How long should I breastfeed my baby and how often?

It is best to start breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth. During the first hour or so after birth most babies are quite awake and alert and willing to nurse. Try to arrange with your doctor or hospital staff that your baby can stay with you after birth and that they don't take him away immediately to weigh and wash him. These things can be done later. These first moments after birth are very special and important for you and your baby, and you should be given the time to get to know each other, to touch and smell, to cuddle and to breastfeed.

When you breastfeed your baby soon after birth, your baby's sucking will contract your uterus and this helps to expel your placenta and lessens the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Breastfeeding soon and frequently from the beginning can help prevent painful engorgement and your milk will come in sooner.

The milk you produce in the first few days after birth is called colostrum. It is a thick, yellowish substance high in protein, low in fat and contains a lot of antibodies. It is the ideal food for your baby these first few days. It is easily digested and works in a way as a mild laxative, so your baby will pass his first stool, called meconium, faster. This helps to prevent your baby from getting jaundice.

Breastmilk is digested easier and more rapidly than formula and doesn't put a strain on your baby's digestive system. The proteins in formula milk take longer and are more difficult to digest. That is the reason that formula fed babies demand to feed less often. A newborn breastfed baby therefore, needs to be fed at least every 2 to 3 hours during the day and 1 or 2 times during the night (8-12 times per 24 hours).

It is better not to feed your baby on a nursing schedule or to limit the time baby nurses on the breast.
Breastfeeding is a very natural process; your breasts produce milk in answer to your baby feeding at your breast. The more the baby nurses, the more milk you will produce, and the less your baby nurses the less milk your body will make. When you nurse your baby on a schedule your breasts may not receive enough stimulation to make sufficient milk for your baby and this can result in inadequate weight gain and failure to thrive. Therefore it is better to let baby decide when and how long he wants to nurse.

Some newborn babies sleep a lot the early weeks and it is necessary to wake them up for a feeding. Don't let your baby sleep more than 4 hours during the day without nursing, in the night he needs to be fed at least once (see section NIGHT FEEDINGS for more information).

Sometimes your baby may suddenly want to nurse more often for a few days. What is happening? Your baby is growing rapidly and needs more milk for his growing body.
When you let him nurse more often your body will produce more milk and your baby will go back to nursing like he did before. These "growth spurts" can happen around 2 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months of age.

 

HOW LONG?

If your baby is positioned well breastfeeding shouldn't hurt and you can feed as long as your baby wants. Let him nurse on one side until he swallows less often or dozes off. This may be after 10-15 minutes or so, then put him on the other side and let him nurse for as long as he wants. The next feeding you start on the side you last finished with. It is best to give both breasts at each feeding, especially in the early weeks of breastfeeding, to stimulate your milk supply.

As during pregnancy, you don't need to do anything special to clean your nipples. Just washing with plain water when you take your shower is enough. Don't use soap, alcohol or antiseptic creams on your nipples, they can dry your skin and promote soreness and cracking of the nipples. It is important to let your nipples dry after each feeding, leave your bra flaps open after each nursing for a few minutes until your nipples have dried.