What is Colostrum?

Starting to Breastfeed your Infant

There is a small window when your body will be able to realize it needs to produce milk.

The female body does not know if the baby survived until there is nipple stimulation, as far as your body is concerned the baby did not make it if there is no nipple stimulation.

Sometimes babies need to be placed in the NICU after they are born. Whether it is because the lungs are not formed yet or to protect the baby from jaundice. Being separated from the infant doesn't allow bonding and nipple stimulation. Therefore mothers in these situations need to stimulate themselves in order to produce milk.

Milk production happens within the first week of birth about 3 to 7 days after birth. The "let down" is the first production of milk in the breast.

For many women the first let down is very painful, uncomfortable the breast fill up like balloons. There are ways to adjust from the discomfort by self massage or asking your significant other to massage your breast for you. Massage will be painful and sore but it will break down the hardness of the let down. Smoothing out the breast will help break in your breast tissue as they inflate and deflate during the process of breastfeeding.

Icing the breast with a cold compress and taking pain medication can help alleviate the pain.

If there is no nipple stimulation within the first hours/ days of birth milk will not be produced. Only with nipple stimulation and the oxytocin released after birth will the body know that the baby survived and will start the milk production.

nipple pads organic pads

Breast feeding bras / comfortable outfits