Colorado WIC uses the terms “breastfeeding” and “chestfeeding” interchangeably to describe the action of feeding a baby human milk, including expressed/pumped milk or directly chest/breastfeeding. The word “chestfeeding” is offered as a different word for people that prefer not to use the word “breast” when referring to their own bodies.
Your milk gives your baby powerful benefits and the best start in life because it:
The most important thing you can do is believe in yourself. Learn everything you can about chest/breastfeeding. The more you know, the more confident you will be.
Being a parent can be tiring and stressful at times.
Take time to care for yourself so you can take the best care of your baby.
Be sure to:
regularly and well – your body
is working hard
plenty of water
when your baby is resting
take walks or workout
and talk to someone – you are not alone
your baby!
Breastfeeding takes practice. It may take some time to figure out what works well for you and your baby. Trust your body and follow your baby’s lead. You are both learning together. Breastfeeding gets easier as your baby grows.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends all babies receive only human milk for the first 6 months. Also called “exclusive breastfeeding,” this means babies are not given any formula, foods or water.
After 6 months, human milk remains the main source of nutrition while babies start to learn to eat solid foods. Breastfeeding should continue for at least the first 12 months of life. Many families continue to breastfeed long after their baby’s first birthday.
Your body is amazing! During your pregnancy, your breasts started preparing to make milk.
After your baby is born, it is important to feed your baby often to tell your body to start making more milk. Each time you feed or express/pump milk, your body knows to make more milk for the next feeding.
You do not need a special diet to breastfeed. Be sure to drink plenty of water and continue taking your prenatal vitamins to keep yourself healthy.
Breasts and nipples come in all shapes and sizes. Breasts of all sizes, large or small, can make milk – breast size does not determine how much milk you can make and store.
Ask your health care provider, WIC clinic or lactation expert if you have concerns about your breasts or nipples.
The let-down reflex is what makes milk flow. As your baby starts to feed, your nipple sends signals to release milk. It is normal if you feel tingling or slightly uncomfortable during the let-down, or you may feel nothing at all when milk is released.
A let-down can happen:
When you are thinking about your baby or hear your baby cry.
A few seconds or minutes after you start feeding your baby.
A few times during a feeding.
Your milk will change as your baby’s needs change over time.
Milk - Thick, yellow milk that is packed full of important nutrients that protect your baby from infections. This is all your baby needs right now.
Baby - Your baby is learning to breastfeed. This requires them to learn how to suck, breathe, swallow.
Mom - Your breasts may feel soft. Your body started making colostrum during pregnancy and your nipples may or may not leak colostrum. The flow is slow so your baby can learn to feed.
Milk - As your milk increases, mature milk slowly replaces colostrum, becoming cream colored.
Baby - Your baby will want to feed often. As the amount of milk you are making starts to increase, your baby’s stomach is also slowly growing.
Mom - Your breasts will become fuller and may leak. They are in “supply building” mode as they learn how much milk your baby needs.
Milk - Thinner and more watery. It can look white, yellow or blue-tinted.
Baby - Your baby may have a growth spurt when your mature milk comes in. They may want to feed more often, sometimes every hour.
Mom - Your breasts may appear softer and smaller than during the transitional milk stage.
Your milk will continue to change as your baby grows.
Newborn babies have small stomachs. They can only comfortably eat small amounts at a time. This is why they need to eat so often.
It is normal for your baby to lose some weight in the first few days of life. Your baby should be back to their birth weight by 2 weeks of age. If your baby is gaining weight, they are most likely getting enough milk. Your baby will have several checkups with their health care provider to keep track of their weight gain.
Signs your baby is getting enough milk:
Talk to your health care provider and lactation expert about your baby’s weight and if you are concerned your baby is not getting enough milk.
# of Wet Diapers
# of Poopy Diapers
Texture & Color of Poop
MeconiumLooks black, thick and like tar
# of Wet Diapers
# of Poopy Diapers
Texture & Color of Poop
MeconiumLooks black, thick and like tar
# of Wet Diapers
# of Poopy Diapers
Texture & Color of Poop
Loose, greenish to yellow as the black meconium is passed out of your baby’s body
Your milk is increasing
# of Wet Diapers
# of Poopy Diapers
Texture & Color of Poop
Loose (soft to runny), yellow and may be seedy or curdy
# of Wet Diapers
# of Poopy Diapers
Texture & Color of Poop
Loose (soft to runny), yellow and may be seedy or curdy
Every baby is different - your baby may sometimes poop less or at every feeding. As your baby gets older and is growing well, it is normal for some babies to go a few days without pooping. This is not constipation, as long as the stool is soft.
A stool should be the size of a U.S. quarter (2.5 cm) or larger.
Feed your baby when they show signs of hunger. Newborn babies should eat at least 8 to 12 times in 24 hours, usually every 1 to 3 hours.
There is no set time limit. Feedings may be 15 to 20 minutes or longer per breast. Your baby will let you know when they are finished eating.
Babies may be more or less hungry at different times on different days - just like you!
Cluster Feeding
There may be times when your baby wants to feed much more often and sometimes for shorter amounts of time.
This is normal, especially in the first few days after birth and before a growth spurt.
Growth spurts are short times when your baby is growing faster and may be fussier. Most babies will want to be close to you and eat more often during growth spurts.
Every baby is different, but typical growth spurts may happen when your baby is:
2 to 3 weeks
4 to 6 weeks
3 months
4 months
6 months
9 months
It is important to breastfeed more often during growth spurts. Feeding more often tells your body what to do and it will make more milk over time.
Giving formula during a growth spurt will send a message to your body not to make more milk and may lower your milk supply.
Finding the support you need is important for your health and well being. Parents who have support from partners, family and friends are more likely to start and chest/breastfeed longer.
Partners can help by:
Click on each position to learn more.
Latch is the way a baby attaches to the breast. A good latch is important to:
It may take some time to learn how to get your baby to latch well in the beginning. Here are some helpful tips:
1.Get Comfortable and Position Your Baby
2.Support Your Baby’s Neck and Back with Your Hand
3.Touch Your Nipple to Your Baby’s Nose
4.Wait for Your Baby to Open Their Mouth Wide
To help your baby get a good latch, it may be easier if you shape your breast. Hold behind the areola (darker part around the nipple), gently squeeze your breast like a sandwich and match the sandwich to your baby’s mouth line.
Let Your Baby Use Their Hands
Your baby’s hands are important to them during feedings. Your baby may suck their hands when you are trying to latch. This is a sign they are calming themselves and are ready to eat.
Don’t swaddle them when you are getting ready to feed. They may not want to feed if you don’t let their hands move freely.
Feeding should not be painful.
When you start learning to breastfeed, your nipples may be a little tender or sore. This soreness should last no more than a week. If it hurts when you breastfeed, your baby might not be latched correctly.
Getting your baby to latch can be frustrating at times.
Take a short break and try again. Try to calm your baby and yourself by:
Talk to WIC, a lactation expert or health care provider if you are having a hard time getting your baby to latch correctly.
Some people may have challenges making enough milk to meet their baby’s needs. It can be upsetting, but don’t give up. First, try to figure out what is causing the issue.
Many parents worry about making enough milk. Your body makes milk in response to how much and how often milk is removed. Increase the amount of milk removed and your body will slowly increase the supply.
Remember - Any amount of human milk is better than none!
Feed often -
make sure you are removing milk from your breasts 8-12 times every 24 hours.
Offer both breasts for each feeding and remove as much as you can from each breast. Remember, your breasts are never truly empty.
Express milk between feedings with hand expression or a pump. You can also express/pump after your baby is done eating to remove more milk.
Express milk every time your baby eats from a bottle.
Try massaging your breasts when you pump or express to help release more milk.
Try to relax at every feeding/pump session - relaxing helps to release more milk. Practice deep breathing.
Every baby is different and it may take some time for you to get to know your baby. Keep your baby close to you, and you will start to notice your baby’s signs - this is how your baby tells you what it needs. Responding to your baby's signs can help your baby be calm and happy.
All babies cry. They cry for many reasons. It can be very upsetting for parents when their baby cries. Crying is normal and can be one of the only ways your baby can tell you they need something.
If you have concerns about your baby’s crying, talk to your health care provider.
If you start to feel overwhelmed or angry, put your baby down in a safe place and take a break. No matter how angry you may feel, never shake your baby.
Your baby will tell you what they need without words, by using body movements. Watching and responding to your baby’s hunger signs can help them be calm.
Now is the time to feed, before your baby gets too hungry.
Your baby is full and is ready to stop eating.
Being a parent can be stressful at times. With patience and planning you can make your chest/breastfeeding experience work for you and your family.
Breastfeeding in Public
A person may breastfeed openly in any place they have the right to be. You do not have to cover up unless it helps you to feel more comfortable.
Workplace Accommodations
Requires all employers to provide a private space (not a restroom) and time (paid/unpaid break/meal time) to express milk during a workday until your baby is two years old.
Delay of Jury Service
A person who is breastfeeding a child is eligible for two, 12-month delays of jury service.
For more information and support, visit the Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition at COBFC.org.
It is normal to feel nervous about returning to work or school after having your baby. Plan to chest/breastfeed when you are with your baby - it is a relaxing way to return home and stay close to your baby.
With planning and support, you can make breastfeeding work for you and your family.
Talk to your employer or school before returning. Find a place where you can pump in private and plan your breaks. Remember to pump as often as your baby would eat.
Feed your baby right before and after work to reduce the number of times you may need to pump during your workday.
Practice pumping and storing your milk at least two weeks before returning to work or school.
Prepare your baby to eat from a bottle - try having someone else feed your baby. Some babies may be more willing to take a bottle if you are not in the room.
Find a Breastfeeding Friendly child care provider or share the Colorado toolkit with your child care provider. Visit BreastfeedColorado.com.
You can use hand expression or a breast pump.
Human milk does not look like formula or cow’s milk. It can change in appearance with each pumping session and during storage.
It can be yellowish, bluish, greenish or even brownish.
Human milk naturally has an enzyme called lipase, which helps to break down fats for your baby. During storage (including in the freezer), lipase works and can cause the milk to have a soapy smell. This is not harmful and most babies do not notice this mild change in taste.
In storage, it is normal for human milk to separate into layers with the fat rising to the top. If the milk separates, swirl gently to mix before feeding.
When feeding your baby with a bottle, practice the technique of paced bottle feeding. This allows the baby to control the feeding. Teach others that care for your baby this feeding technique.
1.Hold your baby close to your body in an upright position, not lying down flat. Never prop a bottle in your baby’s mouth.
2.Hold the bottle in a flat, sideways position so the nipple is only half full of milk.
3.Touch the nipple to your baby’s lip and wait for your baby to open wide. Let your baby draw the nipple into the mouth. Do not shove or force the nipple into your baby’s mouth.
4.Just like with breastfeeding, encourage your baby to take breaks. After a few sucks, lower the bottle down so the nipple is empty but remains in the mouth. Bring the bottle back up once your baby starts sucking again. This helps your baby from eating too quickly.
5.Watch for fullness signs and allow your baby to be done even if there is some milk left in the bottle.
Tender and Sore Breasts
While chest/breastfeeding shouldn’t be painful, it is common for your breasts and nipples to feel sore and tender in the first few days after your baby’s birth. This pain should go away once your baby learns to latch correctly and you have found feeding positions that are comfortable. If you feel pain or discomfort, get help from WIC or a lactation expert as soon as possible. Here are some reasons your breasts might be sore:
A good latch helps your baby get enough to eat. Pain in your breasts or nipples while feeding is not normal. This can be a sign that your baby is not latched right and may be sucking only on the tip of your nipple.
See signs of an incorrect latch section above.
What you can do:
It is normal for your breasts to become larger, heavier and more tender as your breasts begin making more milk 3-4 days after your baby is born. If your breasts become hard and painful, this is called engorgement. Engorgement can also happen if you have missed or delayed feedings or pumping sessions. Your milk needs to be removed from your breasts, however it can be hard for your baby to latch well onto engorged breasts.
Signs:
Engorged milk
glands
What you can do:
A plugged or blocked duct is caused by milk not being able to fully drain from your breast.
Signs
Inflamed
breast lobe
Plugged duct
What you can do:
Breast infection, also called mastitis, is an infection of the tissues of the breast.
Signs:
Redness
Inflamed
breast lobe
What you can do:
You may have heard a lot about breastfeeding. There is a lot of information on the internet too. However, not everything you hear is true. Get the facts!
Breastfeeding success is not linked to family history. Breastfeeding success happens with the right information, help and support.
Breastfeeding may be uncomfortable until your baby learns to latch correctly in the first weeks. Talk to your WIC clinic, lactation expert or health care provider if you have pain lasting more than a few days.
Big or small, your breasts were made for making milk. Breast size has nothing to do with the amount of milk you can produce. Most people can make enough milk for their baby, but some may need to feed or express/pump more often than others.
If you are having sex, it is possible to get pregnant while breastfeeding. Unless you are ready for another baby, you should talk with your health care provider about birth control options that work for you.
Teaching your baby to breastfeed correctly is important in the first few weeks of life. If you give your baby a bottle or pacifier too soon, it might lower your milk supply.
Try to wait about 1 month before giving a bottle or pacifier or once breastfeeding is going well. When you must give a bottle, it is important that you express/pump your milk every time your baby eats from a bottle to be sure your body continues to make enough milk.
You can take most medicines while breastfeeding, but not all. Medications, antibiotics and herbal supplements pass into your milk in small amounts. Talk to your health care provider or pharmacist to get more information, or visit InfantRisk.com.
Your milk is the best food for your baby even if you do not eat perfectly every day. You do not need a special diet. Healthy eating is important for your own body to stay healthy. You should continue taking your prenatal vitamins.
Alcohol passes into human milk. You should avoid alcohol in large amounts. The AAP recommends waiting at least 2 hours after your last alcoholic drink before breastfeeding your baby. You can also pump before you drink and feed it to your baby later.
Having a support system is important to your success. There are many good online resources for information.
You can also call your WIC clinic, your or your baby’s health care provider, a lactation expert or peer counselor.
Visit ColoradoWIC.com.
Follow us on Facebook @ColoradoWIC
Download the WICShopper App.
Visit wichealth.org for nutrition information and recipes.
