Breastfeeding for Beginners: How It Works and What to Expect

Breastfeeding is natural, but it is also a skill you and your baby learn together. Much of the early worry comes from not knowing what normal looks like, so here are the basics.

How breastfeeding works

Milk production runs on supply and demand. Each time your baby removes milk, your body gets the signal to make more. As the NHS puts it, the more you breastfeed, the more milk you make. That is why frequent feeding in the early weeks matters so much, and why skipping feeds can slowly reduce supply. Our guide on how often to breastfeed a newborn explains what frequent looks like in practice.

The second part is the let-down (milk ejection reflex). When your baby sucks, your body releases the hormone oxytocin, which squeezes milk out of the milk-making sacs and toward the nipple. Some people feel a tingle or a brief ache. Others feel nothing. You might notice your baby switching from quick sucks to slower, deeper swallows, or milk leaking from the other breast. Stress and pain can slow the let-down, so getting comfortable before you start really does help.

The first days and weeks

For the first few days your breasts make colostrum, a thick, concentrated first milk. Your baby needs only small amounts, about a teaspoon per feed at first. Around 2 to 4 days after birth your breasts usually feel fuller as milk volume increases. Over the next couple of weeks the milk changes from colostrum to mature milk. Curious what’s in it? Read what breast milk is made of.

Expect frequent feeds, every 1 to 3 hours at first, including at night. Skin-to-skin contact helps keep your baby warm and calm and makes it easier for them to find the breast.

Signs of a good latch

A deep latch is the single biggest factor in comfortable feeding. Look for:

• A wide-open mouth, with the chin touching the breast first
• Lips flared outward, and more of the darker skin around your nipple showing above the top lip than below
• Rounded cheeks, not sucked in
• Rhythmic sucking with pauses and swallowing you can hear
• Feeding that feels comfortable after the first few sucks

Our step-by-step guide on how to breastfeed covers latching, breaking the latch and fixing common mistakes.

Feeding cues

Try to feed when you see early hunger cues, before your baby is upset:

• Hands to the mouth
• Turning the head toward your breast
• Puckering, smacking or licking the lips
• Clenched hands

Crying is a late sign of hunger. A crying baby often needs calming before they can latch well. When your baby is full, they close their mouth, turn away and relax their hands.

Is my baby getting enough?

You can’t see ounces at the breast, so look at what comes out and at weight. The AAP gives these guideposts:

Baby’s age	Wet diapers	Dirty diapers
Days 1–2	A few, rising as milk increases	1–2 black, tarry stools (meconium) per day
Days 3–4	Rising each day	At least 2, turning greenish to yellow
Days 5–7	6 or more, pale or almost clear urine	Yellow, loose stools with small curds, usually several a day

Most babies lose some weight after birth. The AAP says a loss of no more than 8% to 10% in the first few days is expected before they start gaining again. Your baby should have a checkup within 48 hours of leaving the hospital so their weight can be checked. Babies also seem content and drowsy after a good feed.

If you’d like a rough idea of how much milk babies drink by age and weight, see our breast milk feeding chart. Not sure whether a diaper looks right? Our baby poop color chart explains every color and when to call the pediatrician.

Common positions in brief

• Cradle hold: baby’s head in the bend of your elbow on the feeding side
• Cross-cradle hold: opposite arm supports the baby for more control
• Football (clutch) hold: baby tucked along your side, handy after a C-section
• Side-lying: both of you lying down, facing each other
• Laid-back: you recline, baby lies tummy-down on you

Breast milk, formula or both

Breast milk offers real benefits for babies and parents, which we explain honestly in the benefits of breastfeeding. Many families also use formula or combine the two. Our balanced look at breastfeeding vs formula can help you decide what works for your family. Fed is the goal.

If you enjoy the bigger picture, read about the history of breastfeeding and the role of the wet nurse through the centuries.

When to get help

Call your baby’s doctor or a lactation consultant if your baby has fewer wet or dirty diapers than expected, is very sleepy and hard to wake for feeds, still has dark stools after day 4, or hasn’t started regaining weight. Get help, too, if feeding hurts throughout the feed, your nipples are cracked or bleeding, or you feel unsure. Our breastfeeding support page lists where to find an IBCLC, La Leche League, WIC and helplines.