Everything you need to know about the basics of breastfeeding.
- Feed your newborn 8-12 times in 24 hours
- Signs of hunger include: baby is sucking on lips, fingers, fist or roots toward anything touching his/her cheek
- Breastfed babies eat more frequently than formula fed babies because breastmilk is easily digested and passes through the stomach faster
- Milk supply is determined by stimulation of your breasts. Allow baby to nurse as long and often as they desire. The more you breastfeed your baby the more milk you will make
- Avoid bottle supplementation unless medically necessary, as this could lower your milk supply and may affect your baby’s desire to latch to breast
- Your baby should have a wet diaper for every day of age until your milk is in, generally 2-5 days after birth
- By the time your milk is in, between days 2-5, you should see 6-8 wet diapers per 24 hours and 4 or more, possibly up to 10, stools per 24 hours
- The stools should change color from black meconium, to olive green, to yellow
- Once your milk is in, stools should be loose and seedy
- You should hear swallowing when breastfeeding and see lots of large jaw motion and sucking
- Your baby should be content for 1-2 hours between most feedings
- Your breast should feel softer and less full at the end of each feeding
Your baby should gain approximately one ounce per day or 5-7 ounces per week, Remember, all babies lose some weight in the first days, but usually start gaining by the fifth day or exceed their birth weight by two weeks of age.
| Day | Wets | Stools |
| Day 1 | 1-2 | 1-2 dark green/black |
| Day 2 | 2-3 | 2-3 dark to greenish-brown |
| Day 3 | 3-4 | 3-4 greenish brown to yellowish |
| Day 4 | 3-4 | 3-4 greenish brown to yellowish |
| Days 5-7 | 6+ | 3-4 greenish brown to yellowish |
Call your baby’s healthcare provider if:
- Your baby misses two feedings in a row
- Your baby is having decreased wet/dirty diapers
- Your baby is sleepy and / or looks yellow
Breastmilk storage guidelines for your baby at home:
- Warm breast milk in a cup of hot tap water. Do not use a microwave oven to warm breast milk.
- Thawed breast milk should be used within 24 hours and should not be refrozen.
- If baby does not take an entire bottle of breast milk, bottle is good at room temperature for 1 hour from time bottle was prepared.
| Room temperature | Refrigerator | Refrigerator/Freezer | Deep Freeze | |
| Freshly Expressed Breastmilk | 4 hours | 4 days | 6 months | 6-12 months |
| Thawed Breastmilk | Do not store | 24 hours | Never refreeze thawed breastmilk | Never refreeze thawed breastmilk |
Treatment of Breast Engorgement during Breastfeeding:
- Breastfeed your baby frequently, every 1-3 hours and as baby shows hunger cues
- Hand express or pump your milk for several minutes to bring milk down and soften your nipple and areola before starting to feed your baby. For a video demonstration, visit www.stanford.edu and search for hand expression.
- Ice packs to your breasts every hour for 15-20 minutes to reduce swelling. A frozen bag of vegetables makes a great ice pack.
- Continue to take ibuprofen/Motrin around-the-clock to reduce swelling. Do not take if allergic to ibuprofen.
- Avoid heat to your breast as that will increase the swelling. A warm shower is OK.
If your baby is not frequently breastfeeding long and strong, hand express or pump your breasts for 15-20 minutes every 2-3 hours. This will empty your breasts and maintain your milk supply until the baby is breastfeeding again.
Sore Nipple Care:
- Breastfeeding should not be painful. You may experience tenderness/discomfort when your baby initially latches. Discomfort should subside within 1-2 minutes of baby nursing.
- If breastfeeding is painful, make sure your baby is latched deeply to the breast.
- Applying one of the following as needed may be soothing for sore nipples: expressed breast milk, Lanolin, hydrogels, olive oil or coconut oil.
- If you have persistent sore nipple pain or cracked/bleeding nipples, call your MercyOne lactation specialist or your healthcare provider.
