Let’s talk about what happens once you’re holding your precious new one in your arms. The first couple of hours after birth your baby is in a perfect state for her first nursing. For an hour or so after birth, she’s in the “active, alert” stage and ready to begin learning more about you and about how to get nourishment from your breast.

Before we go into some of the specific techniques to refer, remember this very important phrase: Early and Often

Early and often is almost like a mantra. It’s something that breastfeeding educators repeat over and over because it is very important to nurse both early and often in order to:

• Establish milk supply – you need to give the message to your brain right away to “send milk!”
• Help baby learn to breastfeed – these early hours and days are crucial
• Assist your uterus to contract (reducing blood loss after birth) 

Important Things to Remember:

In the first hours and days postpartum, your milk will consist of colostrum, the early milk that your breasts start producing during pregnancy. This milk is exceedingly important for new babies as it contains antibodies that help your baby build a healthy immunity. Colostrum “paints” the intestinal tract with healthy bacteria which will help prevent allergies and other health problems later. It’s very important that your baby not receive any other milk or liquid other than your milk during the early hours and days postpartum. Extra water, sugar water, or formula are not needed for a healthy full term baby.

If your baby is born prematurely, your medical team will likely be thrilled that you are nursing, as he especially needs the health benefits of your milk! They will work with you to make sure your baby gets your milk in whatever fashion he can handle. Some premies take a little time before they can nurse at the breast, but you can pump your milk with a hospital grade electric breastpump and feed him this liquid gold.

Your Doctor may tell you that your baby needs formula or sugar water if he is large or hypoglycemic (low blood sugar). This is false. Your baby needs to nurse as much as possible so that he gets your milk, and to stimulate a hearty supply.

Keep in mind that before your milk supply increases (about the 3^rd to 5^th day postpartum), you are producing teaspoons, not ounces. That is perfectly okay. The more often you put baby to breast, the quicker your milk will transition from colostrum to mature milk. This doesn’t diminish the importance of colostrum however. Colostrum is referred to as “liquid gold” for a reason.