Baby Care

For the first three days after your baby’s birth, your breasts produce not milk, but colostrum, a thin, yellow fluid that contains water, protein, sugar, vitamins, minerals, and antibodies for protection against infectious diseases. During her first few weeks of life, colostrum helps protect your baby against infections. To stimulate your breasts to produce milk, you need to feed her frequently; the sucking action of the baby stimulates hormones that, in turn, stimulate milk production. Even if you do not intend to breast-feed, it is a good idea to suckle your baby as soon as she is born, because the colostrum will be beneficial to her and the act of suckling will help you bond with your baby.

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