Read breastfeeding tips and find out what to expect in the first days after your baby is born. You can also find out why the first milk is important and how often to feed your baby.
Baby’s First Feeding
If you and your baby are well, you will be encouraged to breastfeed as quickly as possible, and his or her sucking reflex will be at its strongest immediately after birth. Putting your baby flat on your breast after the birth will help your uterus to recover and the placenta that remains in the uterus to be expelled from your body as soon as possible. But don’t worry if the baby doesn’t immediately grasp the nipple of your breast, skin-to-skin contact will help regulate his/her body temperature and breathing and help you to get your milk in.
First milk (colostrum) – the perfect food for newborns
Your body will have started making your first milk by mid-pregnancy. This first milk looks pale yellow to light brown and contains about three times more protein than mature breast milk, as well as antibodies, vitamins and minerals. In fact, first milk is made up of over 60 components, 30 of which are found only in human (breast) milk. First milk helps your baby to produce and pass its first stool (meconium – the material swallowed while in the womb). It better defends the large and small intestine against bacteria and viruses. The first milk, which is very small at first, gradually increases as you breastfeed more, the newborn’s stomach is the size of a marble. An average feed on the first day is one teaspoon. In cases where some mothers fill a syringe (injection device) with a small amount of their first milk in the last trimester of pregnancy and freeze it, both they and their baby may have to face feeding difficulties at birth.
How often should I feed my newborn?
Some babies are sleepy in the first few days and need to be fed at least every three hours. It is completely normal for a newborn baby to lose some weight after birth, the average baby will lose 7% of its weight during the first week of life, babies usually return to their birth weight within two weeks.
When will my mature milk arrive?
The expulsion of the placenta triggers the second stage of milk production and your mature milk will start to come in 3 to 5 days. Your baby’s stomach will grow to hold more food and at first it will need to feed more frequently, up to 8 to 12 times in a 24-hour day. As your baby grows, his or her meals will be spread over a longer period of time.