The Mechanics of Breastfeeding

The great amount of estrogen and progesterone the body experiments during pregnancy causes the breasts to increase in size and sometimes it can really bring on a big change a big change in the breast size. The growth of a woman’s breasts starts out early, usually around three or four weeks into the pregnancy and this is also when a lot of women’s breasts start becoming very sensitive. As the pregnancy advances, the breasts start to secrete a liquid that is somewhat like a serum. However, the real production of milk only starts after the baby is born.

In the days after having had the baby, the breasts will secrete a yellowish liquid that is known as colostrum that does not actually have much milk in it but that is very rich in antibodies and protective cells that come from the mother’s blood. These very rich substances help the newborn baby fight infections until the baby’s own system matures enough to be able to fulfill this function alone. The colostrum is the replaced by milk gradually.

Many women worry that their baby isn’t getting enough to eat during the first days after having been born, but there is no need to worry. The colostrum the baby is getting is very beneficial for the baby in itself. Besides, the baby will not feel very hungry in the first two or three days, and this is the time in which he or she spends learning how to drink the mother’s milk.

The sucking movement the baby does with his or her mouth indicates to the mother’s brain that she needs to produce more milk automatically. Around two or three days after the mother has given birth, the production of milk then takes its course. When the milk goes down the conducts, the breasts fill up with milk. As a matter a fact, the milk can congest the breasts so much that it might feel like you have rocks in your breasts and they can get pretty sensitive. Not to be worried though, as when the baby starts to really eat, the milk will begin to flow and the congestion will not be as intense as it was in the beginning. After the baby has been drinking for some time, you might even notice that milk comes out of your breasts automatically whenever you hear the baby crying or when you touch your baby.

Generally women that are breastfeeding produce around six ounces of milk a day towards the end of the first week after having had the baby. The amount of milk will then increase to around fourteen ounces towards the end of the third week and then will reach its peak up to one and a half to two liters of milk.