Expectant mothers should get educated on the benefits of breastfeeding and one of the best ways to boost their knowledge is to enrol in a parenting class.

The advice came from retired nurse Rita Stevens, who began work in the island’s healthcare system in 1982 and has worked with women at all stages of pregnancy.

Ms Stevens spoke about the issue during this week’s episode of Bermuda Health-Abets, a podcast produced by the Department of Health, dedicated to discussing healthy living.

The episode, highlighting the benefits of breastfeeding, aired during World Breastfeeding Week, observed globally from August 1 to 7.

Ms Stevens, who runs the Birth Plus education and support group, said breastfeeding was the best method to feed an infant ‒ when a mother has done “all the right things to have an adequate supply” and has “a baby that’s thriving”.

She said that many women in Bermuda today were “saying yes” to breastfeeding, probably from “conversations within their family, like the mother breastfed, or the granny, aunties, cousins, girlfriends”.

However, she also believes awareness of the practice has been lacking, with an expectant mother needing to know “how the breast works, how milk supply is established” and “what newborn babies are like”.

She advised: “First of all, I would get educated while I am pregnant. I would seek out a breastfeeding class or somebody who knows about it so I would understand these things.

“People don’t sign up for those classes because they think they know, until they get into a situation and they don’t know.”

Ms Stevens said she was not a fan of the use of breast pumps immediately after the infant’s birth.

Instead of learning how to operate the device, she said mothers should be bonding with babies to get acquainted with their breastfeeding habits.

Ms Stevens said: “The baby is the best establisher of your milk supply, so the baby suckle pattern sends a message to your brain.”

She added: “My whole thing is, education ahead of time.”

After delivery, Ms Stevens said mothers required recovery time or risked missing breastfeeding in the early days of the infant’s life.

“That’s what kills the breastfeeding, that’s what kills the early days of getting to know who your baby is, relaxing, enjoying your early motherhood.”

She said mothers should ensure babies were exclusively breastfed within 42 days from birth ‒ although there could be cases where the mother was unable to produce enough milk.

She explained: “Maybe the baby needs 24 ounces of milk and you’re only making 12 and no matter what a person advises you, you never really make more than 12.”

In such cases, she said 12 ounces each, of baby formula and milk per day “is a beautiful thing to put in a baby’s body”.

She added: “In other words, you’re still encouraging the mother to do her part.”

If you are bottle-feeding an infant, Ms Stevens said that since a baby’s “brain is always working”, the mother’s partner or an immediate relative in the household could be designated to feed the child in her absence.

She said it taught babies that food could come from a different person.

Within a month of birth, Ms Stevens said a child would be familiar with its mother’s face, and associate it with food.

“So that’s why I prefer the bottle after a month, so that they don’t get too hooked on mommy totally breastfeeding,” she added.

The retired nurse said there were mothers who preferred to breastfeed their babies exclusively during the first year.

She added: “That’s fine because everybody can decide for themselves.”

However, she said: “The baby’s brain is going to say ‘I don’t eat from anybody else’.”

In such cases, she advised mothers to “think about your life in the months to come”.

She added: “If you have to go back to work, you definitely want a baby that says ‘yes’ to food from other people.”