OBS Recommended Resources For Parents

Some of our favourite videos, websites, books and more.

This list is not exclusive. OBS believes that these resources are useful and (except blogs and opinion pieces) based on good evidence. If you are worried about yourself or your baby, please contact your midwife, health visitor or GP.

If you have found this list helpful please have a look at how you can support us to continue our work.

Breastfeeding - getting started

Global Health Media videos. Excellent series on the basics of breastfeeding, and common problems, in many languages. If you only want to watch one video on how to attach your baby at the breast, this is excellent: Attaching your Baby at the Breast.

Natural Breastfeeding video. Enable your baby to use all their feeding reflexes for comfortable, intuitive feeding.

Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative Information and videos to guide you through the early weeks, getting to know your baby, and common breastfeeding problems.

Baby Buddy An award-winning app to guide you through pregnancy and new parenting

NCT information sheet "What's in a nappy?" How to tell if your newborn baby is getting enough milk.

Breastfeeding, Take Two: Successful Breastfeeding the Second Time Around. Stephanie Casemore 2011, published by Gray Lion. For women who are pregnant again after a previous difficult breastfeeding experience

The OUHT Infant Feeding Team's YouTube channel

Mid Cheshire Hospitals BSL Infant Feeding Videos

Finding help

If your baby is still under the care of midwives, your midwifery team is your first source of help with feeding. Midwives offer telephone support 24/7.

La Leche League Oxfordshire. In-person and virtual support group meetings, antenatal sessions, 1:1 support by phone, email, video call, Facebook and more, from trained volunteer breastfeeding counsellors.

Maternity Infant Feeding Team. For complex breastfeeding problems in babies aged 1-6 weeks.*

If your baby is older than 6 weeks, the Enhanced Infant Feeding Practitioners in the Health Visiting service can help with complex feeding problems - ask your local health visiting team to refer you.*

* If your baby needs an oral assessment for potential tongue-tie, either of these services can help. Alternatively, you could contact a private tongue-tie practitioner: The Association of Tongue-Tie Practitioners to assess and, if necessary, treat your baby.

Telephone helplines

National Breastfeeding Helpline - telephone support and live webchat 9.30am - 9.30pm daily 0300 100 0212

La Leche League Helpline - 8:00am - 11:00pm daily to arrange a call back 0345 120 2918

NCT Breastfeeding Helpline - 8:00am - midnight daily 0300 330 0771

Please also see our page on Other Sources of Help

General breastfeeding information

Evidence-based, reliable and realistic information on most aspects of breastfeeding, including common problems.

Websites

La Leche League Great Britain

Breastfeeding.Support

KellyMom

Books

The Art of Breastfeeding La Leche League International 2024, published by Pinter & Martin. Updated edition of the world’s bestselling breastfeeding book

The Positive Breastfeeding Book, Dr Amy Brown, published by Pinter & Martin, 2018

Videos

Nancy Mohrbacher. Short videos on finding comfortable positions, helping your baby attach deeply, and more.

The OUHT Infant Feeding Team's YouTube channel

Mid Cheshire Hospitals BSL Infant Feeding Videos

Global Health Media videos

Anti-racism and breastfeeding

Is breastfeeding ever black and white?

Why we celebrate Black Breastfeeding Week.

Breastfeeding with disabilities

Breastfeeding with a Disability (The Breastfeeding Network)

Breastfeeding With a Disability: What You Need To Know (Health Central)

Mid Cheshire Hospitals BSL Infant Feeding Videos

LGBTQI families

Support for Transgender & Non-binary Parents (La Leche League GB)

Podcast: Breastfeeding Outside the Box

Blog: Jenna’s Breastfeeding Journey: Trans Motherhood

Twins or more

Breastfeeding Twins & Triplets UK website & Facebook group

Mothering Multiples - breastfeeding and caring for twins or more Karen Kerkhoff Gromada 2007, La Leche League International.

Breastfeeding babies with serious illnesses and disability

Breastfeeding the Brave - Supporting breastfed medically complex infants and children

Breastfeeding the Brave Facebook group

Positive about Down syndrome's Breastfeeding a baby with Down syndrome webinar

A Guide to Breastfeeding a Baby with Down syndrome by Sarah Ojar

When breastfeeding is difficult

If your baby was born early, small for gestational age, or is unwell, very sleepy, not growing as expected, unable to breastfeed etc.

Breastfeeding in the First Hour (Stanford University). Video on how to protect your milk supply and keep your baby safely fed if they are early, small, unwell or for any reason not yet feeding well in the early days after birth.

Successfully breastfeeding your premature baby (La Leche League GB)

Feeding “Late preterm” babies. Babies born at 34-37 weeks gestation, or weighing less than 2500g. (La Leche League GB)

Getting breastfeeding back on track after a difficult start (The 3 Keeps). Useful in any situation where a baby is not yet feeding well, or at all, or is unhappy at the breast. (La Leche League GB)

Sleep

Baby Sleep Info Source (BASIS) from Durham University Parent-Infant Sleep Lab. Information about normal infant sleep based upon the latest UK and world-wide research, including downloadable information sheets in several languages.

Caring for your Baby at Night, a guide for parents (UNICEF UK)

Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family Diane Weissinger, Diana West, Linda J. Smith & Teresa Pitman 2014, published by Pinter & Martin

Expressing your milk

Unicef Baby Friendly UK hand expressing video

“Hands on Pumping” video (Stanford University). Shows you how to use both a breast pump and your hands to get the most milk in the shortest time.

Maya Bolman breast massage. Gentle, thorough technique, useful both for normal expressing or if you have mastitis.

Free relaxation audio track to listen to while expressing.

Expressing your colostrum before your baby is born. Highly recommended for women with diabetes, or who know that their baby is likely to need special care after birth.

Expressing your milk before your baby arrives (Association of Breastfeeding Mothers)
Antenatal Expression of Colostrum (La Leche League GB)

Nancy Mohrbacher's article Pump Fit Matters

Exclusive pumping (EPing)

Exclusively Pumping Breastmilk Stephanie Casemore 2013, Gray Lion Publishing

Exclusively Pumping UK Mums Facebook group

Pumping and Me, a mother's story

Exclusively Expressing Breastmilk for Your Baby

Breast pump loan/hire

You may be able to borrow a pump from your community midwifery team.

OBS pump loan (low-cost, 3 weeks maximum).

Commercial pump hire can be arranged online.

Feeding other than at the breast

Choosing and using bottles and other tools (La Leche League GB)

How to bottle feed a breastfed baby (Kellymom)

Formula milk

Infant formula and responsive bottle feeding (Unicef UK)

First Steps Nutrition. Excellent, independent information on choosing and using infant formula milks in the UK.

Using donor milk and formula milk to support breastfeeding (La Leche League GB)

Starting solid foods/weaning

Baby-led Weaning: Helping your baby to love good food Gill Rapley & Tracey Murkett 2008, published by Vermilion

My Child Won’t Eat! How to enjoy mealtimes without worry Carlos Gonzales 2012, published by Pinter & Martin

First Steps Nutrition Trust. Free, independent information on all aspects of nutrition in the early years.

Breastfeeding and employment

Maternity Action Information and advice on your rights at work during pregnancy and as a new parent.

Working and Breastfeeding

Hirkani’s Daughters: women who scale modern mountains to combine breastfeeding and working Jennifer Hicks 2005, published by La Leche League International. Inspirational stories from employed breastfeeding mothers in a wide range of situations.

Common breastfeeding problems

Engorged Breasts – avoiding and treating Breast swelling, especially in the early days after birth (LLLGB)

Mastitis, blocked ducts, and engorgement (LLLGB, updated 2024)

Blisters on nipples (blebs) (Breastfeeding.suppor)

If breastfeeding hurts, see also the section "Breastfeeding - getting started" (above) for useful videos.

Medication use while breastfeeding

The Breastfeeding Network (BfN) Drug Information Factsheets. Free factsheets on many common medications, ideal to share with your doctor and pharmacist.