Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months
Why it matters and how to make it work with real life.
Exclusive breastfeeding means breast milk only, with no water, no porridge and no tea, for the first six months. Breast milk is already about 88 percent water, so a healthy baby does not need extra even in hot weather.
It gives complete nutrition and passes on your antibodies, which is why exclusively breastfed babies get less diarrhoea and pneumonia. Frequent feeding also keeps your supply up, because supply follows demand.
Real life gets in the way, and it can still work. Feed on demand, feed at night, and if you are away from your baby, express milk by hand into a clean covered cup and keep it cool.
Key points to remember
- 1Breast milk only for six months, not even water.
- 2Supply follows demand, so feed often, including at night.
- 3Hand-expressed milk lets you keep going when you are apart.
When to get help
See a health worker if your baby is feeding fewer than eight times a day, has fewer than six wet nappies, is not gaining weight, or is too sleepy to feed.
Ask privately