Getting Started with Breastfeeding
Right After Birth
Try to start breastfeeding within the first hour after giving birth. Babies are born with natural reflexes, and many can even latch on to the breast by themselves.
If you and your baby are healthy after birth, you can be skin-to-skin. Aim for the “golden hour” or one to two hours of uninterrupted skin-to-skin.
Breastfeeding takes time and practice.
Forming a good breastfeeding relationship with your baby takes time. Think of breastfeeding as a dance between you and your baby—it takes time to learn all the “steps,” and sometimes there can be stumbles or toes may get stepped on along the way.
But over time with practice, you begin to feel more confident and more in tune with your dance partner (aka your baby!). You start to get familiar with your baby’s hunger cues, and the positions that work best for both of you. Don’t feel discouraged if it does not happen right away.
What Is Colostrum?
Colostrum is the first milk you make. It has everything your baby needs to keep them healthy! Right after birth and for a couple of days, your body makes just a little colostrum—this is normal.
Here’s what to know about colostrum:
- Doing hand expression of colostrum often helps make more milk, even after your baby feeds.
- You can save colostrum and give it to baby with a spoon or syringe.
- Babies are supposed to get just a few drops of colostrum at first, not a full bottle!
Learn More About How to Prepare for Breastfeeding and Hand Expression
What Is Skin-to-Skin?
Most babies are placed skin-to-skin right after birth. Skin-to-skin is when you have your undressed baby snuggled up to your bare chest, covered with a blanket. Do skin-to-skin in the first one to two hours after birth and keep doing it often in the first days and weeks—and beyond!
What Will the First Few Days of Breastfeeding Be Like?
The first few days at home can be really hard and tiring. For many people, their milk comes in the day they leave the hospital. Your breasts may feel hard and painful.
Your baby might want to eat all day and night. That’s normal! In the womb, babies get food all the time. Feeding often helps your body make enough milk and fills their tiny tummy.
Remember:
- Newborns sleep more during the day and are often awake and hungry at night. It can take a few weeks for babies to start sleeping more at night.
- Breastmilk changes during the day. Daytime milk gives them energy and nighttime milk helps babies learn to sleep.
- Try to get your longest stretch of sleep early in the night (between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m.), when your body makes less milk.
Feeding Your Baby
