In the first days after birth, it is important that you put on the newborn as often as possible, because only in this way can your child learn to suckle well at the breast. It also stimulates milk production. Initially, the maternal breast produces colostrum. This colostrum is rich in nutrients and immune substances. The quantity is still small. Between the third and fifth day, the mature breast milk shoots in.
In the first few weeks, you should breastfeed your infant between eight and twelve times in a 24-hour period. The time interval between feedings should not be less than two hours. As a rule, babies are breastfed every two to three hours.
Try not to breastfeed according to a fixed rhythm, but according to your baby’s needs (“ad libitum”), as long as it is a healthy baby with a normal body weight.
Don’t wait too long before latching on. Once your baby starts crying, it is difficult to calm him down again or he then drinks too hastily and swallows too much air. This can lead to tummy aches. Crying is a late hunger signal. But: Not every time the child cries, he is hungry. If your child is really hungry, he makes searching movements with his mouth, clenches his little hands or sucks on them. Turning the head back and forth is also a hunger signal, as are whimpering and smacking.
The need to drink changes from time to time. There will be phases when your child wants to nurse more often. These are usually growth spurts or emotional development phases in which your child is hungrier or needs more closeness. For children, breastfeeding is not just about satisfying hunger. If the child has longer sleep phases at night, for example 5-6 hours, it is normal that he or she will want to drink more often during the day.
Do not worry if your child drinks only briefly. It probably sucks all the more effectively for that. Other babies drink very slowly and with pleasure. A breastfeeding session can take between five and 20 minutes. Don’t be put off by reports from other mothers. Every child has an individual sucking or drinking behavior.
Breastfeeding in the first few weeks is very strenuous, especially for mothers, and often leads to exhaustion. Take care of yourself. Get support from family or friends. Try to catch up on nighttime sleep during the day: sleep when the baby sleeps.
