Why Frequent Feedings on the First Day are Important

One study done in Japan in 1990 (Yamauchi, Yamanouchi) demonstrated the importance of frequent feedings after birth. The researchers found that more breastfeedings in the first 24 hours correlated strongly to less weight loss, more stools, less jaundice, and greater milk intake on days two, three and five in its 140 babies.

What can you expect during these early days? Part of helping your baby transition from the constant feeding in the womb to the intermittent feeding on the outside will involve lots of breastfeeding during these early days. As described earlier, your baby is born with a small stomach. He gets small amounts of colostrum, the early milk, at each feeding. These small amounts digest quickly. For many babies, this translates to some periods of very frequent and sometimes nonstop breastfeeding.

From Breastfeeding Made Simple, Mohrbacher and Kendall-Tackett 2010