GETTING STARTED

GETTING STARTED

SUPPORT

SUPPORT

NEW JERSEY BREASTFEEDING LAWS

NEW JERSEY BREASTFEEDING LAWS

PUMPING AND RETURNING BACK TO WORK

PUMPING AND RETURNING BACK TO WORK

BREASTFEEDING AND COVID-19

BREASTFEEDING AND COVID-19

Getting Started: The First Month



The first few hours after a baby is born are very important.  Babies come out of the womb eager to breastfeed, in fact when placed on their mother’s belly some babies will use their senses and instincts to crawl up their mother’s chest to find milk, how amazing is that?

Babies should be placed on their mother’s bare skin right after birth, this is known as skin-to-skin.  By initiating skin-to-skin, mom and baby bond, baby is nice and warm, and breastfeeding can be initiated for the first time.

If your delivery hospital has an IBCLC on staff, be sure to request that they meet with you shortly after the baby is born.  The IBCLC or nursing staff can help you learn how to position and latch your baby and help answer any questions you may have.

Baby’s belly is only the size of a marble at birth and your body has just enough milk to fill it up.  Baby will be learning how to latch onto your breast and breastfeed.  Your nipples may be sore in the first few days, but pain should not be excruciating or unbearable.  In the coming days baby will begin to shift from learning how to breastfeed to demanding milk every 1-3 hours.  Breastfeeding may be new to you but it also new to your baby, remember that you are on this new journey together.


Days 4-7

You will now be introducing your littlest family member to their new home. Mom, baby, and other family members will be using this time to adjust. Baby is going to continue to master their breastfeeding skills. Your baby’s belly continues to grow and is now around the size of a ping pong ball. Your baby will begin to feed more and more frequently and will be showing clear signs of hunger. Some signs of hunger may include: rooting (baby will open their mouth and turn their head to the side looking for milk), body movements, hands to the mouth, or lip smacking and sucking. Crying is a late sign of hunger, so it is important to try to respond to your baby’s hunger signs before they get to this point. Your breasts may be full and you may notice some leaking, you can hand express or breastfeed your baby to get some relief.

Days 8-14

By day 10, baby’s belly will be around the size of a chicken egg. Baby should be eating anywhere from 8-12 times in 24 hours. Your body continues to create more milk. The more breastmilk baby takes the more you will make! Avoid introducing pacifiers until breastfeeding is well established. You should have met with your pediatrician by this time for your child’s first check-up. Be sure to make your choice to breastfeed known to the pediatrician and request that they encourage your breastfeeding goals.

Days 15-30

Baby should now be returned back to their birth weight and weight gain should continue to steadily increase. You may notice that baby demands more frequently at times (every hour or so), this is known as cluster feeding and it is completely normal. Babies will cluster feed during times when they are going through a developmental leap or a growth spurt and it is only temporary.