There are generally 2 ways to feed a baby: Breast or Bottle. Some people do both.
BREASTFEEDING
Get yourself a good book on it. Join The Australian Breastfeeding Association (breastfeeding.asn.au) for support and education. It is a natural thing for humans to do but it doesn’t always come naturally, or easily. Learn what you can about it while you are pregnant and then you can get all the help you need once the baby is born from your doctors, family, friends, and midwives. There are private lactation consultants in the community as well as Child Health Centres. There will also be some discussion about breastfeeding in the antenatal classes.
There are many benefits to breastfeeding for both baby and mother. For baby, these include high nutritional content, better gastrointestinal function, better immune system, as well as long term benefits such as reduced risk of developing allergies and obesity. For mother, recovery from birth is accelerated, weight loss, and reduction in risk of breast and ovarian cancer are some of the benefits of breastfeeding.
BOTTLE FEEDING
If you are bottle-feeding it will benefit you to bring in some bottles and formula when you go to the hospital. Healthy infants who are fed formula should be offered standard iron containing formula. They are fed on demand, but the duration between feedings should not exceed four hours. Make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions in terms of preparation and use proper hygiene technique. Help is available if required.
If you are not sure about what you want to do with your choices of feeding, please feel free to discuss it with your doctor and midwife at Southside ob-gyn.