Breastfeeding: Getting Off to a Good Start, Feed by Feed

Second night at the maternity ward. Your baby wants the breast every hour, falls asleep on it, wakes up crying the moment you put them down. Your mother whispers that you "don't have any milk yet". Almost every mum lives through this scene: it is part of the normal start to breastfeeding, and it does not mean something is wrong.

The first days do two things: feed your baby with colostrum, and send your body the signal to make milk. Here, feed by feed, is what is normal, what really helps, and the signs that should push you to ask for help.

The first feed: why the hour after birth matters

The WHO and UNICEF recommend putting your baby to the breast within the hour after birth. Just after delivery, a newborn goes through an alert period, in the first two hours, during which they look for the breast by themselves. It is the best time for a first try.

Skin-to-skin contact helps a great deal: baby naked or in a nappy, placed against your chest, under a blanket. They stay warm, calm down, and your smell guides them to the nipple. After a caesarean it is still possible in principle: talk to the team before the big day. If your baby is very sleepy, keep them against you and try again a little later. A delayed first feed does not jeopardise breastfeeding, UNICEF points out: you put your baby to the breast as soon as possible.

Colostrum: not much milk, but exactly what is needed

In the first days, your breasts produce colostrum, a thick, orange-yellow, very concentrated milk. Your baby swallows only a few millilitres per feed, about a teaspoon according to the UK's NHS. It is not much, but it suits their tiny stomach, and this first milk is rich in antibodies, vitamins and white blood cells.

This is often where those around you worry. Yet a breastfed newborn needs nothing else: no water, no sugar water, no herbal tea, even in summer. The WHO recommends giving no other food or drink, not even water, unless medically necessary. And every supplement that replaces a feed deprives your breasts of the stimulation they need to get going.

If your baby cannot yet feed effectively (separation, prematurity, great drowsiness), ask the team to show you how to express colostrum by hand, so that they benefit from it anyway.

How often should your baby feed in the first days?

As often as they ask, day and night. In practice that means at least 8 to 12 feeds per 24 hours, sometimes every hour, at irregular intervals. There is no minimum interval to respect and no ideal length: a feed can last 10 minutes or 45, especially at the beginning.

Night feeds are precious: it is at night that your body secretes the most prolactin, the hormone that controls milk production. Conversely, a very sleepy newborn must still eat regularly.

Later come growth spurts, around 2 weeks, between 4 and 6 weeks, then around 3 and 6 months according to Naître et grandir: for two or three days, your baby asks for the breast much more often. This is not a lack of milk, it is their way of increasing production.

A good feed can be seen and heard

Feeding well starts with latching well. Your baby is right up against you, facing the breast, head and body in line, nose level with the nipple. They open their mouth wide, their chin touches the breast first, and you can see more areola above their top lip than below. Ways of settling in are detailed in our article on breastfeeding positions.

During the feed, several signs are reassuring:

• a few quick sucks at the start, then wide, rhythmic movements with short pauses;
• swallowing that you can hear or see;
• cheeks that stay round, without hollowing;
• a baby who lets go of the breast by themselves, relaxed, and a breast that is softer than before.

A slight discomfort in the first week is common. On the other hand, pain that lasts the whole feed, or that persists despite a corrected position, is not normal: the latch needs checking before cracked nipples set in.

How do you know if your baby is getting enough milk?

You cannot see what they drink, but their nappies tell you a lot. At home, they are what guide you, along with the weight measured at check-ups.

The figures vary a little from country to country: two stools a day at least for the NHS, three or more for the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Above all, remember the trend: nappies that get heavier and stools that go from black to yellow.

On weight, a loss in the first days is normal. It should not exceed 8 to 10% of birth weight, and a baby generally regains that weight in 10 to 15 days. To read their measurements without panicking, see our guide to the growth chart.

Milk coming in: what changes between day 2 and day 5

Between day 2 and day 5, production increases markedly: this is milk "coming in". The breasts become fuller, heavier, sometimes tight, and the milk becomes whiter and more fluid. It is triggered by hormones, but it is frequent feeds that sustain it and limit the risk of engorgement. Everything you need to know about this stage is in our article on milk coming in.

Mother-in-law, neighbours, visitors: when those around you have doubts

In Morocco, the first weeks are rarely lived alone, and that is a blessing. During the nfissa, the 40 days after birth, mothers, mothers-in-law and aunts often take over at home. But breastfeeding also attracts contradictory opinions: "he's hungry, your milk is too thin", "give him a little water, it's hot", "one bottle for the night, you'll sleep".

A few benchmarks to answer without conflict:

• almost all mothers produce the amount of milk their baby needs, UNICEF points out, and production depends above all on the frequency and effectiveness of feeds;
• a baby who feeds often is not a baby who lacks milk: it is the normal way of the first days;
• water is not necessary before 6 months, even in summer.

Instead, offer grandmother a role that counts: the bath, the nappy change, the walk, cuddles between feeds, the family meals. And on visiting days, around the sbou3 (the baby naming ceremony on the seventh day) for example, set aside a quiet room for yourself to breastfeed, without having to justify yourself.

Getting help, at the maternity ward and then at home

Breastfeeding is learned, by you and by your baby, and early help saves a great deal of time. At the maternity ward, in a clinic or a hospital, ask the midwife or nurse to watch a whole feed, not just to settle your baby. Back home, the midwife, the paediatrician or a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) can check the latch and the weight.

For comfort, settle in before each feed: back supported, feet resting, baby brought to breast height rather than you leaning towards them. A few pillows are enough, but a nursing pillow supports better, especially after a caesarean.

From the shop

For comfortable breastfeeding from the very first days

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Products sold by La Maison du Bébé, publisher of this magazine. Prices as of 12 October 2026; please check the product page.