Your midwife will check to see if your baby has weed and pooed at least once on day 1. After that you can expect two wet nappies on day 2, three wet nappies on day 3, four wet nappies on day 4, five wet nappies on day 5 and six wet nappies a day after that. Frequent poos are common in the first week.

• Newborn Day 2 Feeding Frenzy 2
• Newborn Day 2 Feeding Frenzy 2017
• Newborn Day 2 Feeding Frenzy 2

The challenges of breast-feeding can surprise even moms who’ve been to this party before. But with the right approach, you’ll find that coping with most feeding concerns is much easier than sterilizing bottles!

These six tips will help you overcome common obstacles faced by nursing moms.

1. Get attached to latching

Women frequently experience nipple tenderness in the early weeks of breast-feeding. If nursing goes beyond just discomfort, though, there could be a problem, such as thrush, poor latch or a physiological issue. Working with a lactation consultant or other breast-feeding support service will help ensure that baby gets enough milk and mom doesn’t suffer nipple trauma.

“If there is any discomfort beyond 30–60 seconds, it is not right,” says Jennifer Enich, a lactation consultant at Seattle Children’s Hospital. “If the nipple hurts or looks damaged or misshapen after nursing, likely something is not right. There is usually a solution to pain that is way better than forgoing all the beauty that can come with nursing our babies.”

Bottom line: If it hurts, get some help!

2. Nip biting in the bud

Many mothers assume that once a baby has teeth, the nursing relationship is over. In reality, a baby cannot bite while breast-feeding because her tongue gets in the way of her teeth. Sometimes babies bite before or after nursing, but usually these episodes are fleeting.

Betty Fitzsimmons, a leader at La Leche League of Tacoma, who breast-fed her 11 children, offers this great tip: “Keep your little finger ready to go into the corner of the baby’s mouth to stop the bite when you feel it coming on. Biting does not have to be the end of a good nursing relationship.”

3. Respect the laws of supply and demand

It’s common to worry that your baby isn’t getting enough milk. Fret not: “Primary insufficiency is exceptionally rare,” says Barbara Orcutt, R.N., M.N., a lactation consultant at Beyond Birth Seattle. “Delayed lactation is more common.” This delay may be caused by separation of baby and mother, poor assistance for first feeds, interruption of the mother while she is trying to feed, introduction of formula or pumping exclusively instead of nursing at the breast.

Because breast-feeding is a supply-and-demand system, the more you nurse, the more milk you make. “Newborns’ bellies are so tiny and breast milk is so easily digested, they need to feed at least 8 to 16 times every 24 hours,” says lactation consultant Emily Healy of Seattle Breastfeeding Medicine. “The first step to getting milk supply back on track is skin-to-skin contact between mom and baby.” This contact stimulates the hormones that help produce milk.

In rare cases when the milk supply is truly insufficient, the cause may be related to physical concerns, such as poor latch or hormone imbalances. In more extreme cases, prescription medications can help induce lactation.

Sometimes the opposite is true and milk comes in abundantly, leading to uncomfortable engorgement. Pumping can help, but again: Remember the rules of supply and demand. If you pump too often, you will make more than your baby needs, which can exacerbate engorgement.

So go gentle on the pump and soothe the pressure by alternating cold packs and warm showers. You can also try whole chilled cabbage leaves in your bra. Yes, you’ll smell a little like salad, but it really works.

4. Keep the milk flowing

To avoid plugged milk ducts, feed your baby often enough to empty the breasts regularly. If a plugged duct does happen, turn to massage, warm packs and changing your nursing position to remove milk from all areas of the breast.

Plugged ducts may also lead to mastitis, an infection in the breast. Mastitis is more common in mothers who are stressed. Breast-feeding is a lot of work for the body, and moms deserve good nutrition and some extra rest (ah, that elusive prize) when they’re doing it.

“A day in bed with baby is a perfect prescription for mastitis,” says Raissa Larson, also a leader at La Leche League of Tacoma. A doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatories or antibiotics as well.

5. Get by with a little help from your friends — and a few professionals

Research tells us that social support encourages breast-feeding success. There are cases in which breast-feeding simply doesn’t work out, but that’s very rare.

North Seattle mom Melanie Burch remembers struggling through thrush and mastitis with all three of her children. “What kept me going was the resolve that I was just going to do it,” she says, and she also had incredible support from her family and community. Breast-feeding trouble may be as much an emotional issue as a physiological one, and nursing mothers need ample encouragement to move past it.

“It’s important to remember that it’s a process,” says Enich, who nursed her own three children and has supported countless families, and sometimes it takes time for everything to fall into place. “Each time a woman breast-feeds, both the mother and the baby have to learn how to breast-feed together,” Enich says. “It’s a unique situation each time.”

6. Don’t sweat the mixed messages

Perhaps most surprising to new mothers is the onslaught of breast-feeding advice; figuring out what to heed and what to ignore is part science, part art. Being on the receiving end of wildly different and even conflicting guidance is a common experience for nursing moms. All you need to do is keep trying new approaches until you find one that works, and don’t forget to tap into your maternal instincts — you know yourself and your baby better than anyone else does.

Tera Schreiber experienced a handful of common obstacles while nursing her children, and she is grateful for the amazing community of lactation support in the Puget Sound area.

Our timeline for breastfeeding really begins when we are young. Our exposure to breastfeeding within our family, our community and in the media influences what we think and feel about breastfeeding.

But for many women, it's not until you are pregnant that you really start to think about breastfeeding.

Here's an idea of what a pregnant mum, and her partner, can do and expect during pregnancy, through to the arrival of baby and beyond.

Before the birth of your baby

• Prepare your own personal Breastfeeding Plan
• Find an ABA Breastfeeding Education Class. If there isn't one happening in your area, or when you need it, contact your local hospital or your health professional.
• Join the Australian Breastfeeding Association. Your 12-month membership includes a copy of the Association's book called Breastfeeding … naturally (valued at $34.95) as well as a quarterly magazine called Essence. More information about membership can be found here
• Go to your local ABA get-together to meet local mums and mums-to-be.
• Watch and talk to other breastfeeding mums.
• Talk to your partner about how important breastfeeding is. Ask him or her to attend a Breastfeeding Education Class with you.
• Speak to your employer about a return to work policy that supports breastfeeding employees. The Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace site has lots of useful information.

After the birth

• Request skin-to-skin contact with your baby as soon as possible after birth. If separation is needed, ask that your baby has skin-to-skin contact with your partner.
• Nipple sensitivity is common early on. Pain is NOT. Seek skilled help early to prevent damage to your nipples. Lactation consultants and Australian Breastfeeding Association counsellors have those skills.
• Day 1: baby will have a small amount of colostrum (the early, yellow/gold milk) each feed, at least 1 wet nappy and sticky black poo.
• Day 2: baby will continue to get small amounts of colostrum at each feed, at least 2 wet nappies and less sticky green-black poo.
• Day 3: breastmilk is starting to increase, at least 3 wet nappies and poos are becoming greenish-brown and softer.
• Day 4: at least 4 wet nappies and poos becoming a lighter green-brown or may have changed to a mustard-yellow and can be 'seedy' or watery.
• Day 5 onward: breastmilk supply increasing, at least 6 heavy wet cloth nappies (or 5 heavy wet disposable nappies) with pale urine, and poo mostly mustard-yellow, soft or liquid at least 3 times every 24 hours. Babies older than 6 weeks may have fewer poos.

Newborn Day 2 Feeding Frenzy 2

At home

• Expect to spend lots of time sitting down, feeding your baby!! It is common for young babies to feed 8-12 times or more in 24 hours. You and your baby are working hard to get the right amount of milk happening!
• It can take 6-8 weeks for the breastfeeding 'dance' between mum and baby to find its rhythm. Each baby/mother pair is unique with different patterns, so try not to compare yourself or your baby to others.
• There are usually lots of questions, from both parents, so your breastfeeding support network is very important at this time. ABA is recognised internationally as a source of breastfeeding information and support, so call us on our national toll-free Breastfeeding Helpline number on 1800 686 268 any time. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Further breastfeeding information, forums and are also easily accessed on our website. We also offer email counselling to our members. See the full range of benefits you get with ABA membership.
• Accept all offers of help from friends and family - you deserve it!
• Go to your local Australian Breastfeeding Association get-togethers where you will meet mums with babies of the same age, with similar questions and experiences.
• Going out with your breastfed baby is easy. You have baby's food ready to go, at the right temperature, in sustainable and attractive packaging (!) any time.
• Have your nappy bag packed ready at the door - nappies, wipes, perhaps a baby sling and a change of clothes are really all you need.
• If bub is hungry while you are out, feel free to breastfed him/her anywhere you and your baby are legally able to be. Be proud of what you and your baby can do.
• Don't hesitate to contact an ABA breastfeeding counsellor by phone or email if you have any questions.
• Consult Breastfeeding … naturallyor the articles on the Breastfeeding Information section of the ABA website.

As time goes on

Newborn Day 2 Feeding Frenzy 2017

• From around 6 weeks, many mums find they have lost that 'full' feeling in their breasts and start to question whether they have enough milk. What is actually happening is that your milk supply is starting to match the needs of your baby - clever you!
• If you are concerned about your baby's weight gain, check this information on how to tell if your baby is getting enough milk. If you have any questions, large or small, don't hesitate to contact our trained volunteer counsellors on the Breastfeeding Helpline, or your health professional.
• Family foods can be introduced at around 6 months. The World Health Organization recommends that babies continue to receive breastmilk for 2 years, or more, as long as mother and child wish.
• Returning to work - explore childcare options that are going to be compatible with your family needs and supportive of caring for a breastfed baby. There are some excellent resources available about returning to work on this part of our website and on the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace website.
• Celebrate your baby's many milestones, small and large. Above all, love your baby and enjoy your time with them!!

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© Australian Breastfeeding Association Reviewed October 2016