Breastmilk basics

Every baby and mother are unique. It will take time and practice for you and your baby to learn to breastfeed.

Benefits of breastfeeding

For babies

Breastmilk is the ideal food for most babies. Your breastmilk is uniquely suited to your baby and is always changing to meet your baby’s health and nutrition needs. Breastmilk promotes growth and development of your baby’s brain, eyes, digestive system and immune system. Breastfeeding also helps you and your baby bond.

For mothers

The hormones that produce breastmilk help you cope with pain and stress and help you adapt to becoming a mom. Breastfeeding also decreases your risk of diabetes and breast and ovarian cancer.

Oral immune therapy

Oral immune therapy is done by putting drops of breastmilk into your baby's mouth several times per day. This allows your baby to get the benefits of breastmilk right away when they are too premature or sick to breastfeed.

Tips for producing breastmilk

Skin-to-skin care

Hold your baby skin-to-skin as soon and as often as possible to stimulate your milk supply.

Expressing milk

Start hand expressing and pumping within one or two hours of giving birth. Try to hand express and pump at least eight or more times every 24 hours, including at least once during the night.

Your care team will teach you how to express and store your breastmilk, how to use a breast pump and how to breastfeed your baby when you and your baby are ready.

Healthy eating

Your body needs extra energy while you are breastfeeding and it is important to eat a variety of foods from Canada’s Food Guide. Most babies will not be bothered by what you eat.

Tips for eating while breastfeeding

Vegetables, fruits, whole grains and proteins are all part of healthy eating. Your body may need an extra two or three servings of these foods per day.
Choose foods with healthy fats, such as omega 3 fats, to help your baby to grow. These fats are found in fish, nuts, seeds and vegetable oil.
Avoid high-mercury fish (such as fresh or frozen marlin, tuna, shark, orange roughy, king mackerel, escolar, swordfish).
Spicy or gas producing foods (such as cauliflower and broccoli) typically do not bother babies. You can eat them unless you find they bother you or your baby.
Healthy snacks keep you energized and can support good health for you and your baby.
Continue taking a multivitamin containing folic acid.
Try to drink three litres of fluids each day, such as milk, fortified soy beverage and water.

Caffeine

Limit your caffeine intake to 300 mg (one or two cups of coffee, tea, soft drink, iced tea, etc.) per day. Be aware that caffeine is also found in chocolate and some medications.

Consuming too much caffeine may keep your baby awake, decrease your milk supply and make your baby fussy.

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol is not advised while breastfeeding as it can pass into your breastmilk and then to your baby. It can also affect your baby’s brain development, decrease your milk supply and make your baby fussy.

If you have an occasional alcoholic drink, you should breastfeed your baby beforehand and wait two to three hours before breastfeeding again. You can express your milk during this time if you are not comfortable, but do not feed the expressed milk to your baby.

Smoking

Smoking can decrease your milk supply and make your baby fussy. If you choose to smoke, we suggest you do so after breastfeeding your baby.

Cannabis

There is no known safe amount or form of cannabis to use while feeding your baby breastmilk. THC from cannabis is passed into breastmilk, and if this breastmilk is given to the baby, the THC is passed to them.

THC can stay in your body for days or even weeks, so pumping and dumping breastmilk will not remove THC from your breastmilk.

What to expect during the first week

First 24 - 48 hours

Amount of milk you produce in 24 hours: a few drops to 15 mL

During pregnancy and the first few days after your baby is born, you will produce a thick, sticky, yellow/orange milk called colostrum. Some mothers may express only a few drops of colostrum in the first few days, and there may be more each time you express breastmilk.

Each drop of colostrum is valuable. It is high in nutrition, helps your baby fight infection, reduces your baby’s stress and pain and protects your baby’s tummy. It is also very easy for your baby to digest.

Don’t worry about the amount of colostrum you express. Hand expressing and pumping early and often will help increase your supply.

Days 3 - 6

Amount of milk you produce in 24 hours: 100 to 450 mL

Your milk will be thinner in texture, and it is normal for your breasts to feel fuller as you produce more milk. Continue to express breastmilk at least eight times in 24 hours period, including at least once overnight, to prevent breast engorgement.

Drinking water/fluids with each pumping session will help with milk production. Cold cloths on your breasts and reverse pressure softening may help to soften the dark area around your nipple (areola) and help milk come out.

By day 7

Amount of milk you produce in 24 hours: 600 mL or more

Expect a significant increase in milk volume. Talk to your care provider if this is not happening for you, and keep expressing or pumping.

It is important to drink plenty of water and other fluids. Skin-to-skin care and holding the baby at your breast will help increase milk supply. Looking at your baby or a picture of your baby while pumping may also help.