World Breastfeeding Week

World Breastfeeding Week: Feeding Your Baby with Knowledge, Confidence, and Compassion

Every year during World Breastfeeding Week, Baby Feeding Dr celebrates the power of human milk, the strength and resilience of parents, and the dedication of the professionals and communities who support feeding journeys. Whether breastfeeding came easily, felt like climbing a mountain in thongs, or was not possible for your family, this week is about more than just milk. It is about nourishment, connection, and making informed feeding choices that work for you and your baby.

Breastfeeding: The Science and the Reality

Breastmilk is uniquely designed to meet your baby’s nutritional needs, providing the perfect balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and immune-boosting properties. Research shows that breastmilk supports brain development, strengthens the immune system, and reduces the risk of infections, allergies, and chronic illnesses.

While breastfeeding is natural, it is not always easy. Many parents face challenges such as sore nipples, engorgement, low milk supply, oversupply, tongue ties, mastitis, blocked ducts, or latching difficulties. These can feel overwhelming, especially in the early days when both you and your baby are still learning.

Sometimes, despite every effort, breastfeeding does not go as planned. This is why informed is best. When parents have access to accurate, evidence-based information and personalised feeding support, they can make choices that prioritise their baby’s health and their own wellbeing. For some families this may mean exclusive breastfeeding. For others it could be mixed feeding, formula feeding, or tube feeding.

Nourishment Comes First

The primary goal for any feeding journey is simple. Nourish your baby so they grow, thrive, and feel safe and loved.

For some babies, particularly those born prematurely, medically fragile, or with complex feeding needs, tube feeding may be part of that journey. Tube feeding does not mean breastfeeding is over. Many parents express breastmilk to be given via the tube, while others combine tube feeding with breastfeeding or bottle feeding until their baby is able to take more by mouth.

This is feeding your baby. This is loving your baby. The method of feeding does not diminish the care, effort, or love that goes into every single feed.

Building Your Feeding Village

No parent should have to figure out feeding alone. Building a strong feeding support network can make a huge difference. This might include:

• International Board Certified Lactation Consultants who can help with latching issues, supply concerns, and positioning

• Speech pathologists like me, who specialise in infant feeding and can support oral skills, swallowing safety, and complex feeding plans

• Midwives and child health nurses who can provide ongoing guidance and reassurance

• Dietitians who can create tailored nutrition plans for your baby

• Peer support groups where you can share experiences and find encouragement

Good breastfeeding support is not just about milk. It is about listening without judgement, giving practical strategies, and celebrating every milestone. That milestone might be your baby’s first strong latch, their first full bottle, or the day they no longer need tube feeding.

Your Feeding Journey is Worth Celebrating

World Breastfeeding Week is a time to honour the diversity of feeding experiences. Whether you are exclusively breastfeeding, expressing milk, combination feeding, formula feeding, or using a feeding tube, if you are meeting your baby’s needs with love and intention, you are doing it right.

Here is to the night feeds that help your baby grow, the pumping sessions that require dedication, the carefully prepared formula bottles, the syringes of expressed milk, and the tube feeds that keep babies nourished and safe.

Feeding your baby in a way that works for your family is worth celebrating every single day.

Follow @babydfeedingdoctor on Instagram and join the Baby Feeding Village group on facebook for more advice