Your Breastfeeding Timeline
Solutions for the first day, week, month and beyond.
by Jeanne Sager
February 2, 2009
Days Two through Four: I Can't Be Making Enough
"You are going to have a panic about, 'is this baby getting enough to eat,'" Kellams warns. "I had it, and I'm a pediatrician!"
Leaving the hospital, most moms expect they should be ready to get that breastfeeding routine going. It rarely works that way. Not only is the learning curve still there (and will be for two to three weeks, Kellams says), but a mother's milk often takes several days to start filling the ducts of the breasts.
In the meantime, the baby is living off of the colostrum, the thin calorie-rich liquid that is essentially "pre-milk." As long as a baby is still making several dirty diapers a day, they're getting enough to eat.
"In the early days, weight loss can be and often is normal," Keegan adds. "If you are pumping, be aware that pumping small amounts is not an indicator of a low milk supply."
Days Four through Six: All we have to say is OUCH.
"Your breasts are going to feel like bricks."
When the milk does come in, there's pain — even with the perfect latch. There can also be pain when the baby's nowhere nearby.
"The breasts are going to feel rock hard, like bricks," Kellams says. "It's tender, but it's time to celebrate — this means you're getting over the 'is he getting enough' stage."
You're going to feel like the last thing you want someone to do is touch your chest, but now's the time to let the baby nurse . . . and nurse . . . and nurse some more.
When the breasts are fully engorged, gently squeezing to express a little, making it easier for the tiny mouth to latch on, might be necessary. Once latched, they'll suck out the milk that's causing all that pain. Each time they nurse, the baby will trigger the body to make more to keep up with his or her eating needs, helping the engorgement phase to pass in a day or two, straight into the ebb and flow of making milk and feeding, then making more.
Related Resources
Breastfeeding FAQ and Forums, on La Leche League
Breastfeeding Advice, on Berkeley Parents Network
Breastfeeding FAQs: Pain on MSN Health
Breastfeeding and Growth Spurts, on KellyMom
For pain when they're not on the breast? Try cabbage leaves in your bra, Tylenol (consult your doctor, naturally), cool compresses . . . whatever works.
Week Three: You're Finally Getting It . . . and Now It's Not Enough
They're called growth spurts. Remember when your mom complained you kids always seemed to need a new pair of shoes? Babies grow quickly, and as they grow, they start needing more food to sustain that growth.
"Suddenly they're nursing, nursing, nursing, and you feel like your boobs are going to fall off," Kellams says with a laugh. "The baby will tell your body how much they want; it's supply and demand."
If they still seem hungry, let them nurse on an empty breast to stimulate milk production — and keep eating and drinking a lot of fluids to help your body do the job.
Now's the time to start introducing the breast pump if you plan to go back to work at the six-week mark — start with one pump a day at a time you know you'll be at work. Replace the baby's next feeding with the bottled milk and keep working up from there.
©2009 Jeanne Sager and Babble
About the Author
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Jeanne Sager is a freelance writer and photographer living in upstate New York with her husband and daughter, Jillian. She maintains a blog of her award-winning columns at jeannesager.blogspot.com. |
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