The Mother’s Milk

After having given birth it is important to bring the baby close to your breast so he or she will breastfeed. The sucking action will contribute to the secretion of a substance that will stimulate the production of milk. The first two or three days your baby will drink colostrum, which is a yellowish orangish colored liquid, rich in proteins, fat, vitamin E, and mineral salts. It also has laxative virtues that favor the expulsion of the black and sticky stools. Sometimes this process can cause fever, headache etc but it goes away quickly. After around two or three days your body will start to produce milk. If you want to accelerate the process, you can place a hot water bag covered with a towel on your breast, and this will help to stimulate the flow of milk. 

It is natural that you think you produce a small amount of milk, but it is enough for the baby. It’s important you continue breastfeeding so that you will continue to produce more milk. Some mothers become desperate and use formula as a complement, and the consequence is that the amount of breast milk the mother has diminishes due to the lack of stimulus.

The sucking reflex is innate; so don’t become worried if it takes your baby a little bit of time to grab hold of the nipple. Encourage the baby to do so by placing your nipple at his mouth and playing with his lower lip until he opens his mouth.

If you want to know if your baby is indeed getting an adequate amount of milk, weigh the baby every week during the first month to make sure the baby is gaining weight at an adequate rhythm.

During the first three days, newborns lose up to ten percent of their birth weight, but they gain it back between seven and ten days. The normal range of weight increase is between 150 to 200 grams a week, although babies that are breastfed tend to be thinner and gain weight at a slower pace than babies that are fed with formula.