessary. One of the big differences between breastfed and formula fed babies is that it’s clear how much milk volume a bottle fed baby has had. It’s just a simple matter of reading the measurements on the side of the bottle. Working out how much a breastfed baby has had requires a few more observation skills.

There are loads of wonderful benefits to being skin-to-skin with your newborn immediately after birth and in the weeks following, not the least of which is establishing breastfeeding. Given the opportunity, most babies if placed on mum’s chest – skin-to-skin, will shuffle up to the breast, latch on and start breastfeeding all by themselves!