Breast milk will give your baby all the nutrition that they need at first, except for vitamin D. The composition of the milk will also change in accordance with the child’s growth and needs.
Breast milk will protect your baby against infectious diseases, support intestinal maturation and reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Breastfeeding also prevents many long-term diseases.
Breastfeeding will support your recovery from childbirth and reduce your risk of breast and ovarian cancer. In turn, the feel-good hormone produced by breastfeeding can boost your mood and help you relax.
When you are breastfeeding, your baby will be close to you, making it easier for you to notice and understand their needs. At the same time, the baby will feel closeness and comfort in your lap.
Breastfeeding is also convenient: milk from the breast is always with you and ready for use! It is also ecological and free of charge.
Breastfeeding will provide your baby not only with ideal nutrition, but also with closeness, comfort, security, and even relief if the baby is ill. Breast milk is particularly beneficial for babies born prematurely.
Starting breastfeeding
Immediately after birth, the baby usually gets to rest in your or your partner’s arms. While resting on the mother’s skin, the baby will instinctively crawl to the breasts, where they can practice sucking for the first time in peace.
A healthy baby who breastfeeds frequently can get by with colostrum, your breasts’ first milk. Colostrum is usually produced in small amounts but is very nutritious.
Soon after, the composition of the milk changes, and around 2–4 days after childbirth, the amount of milk begins to increase substantially. This stage is referred to as milk “coming in.”
Skin-to-skin contact encourages the baby to latch on and suckle more frequently, which increases milk production and speeds up the milk coming in. You can boost the process of your milk coming in by letting your baby suckle your breasts without any long breaks right from childbirth. In fact, your baby will spend most of their waking hours practising breastfeeding over the first days.
The baby’s condition or your own recovery from childbirth may initially affect the start of breastfeeding. If necessary, your nurse will advise you to help your milk come in by milking your breasts by hand or with a pump.
The first weeks of breastfeeding
In the first few weeks, your baby may want to feed three times an hour or every three hours, all of which is normal. The baby may be sleepy sometimes in the first few weeks, in which case you will need to wake them up to breastfeed. Your baby should breastfeed 8–12 times a day.
After the first few weeks, breastfeeding often starts to pick up. The time taken to breastfeed in one session may be reduced. Babies start to spend varying amounts of time at the breast, and the intervals between feedings vary according to the baby’s energy levels.
Babies also often go through so-called periods of frequent suckling, whereby the baby clearly wants to be at your breast more, thus increasing the amount of milk produced. There will be several periods of frequent suckling during the first couple of months, after which the milk volume usually stabilises.
The baby’s hunger cues
Your baby will express their need for milk with gestures and expressions called hunger cues. Examples of the baby’s hunger cues include sucking fingers, turning their head and putting their hands in their mouth.
Crying is a late hunger cue from the baby. If the baby is crying because of hunger, you may need to soothe them a little before they can calm down to suckle. It is often better to offer your breast to the baby before they cry.
- sticks their tongue out of their mouth
- opens and closes their mouth
- tastes their fingers
- smacks their mouth and opens their mouth wide.
- restlessly turns their head from side to side
- pecks while looking for the tip of your breast.
Latch and breastfeeding positions
A good breastfeeding position and a good latch will make breastfeeding easier and enable the baby to receive enough milk. You can breastfeed in different positions. Feel free to practise different breastfeeding positions to find out what suits you. At the maternity hospital and the maternity and child health clinic, we will teach your family positions that suit you.
The baby’s
- ears, shoulders and hips are in line, without twisting of the body or head
- head is tilted back slightly
- body is attached to the mother (the baby is helped to attach to the mother, not the other way around)
- hands are on both sides of the breast
- shoulders and back are supported, but in a manner that allows them to freely move their head.
- nose is at nipple height when they are grasping at the breast.
The mother has
- a comfortable position with good back support
- her feet firmly on the ground or on a bench if she is breastfeeding in a sitting position
- a pillow or pillows to support her arms if necessary (the pillows are not for the baby, but to support the mother).
- The baby’s mouth is wide open.
- The baby’s chin touches the mother’s breast.
- The nipple is deep in the baby’s mouth.
- If breastfeeding hurts, the pain only occurs in the beginning.
- The nipple has not flattened or changed colour after breastfeeding.
The partner’s role in supporting breastfeeding
As a partner, your support for the breastfeeding parent is important. Giving birth is often followed by a period of high emotionality, and breastfeeding can sometimes feel difficult at first. Offer emotional support and understanding and encouragement to your partner to breastfeed.
You can help the breastfeeding parent and the baby to find comfortable positions and support the baby in finding a good latch.
Although the baby will spend a lot of time at the breast in the beginning, you will also have your own time to nurture, caress and get to know your baby in peace. Place the baby directly on your bare skin and offer the birthing parent a rest between frequent breastfeeding sessions.
Is the baby getting enough milk?
Let your baby suckle as much as they want. Make sure that the baby eats at least 8–12 times a day, but offer your breast more frequently if the baby expresses a need for it.
Make sure that the baby is suckling and swallowing the milk efficiently.
Make sure that the baby pees at least five times a day after the milk supply has increased since the first few days. Make sure that the baby poops every day in the first few weeks of their life.
We will monitor your baby’s weight at the maternity and child health clinic. The baby’s weight should not decrease by more than 10% of their birth weight in the first few days, and later, the baby should gain at least 140 grams per week.
- The baby suckles rhythmically
- The suction feels strong
- The baby’s latch is firm and steady
- The baby does not make repetitive suckling sounds (smacking or clicking sounds)
- The baby’s cheeks remain bulging outwards
- The baby swallows noticeably
- After the milk has come in, the baby takes a short break before swallowing as their mouth is full of milk.
Challenges in breastfeeding
Breastfeeding does not always start as smoothly as you would like. The situation can be affected by factors such as the condition of the baby or the breastfeeding parent after childbirth. If you keep having difficulties with breastfeeding, contact your maternity and child health clinic as soon as possible.
Breastfeeding challenges can often be solved by improving the breastfeeding position or the baby’s latch, for example.
