Nobody tells you that breastfeeding is a learned skill — for you and the baby. The first two weeks are the apprenticeship. Here is what is normal, what helps, and where the line is.
Days 1–4: small feeds, big learning
Colostrum comes in teaspoons, and that is exactly the right amount for a marble-sized stomach. Feed at least 8–12 times a day, keep the baby skin-to-skin, and judge intake by wet diapers, not by the clock.
Days 5–10: milk arrives, doubts arrive too
Engorgement, leaking, and the famous day-five tears are all common. Sore nipples that improve as a feed goes on are typical; cracked, bleeding nipples or pain that worsens are a sign to get hands-on help with latch.
When to call us
Fewer than three wet diapers after day three, a sleepy baby you cannot wake to feed, or pain that makes you dread feeds — call the same day. Our postpartum doulas and lactation visits cover all of Northern and Central NJ.