When it comes to feeding your baby, we understand that it can be challenging at times. There is lots of local advice and information available to support you on your feeding journey.
Best Start in Life
Breastfeeding your baby can take practice and you’re bound to have lots of questions along the way. From advice about latching on to expressing your milk and help with issues like colic, visit the Best Start in Life website.
Breast Buddies – Teesside Breastfeeding Support
This Facebook group is an online space for local mums to get help and advice from other parents.
Join the group to share your own experiences, get support, and learn more about breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding self-help
If you have any problems with breastfeeding, it’s important to ask for help from your midwife, health visitor, or infant feeding specialist as soon as possible.
The NHS website also has lots of useful information about some of the most common breastfeeding problems, and tips on how to tackle them.
Childrens Health Service App
The Childrens Health Service App includes a live health chat feature, as well as advice and links to websites which help with child and family health.
South Tees Infant Feeding Team
The Infant Feeding Team offers support with feeding your baby. Send an email with your name, contact details, and a short message to stees.infantfeedingteam@nhs.net and the team will contact you as soon as possible. Please note, the mailbox is only monitored during normal working hours, so the team cannot provide urgent help.
South Tees Maternity Services
The maternity advice line is available for breastfeeding information and support, or to arrange a visit to the Friarage Maternity Centre for breastfeeding support. You can call the maternity advice line on 01609 763093, 24 hours a day.
The South Tees NHS website also has helpful videos to support with breastfeeding.
Welcome to Breastfeed – South Tees
The Welcome to Breastfeed scheme helps parents to feel more comfortable and confident about breastfeeding in public places across Middlesbrough.
There are lots of venues signed up including cafes, libraries, and leisure centres, where you’ll get a warm welcome when you breastfeed.
Check out the full list of Welcome to Breastfeed locations on the Middlesbrough Council website.
0-11 Infant Feeding Team
The 0-11 Infant Feeding Team is made up of health visitors and nurses who have a special interest in infant feeding. They’ve taken part in additional training to support babies and families with breastfeeding and infant feeding challenges. The team includes staff who are IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultants).
Other support
National Breastfeeding Helpline – call 0300 100 0212 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) or visit the National Breastfeeding Helpline website
National Childbirth Trust breastfeeding helpline – call 0300 330 0700 then press option 1 (8am to midnight every day, including bank holidays)
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers
Drugs in breastmilk factsheets (including common medicines like painkillers, cough and cold remedies, and indigestion tablets)
If you choose to feed your baby with formula, you can build a strong bond with your little one through skin-to-skin contact and recognising hunger cues. Unicef offers information about how to safely prepare formula, and tips for getting off to a good start with bottle feeding.
On this page, we use ‘breastfeeding’ to refer to people who are breastfeeding their babies, but we understand not everyone wants to use this word. We support everyone to refer to themselves in a way which is comfortable to them.
