Breast-feeding: demand feeding

All mothers are anatomically equipped to feed their babies and you will be able to feed your baby on demand as he needs.

• There is no such a thing as a mother physically incapable of feeding her baby: the size of your breasts bears no relation to the amount of milk that you can produce, although breast enlargement or reduction surgery can affect the ability to breast-feed.

• Milk is produced in deeply buried glands, not the fatty tissue of the breasts, so don't worry if your breasts are rather small: they are adequate. The amount of milk that you produce is dependent on how much your baby takes, hence the expression supply and demand. For example, if your baby's appetite is not very great then your breasts will not produce very much milk because they're not being stimulated by your baby to do so. If your baby is an eager feeder, your breasts will respond and produce more milk. The amount of milk available for your baby will fluctuate throughout the whole time that you breast-feed, according to how much your baby takes.

• If your baby is hungry half an hour after being fed, don't worry. Your breasts will have produced some milk for your baby to feed on, and they'll soon build up a supply for his new needs. When the need for more feeds slows down the breasts will produce less.

• A newborn needs 60-100ml (2-3 ½ floz) of milk per 500g (1lb) of body weight, so a 3.5kg (7lb 11oz) baby will need 400-650ml (14-24floz) daily. Your breasts each produce 40-60ml (1 ½ -2floz) of milk in three hours so your daily output of 700-1000ml (24-35floz) is ample.

Breast-feeding with colostrum

During the 72 hours after delivery the breasts don't produce milk. Instead they manufacture a thin, yellow fluid called colostrum. This fluid is made up of water, protein and minerals and it takes care of all your baby's nutritional needs during the first days of his life before your breast-milk comes in.

Benefits of colostrum

Colostrum contains invaluable antibodies that protect your baby against diseases like polio and influenza, as well as intestinal and respiratory infections. It has an additional laxative effect that stimulates the excretion of meconium (see The genitals). It's important to put your baby to the breast regularly in the first days, both to feed on the colostrum and to get used to latching on to the breast (see The first time).

Every time your baby cries in the early days you can put him to the breast but for only a couple of minutes each side at first so that the nipples don't get sore. Putting your baby to the breast also helps the uterus to contract.

Dr Miriam Stoppard

New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard

Posted 30.06.2010

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