Breastfeeding Immediately

Successful breastfeeding is the combined result of practice, patience, and proper positioning. Breastfeeding as soon as possible -- preferably within an hour after birth -- will get you and your baby off to a good start. Prompt breastfeeding can also help prevent engorgement -- an uncomfortable, "full" feeling in the breasts caused by swollen lymph nodes, extra blood and excess milk. Keeping your infant with you during your hospital stay will help you get to know and immediately respond to baby's cues. In addition to beginning the important cycle of milk supply and demand, early breastfeeding allows your baby to receive the benefits of colostrum. Rich in nutrients and antibodies, colostrum is the first milk you produce and is your baby's perfect starter food.

Immediately after birth, your baby will be in a quiet alert state and generally receptive to breastfeeding. (If your baby isn't ready the very first time you try to breastfeed, try again within the next half hour or so.) Within a couple of hours, your baby will become quite sleepy; drowsiness may last for several days.

Breastfeeding - How Your Breasts Produce Milk?

Milk is produced and stored in the glandular tissue (alveoli) of your breasts. It collects in pockets (lactiferous sinuses) located beneath the areola (the dark area around the nipple) until it is released by a baby's sucking. Stimulation of the nipples causes the mother's pituitary gland, located in the brain, to secrete prolactin, which initiates and maintains milk production. The first milk your baby receives at each feeding is the milk that has collected in the pockets between feedings. This low-fat foremilk is high in protein and satisfies the baby's thirst. As breastfeeding continues, a second hormone called oxytocin is secreted. Oxytocin causes the tissue around the alveoli to contract, thus squeezing the high-fat hindmilk down the ducts and into the pockets where it is available to satisfy your baby's hunger.

Many mothers experience a tingling or rushing sensation in the breasts as this "let down," or milk ejection reflex (MER), occurs. Other mothers notice only that sucking becomes longer and slower, and that baby begins to swallow rhythmically. Keys to establishing a quick let-down are relaxation and confidence that your body is doing exactly what it was designed to do: feeding your baby the world's best baby milk -- produced by you!