How does it work? of Breastfeeding

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To make breastfeeding easier, you should start as soon possible after birth. Babies have a strong suckling instinct when they are born. When you first start breastfeeding, limit it to a few minutes on each breast.

Following the delivery of the placenta after childbirth, levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone drop quickly. The body starts to release a hormone called prolactin, which stimulates the body to produce breast milk. For the first few days after birth, the breasts produce a yellowish substance called colostrum. This is rich in fats and protein and easy for the baby to digest. Colostrum also contains infection-fighting antibodies (immunoglobulins), which strengthen the babyâ€™s immune system.

The baby will feed frequently on colostrum until a supply of mature breast milk is established (this can take up to ten days). Mature milk has a more watery appearance. At the beginning of a feed it is almost blue in colour and becomes white by the end of a feed as the fat content increases.

Special cells in the breast (acini cells) make milk, which is then stored in the breast. When the baby touches the breast a hormone called oxytocin is released, beginning a process known as milk let-down or ejection reflex. This pushes the milk to the nipple, and releases it as the baby feeds. When you first start breastfeeding, let-down happens without you having much control over it. Later it becomes a reflex action in response to the babyâ€™s cry or just by thinking about the baby or feeding.

Breasts produce two kinds of milk needed by the baby, in perfect quantities:

Foremilk - is thin and watery, and quenches the babyâ€™s thirst. It is the first milk to come out at the start of a feed, and it is low in fat, but high in milk sugar (lactose).
Hindmilk - as the feed continues, the fat content increases, and the milk starts to consist of hindmilk. This is rich in fat, provides calories for energy, and promotes the growth of the baby. As the baby grows, it is important that it receives the hindmilk in order to meet its nutritional needs. One breast should be emptied completely before feeding starts on the other side.

Breast size bears no relation to how much milk you can produce. A woman with small breasts can produce just as much milk as a woman with large breasts.

It is very important that the baby is held and positioned correctly during breastfeeding. They need to be able to take enough of the nipple and surrounding area (areola) into the mouth to stimulate release of the milk.

Feeds usually vary in length, from anything between a few minutes to up to one hour, and there is no ideal length of feed. The average length of a feed is influenced by:

whether the baby is positioned at the breast correctly,
the speed of milk let-down and rate of flow,
the quantity of milk available, and
the babyâ€™s age.

For some mothers, breastfeeding comes easily, while for others it may present more of a challenge. If you are finding breastfeeding difficult or painful, it is likely that your baby may be having problems too. Ask your GP, midwife, breastfeeding counsellor, or health visitor for advice before your nipples become too sore to continue breastfeeding, or your babyâ€™s weight gets too low.