How long do you have to start breastfeeding? As in, if you don't do it right away, how long will the milk

stay available? I know they say it's supply & demand, so I'm just curious. I had a dream I waited too long and then I had no milk when I tried! I'm not due till September.

I am planning to start immediately.
This is just out of curiousity.

It usually takes several weeks for your milk supply to completely dry up, and even after that relactation may be possible. So don't freak out, it's not like if you don't feed baby in the first 24 hours you're SOL. actually your milk takes a few days to come in anyway, baby gets a wonderful thing called colostrum for those first few days. BUT you really should start breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth to build up a good supply and help both of you practice. Do not supplement with formula at all if possible, it can wreak havoc on your delicate supply and can cause nipple confusion.

It is possible to initiate breastfeeding at any time. Women who have never given birth can initiate breastfeeding.

However, under normal circumstances ... the sooner the better. If you can nurse in the delivery room immediately after birth, that's the best thing. If that isn't possible due to complications with mother or baby (or -- rare these days, but still occassionally seen, restrictive hospital policies), then you can start a few hours later, or a few days later -- whenever baby is well enough.

If you will be unable to nurse baby for longer than 12-24 hours or so, pumping will help your milk come in, reduce engorgement, and provide pumped milk for the NICU to feed to the baby.

First off, it takes a few days for your milk to come in. However, if you don't use it you lose it.

In my case, once I started weaning my daughter my production decreased dramatically and I had to supplement a lot more than I wanted to. I would start off from the beginning with breastfeeding. However, my daughter did get a bottle of formula in the hospital.

Good luck!

It is supply and demand BUT in my case, I bottle fed my son for the first couple of days because I was soo stressed out in the hospital and when I came home I was in alot of pain and tired, and I couldn't get enough patience to breast feed. BUT when he was 6 or 7 days old I tried breast feeding again and it worked! Now, I am pumping 16ozs a day *for when I need a babysitter* and breast feeding him and my milk is coming in. So, with that said you milk doesn't disappear instantly if you don't use it right away but I wouldn't wait too long.

Congradulations! I am the mother of 3, I breast-fed and supplemented for their first year. It is supply and demand, and your milk should come in heavy right after the birth. Believe me, you will want to feed every baby in the nursery! If your milk isn't coming in, usually it has to do with fluids or just uptight, just relax and the babies sucking will get it going. Drink lots of good water and relax, and you can do it anytime after the birth. My youngest son is 8 and I can still get milk if I am stimulated in the right way...weird, huh? I have a friend whose babies were premature and she had to pump for 2 months, but after that, she breastfed fine. There should be a lactation consultant in your hospital that can offer tips. My advise is to stay away from La Leche League, they mean well, but way to "gung ho" NO OFFENCE LA LECHE LEAGUERS!

Don't wait to try. Try from day one,... actually, you really need to feed them from day one from the breast because of all the anti-bodies they get from the first batch of milk you make. Just keep trying and keep up the supply and demand or you will eventually stop producing.

You should do it right away so that baby gets the colostrum (the super power foods of all super power foods!!)

It is best to offer the breast to the baby right away after it is born. In fact, you can make it part of your birth plan that you wish the baby to remain with you in the hours after the birth instead of being taken off for eyedrops, shots, and bath. It's such a special time, that first hour or two. If you delay or decline eye drops, baby's vision won't be all blurred out and they can see the areola to help find the nipple and latch on better.

Also, you can decline the bath - there's no need for it immediately, and it just chills baby so that then they want to put him/her under the warmer and it takes even longer to get the baby back into your arms for breastfeeding, loving gazes and cuddling. You can give them their first bath when you get home. Just put it in your birth plan and make sure your birth partner knows to remind the staff.

Of course for the first few days the baby is drinking colostrum. It may take 3-5 days to get your milk in. Often, maternity ward nurses are impatient and want to see milk coming by the second day which is totally unrealistic. Dont' worry if they fuss about your milk not coming in right away.

Your baby might lose some weight after it's born, up to 10% can be normal especially if you had an IV which will mean the baby got extra fluids too which makes them weigh a little extra at birth. Don't be pressured into supplementing - feeding formula at this point makes negative changes in the baby's gut that will take months to undo. (I put a link below to an article about this important issue) Be sure to feed frequently, don't let baby sleep long stretches, they can lose weight doing that. Keeping the baby in your room instead of letting the nurses take him/her to the nursery is so much better for both of you. The nurses say they'll take the baby so you can rest, but often they let the baby sleep on and on or cry, instead of bringing them back for a feed, then wonder why baby didn't gain well that day. If there are weight concerns, they can often be easily addressed by feeding more frequently, but the hospital staff doesn't offer that information so you need to know that.

Once your milk comes in there are several things you can do that will accidentally mess up your milk supply:

feeding on a schedule instead of on baby's cue - not good for you or baby

introducing a bottle before six weeks - can cause nipple preference & result in less nursing, so supply drops

supplementing with formula - a slippery slope where the more formula you feed, the less milk you have, the less is available at the breast so the more you feed formula... til next thing you know your supply is low and baby is on formula.

I invite you to come over to the mom's discussion boards at mothering.com - it's an amazing place full of moms who have been there and they are a group of women who insist on accurate information, not just old wives tales or "common knowledge".

Also for the next couple of years you might find www.kellymom.com to be a valuable resource for quick accurate information on breastfeeding and other baby care topics. All backed up by research, no info from companies just trying to get you to buy their junk.

I'm not a member of La Leche League, but I have to say that the groups are different in each town. I have gone to meetings and foudnd the group here to be welcoming, well educated and supportive. They are a good place to practice nursing in public (everyone is nursing there, lol) and to meet other nursing moms, as well as a good resource to find a lactation consultant if you think you might be having any trouble. Their website is also a good place to double-check any breastfeeding information you get from other sources - you'd be surprised how much stuff people are going to tell you that is completely wrong.