Will You Make Enough Milk to Breastfeed?
The first few days after birth, your breasts make an ideal “first milk” called colostrum. There’s not a lot of it, but there’s plenty to meet your baby’s nutritional needs. Colostrum helps a newborn’s digestive tract develop and prepare itself to digest breast milk.
Colostrum is the first phase of breast milk, which changes over time to give your baby the nutrition they need as they grow. The second phase is called transitional milk. You make this as your colostrum is gradually replaced with the third phase of breast milk, called mature milk.
You’ll start to make transitional milk a few days after giving birth. By 10-15 days after birth, you’ll make mature milk, which gives your baby all the nutrition they need.
Most babies lose a small amount of weight in the first 3-5 days after birth. This is unrelated to breastfeeding.
Even if you breastfeed less than the recommended 6 months, it’s better to breastfeed for a short time than no time at all. You can add solid food at 6 months but also continue to breastfeed if you want to keep producing milk.
Is your baby getting enough milk?
Many breastfeeding moms wonder whether their babies get enough milk for good nutrition. If your baby is getting enough breastmilk, they should:
- Not lose more than 7% of their birth weight in the first few days after delivery
- Seem content for about 1-3 hours between feedings
- Have at least 6 diapers a day wet with very pale or clear pee by the time they are 7-10 days old
How to increase milk supply
- As your baby needs more milk and nurses more, your breasts usually respond by making more milk. Experts recommend trying to breastfeed exclusively (no formula, juice, or water) for 6 months. If you supplement with formula, your breasts might make less milk.
- But some new parents struggle to make enough milk early on. This could happen if your baby was born prematurely or if you were separated from your baby soon after their birth.
- One way to increase your milk supply may be to pump more often, not longer. Try pumping for 10 minutes, then take a 10-minute break for about an hour, in addition to your normal pumping schedule. This could help increase your milk supply within 3-4 days.
- Be sure to stay hydrated when nursing, especially if you’re also drinking any caffeinated beverages.
If you’re not seeing an increase in your milk supply despite pumping often, talk with your health care provider or a lactation consultant. It may be the case that your breast pump doesn’t fit your breast, and they can help you find the right size.
