What to expect: breastfeeding from birth to 24 hours
Let’s talk about breastfeeding and the first 24 hours after birth!
The first 24 hours after having a baby can be overwhleming, espcially if you don’t know what it’s going to look like! Let’s go over what the first 24 hours typically looks like! Of course every experience will be slightly different, but this will give you a good idea of what it may look like if everything goes smoothly!
The “golden hour”:
Immediately after baby is born, they should be placed directly on your chest! Thus begins the golden hour; uninterrupted skin to skin with baby for their first hour of life! This may not always be possible, but if both mom and baby are stable you can advocate for baby to remain skin to skin for the first hour! Golden hour has been shown to positively impact breastfeeding, and should be the first choice if there are no concerns for mom or baby’s condition. Unfortunately the golden hour may not be possible in certain situations, such as a cesarean delivery. If for any reason you are not able to have a golden hour, I would recommend doing as much skin to skin as you are able to once you and baby are reunited! If you are able to have a golden hour, it will typically end in baby’s first breastfeeding session! This is an important time, as baby’s first feeding is typically going to be their best one for the first 24 hours.
The “sleepy period”:
After the golden hour, babies tend to get pretty sleepy, and this can last until around 24 hours after birth. This is why that first feeding can be so important! Birth is a stressful experience for babies, and once the adrenalin of birth wears off they will typically enter the “sleepy period”. You will always want to watch your baby for feeding cues (sticking tongue out, hands to mouth, moving head side to side, opening mouth, hands to mouth), but in the first 24 hours these can be subtle and easy to miss since baby is so sleepy. This is why for the first 24 hours it will be your job to wake baby up to feed every 2-3 hours. If baby wakes up and shows cues earlier, you want to feed them on demand. The 2-3 hour rule only comes into play if baby is not waking up on their own and you are not seeing these feeding cues. Skin to skin can be really important during this time, as it is easier to catch these subtle feeding cues when baby is skin to skin. If you have a difficult time waking your baby to feeding during the first day, changing diapers and burping them can be great ways to stimulate them to wake for a feeding. When baby breastfeeds, you want to let them breastfeed as long as they want on the first side, and then always offer the second side even if they do nothing, or even just a couples minutes on the second side. You will then switch which side you start on every feeding. It is normal for feeding times to be inconsistent: sometimes feedings will be 5 minutes, sometimes 40.
“Second Night Syndrome”
Since babies tend to be sleepy the first 24 hours, they like to make up for it the second night with “cluster feeding”. Cluster feeding can look like short, frequent feedings or very long feedings. Babies tend to be a lot fussier this second night, and parents often worry their baby is not getting enough to eat. Rest assured, cluster feeding is normal, expected, and actually a good sign! It is great for milk production, as it sends signals to your body that baby is demanding milk and it is time to ramp up supply! It is important to follow baby’s feeding cues during this time and feed them on demand. Even if they just ate an hour ago (or sometimes less), if they are showing cues then put them back at the breast! Cluster feeding can definitely be an exhausting, trying time, but rest assured it is very normal, and expected! The hospital staff will be monitoring baby’s poops, pees and weight loss, and as long as all of these values are within a normal range there is no cause for concern!
