The first milk given to a newborn is very good for both the baby and the mother. When the baby is born, the woman’s body naturally starts to produce milk. The baby is very eager to suckle during this period and the mother should start breastfeeding her baby without wasting time.
You should start breastfeeding your baby as soon as possible after birth (within half an hour at the latest). Your baby is very eager to suckle during this period, if you delay giving milk, your baby will be reluctant to suckle for a long time and this will delay your first breastfeeding. Pediatrician Dr. Bülent Öztürk: “You should breastfeed early, even if your milk is not coming in. This will help your baby’s sucking reflex to develop, your milk to be secreted and your uterus to contract and heal more quickly. In the following period, you should breastfeed frequently, day and night, whenever your baby seeks your breast.
The time it takes for your milk to pass through the baby’s stomach is 15-45 minutes. This means that you can breastfeed your baby again after this time. Your baby will suck 50% of the milk in a meal in the first 1-2 minutes and 90% in the first 5 minutes. Your average breastfeeding time should be between 15-30 minutes. For this reason, it is healthiest to breastfeed your baby at intervals of at least 15 minutes instead of breastfeeding continuously for hours. You should try to breastfeed your baby as he/she wants to, not at fixed intervals. This can range from 30 minutes to 3 hours, and try to keep feeding intervals to no more than 3 hours for the first month. In the following months, this time can be extended according to your baby’s request.”
