The breastfeeding advice you need before your baby arrives

The first few hours, days, and weeks after childbirth are critical for building your milk supply. Knowing the basics of breastfeeding will help you take advantage of this important window. Here are the top things you need to know:

1. Nurse your baby as often as you can

To boost milk production, give your baby as much time at the breast as possible and consider hand expressing more milk at the end of each nursing session. Hand expression is often the easiest way to remove colostrum—your early breast milk—as it can be tricky to harvest with pumps due to its thickness. 

This 12-minute video is a great guide to early breastfeeding and shows you how to hand express, which you can do even if you and your baby are separated for medical reasons.

Why do this: Prolactin is the hormone that stimulates milk production. It spikes right after delivery, making this the best time to establish your milk supply. Your body will release more prolactin every time your breasts are stimulated—through nursing, hand expression, or pumping. This signals your body to make more milk for future nursing sessions.

2. Watch for signs they’re getting enough milk

Keep an eye and ear out for:

• A good latch—this means that your baby is attached to your breast well. You can see what that looks like here. 
• The sound and movement of swallowing, which you can see in this video. All of the videos in the breastfeeding series from Global Health Media may be helpful.  
• Frequent wet diapers: at least 3 wet diapers by their third day of life and 5 or more wet diapers by day five.
• A reduction in your baby’s hunger cues after they eat—instead of being restless, smacking their lips, and sucking on tight fists, they may appear peaceful, quiet, and relaxed.
• Your baby’s weight—with time, this will also be an indicator of your milk supply, but know that they’ll initially lose weight after birth before starting a steady weight gain.

Why do this: In addition to breast stimulation, the other major factor that triggers your body to make more milk is having milk removed from your breast. Though you can’t see how much your baby is drinking, you can watch for signs that your baby is effectively removing milk. 

If you’re not seeing all of these signs, talk to your baby’s pediatrician right away and consider reaching out to a lactation consultant.

3. Offer lots of skin-to-skin time on your chest

Why do this: Focusing on your baby, stroking their soft skin, and feeling their little body against yours stimulates the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is a fast-acting hormone that triggers your milk-making cells to push milk down toward your nipples. This makes it easier for your baby to nurse. 

In the first few weeks of life, babies can have trouble staying awake long enough for a full feeding. If your baby is falling asleep after just a few suckles, try waking them up by stroking their cheek or the bottom of their feet, uncovering them from a blanket, or taking a break to burp. If this doesn’t work, try to let them nap skin-to-skin on your chest so they can feed again when they wake up.

4. Do a little prep now in case breastfeeding doesn’t go as planned

Why do this: There can be a learning curve to breastfeeding—for both you and your baby: 

• Understand what local in-person support is available. Many hospitals, birthing centers, and pediatricians’ offices can point you to a certified lactation consultant. 
• Get familiar with your breast pump. Pumps can be intimidating at first and it’s best to explore them ahead of time. YouTube is great for this.
• Know that although there are a lot of common breastfeeding challenges, there are also lots of common solutions.
• Here’s some helpful information for breastfeeding a premature baby.

Finally, here are a few extra mom-to-mom tips:

• Bring your breastfeeding pillow to the hospital or birthing center. That way, when you get advice from the nurses and lactation consultants, you’ll have a setup similar to what you plan to use at home. 
• Try to learn more than one breastfeeding position before leaving the hospital or birthing center. This way, you can alternate, if needed, to take pressure off your nipples and body. Consider making one of those positions lying down or reclined. You may not feel ready to use it yet, but you’ll be happy to know how to do it a few weeks down the road. 

Learn more about the research 

Al-Chalabi M, Bass AN, Alsalman I. (2023) Physiology, prolactin. StatPearls Publishing. 

Huang, S. K., & Chih, M. H. (2020). Increased breastfeeding frequency enhances milk production and infant weight gain: Correlation with the basal maternal prolactin level. Breastfeeding Medicine, 15(10), 639-645.

Uvnäs­Moberg K, Ekström-Bergström A, Buckley S, Massarotti C, Pajalic Z, Luegmair K, et al. (2020) Maternal plasma levels of oxytocin during breastfeeding—A systematic review. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0235806. 

WIC Breastfeeding Support (n.d). How much milk your baby needs. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
World Health Organization (2009) The physiological basis of breastfeeding. Infant and Young Child Feeding: Model Chapter for Textbooks for Medical Students and Allied Health Professionals.