Breastfeeding in the first weeks: a practical guide
How often newborns feed, how to tell your baby is getting enough, getting a comfortable latch, sore nipples and mastitis — plus where to get free help, day and night, in the UK.
Breastfeeding is natural, but it's also a skill you and your baby learn together — and the first couple of weeks are usually the hardest. Many mothers in Hong Kong families are told to "drink more soup and the milk will come". Fluids and good food help, but how often and how well your baby feeds matter most.
How often?
Newborns feed little and often. The NHS says to expect to feed your baby at least 8 to 12 times, or more, every 24 hours in the first few weeks — at first that can be every 1 to 3 hours, including at night.
Follow your baby rather than the clock. Early hunger cues include stirring, turning their head and opening their mouth (rooting), and sucking their fists. Crying is a late sign — it's easier to latch a calm baby.
Frequent feeding in the early days is how your milk supply builds up. In the first few days your breasts make colostrum, a small amount of concentrated early milk; over the following days your milk increases and your breasts may feel fuller and heavier.
A comfortable latch
A good latch is the key to comfort and to your baby getting enough. Signs it's going well:
- Your baby's mouth is wide open, with more of the darker skin around the nipple visible above their top lip than below.
- Their chin touches your breast and their cheeks look full and rounded.
- You can hear and see them swallowing; sucks change from quick to slow, deep sucks with pauses.
- It doesn't hurt after the first few sucks.
Is my baby getting enough?
Nappies are the best guide. The NHS describes what to expect:
- First 48 hours: usually 2 or 3 wet nappies a day.
- From day 4: at least 2 soft, yellow poos a day, each at least the size of a £2 coin.
- From day 5: at least 6 heavy wet nappies every 24 hours.
Other good signs are a baby who seems calm and satisfied after most feeds and is gaining weight after the first week. Babies often lose some weight in the first few days; your midwife will weigh your baby and help if there's a concern.
Contact your midwife or health visitor if your baby is very sleepy and hard to wake for feeds, has fewer wet or dirty nappies than this, or looks yellow (jaundiced) and isn't feeding well.
Sore nipples and full breasts
Some tenderness in the first days is common, but pain that continues through feeds usually means the latch needs adjusting. Ask your midwife, health visitor or a breastfeeding supporter to watch a feed.
As your milk increases, your breasts can become very full and firm (engorgement). Feeding often, hand-expressing a little to soften the breast before a feed, and a cold compress afterwards can help.
Mastitis
Mastitis is inflammation of the breast, sometimes with infection. Signs include a hot, painful, swollen area, a lump or a burning pain, and flu-like symptoms such as a high temperature and aching. The NHS advises carrying on breastfeeding, resting, drinking plenty of fluids and taking paracetamol or ibuprofen if you need to.
The tradition: soups for milk
In Hong Kong families, fish soup with papaya (木瓜魚湯), pork trotter soup and similar dishes are traditional for milk supply. They're nourishing and help you drink enough, which matters when you're breastfeeding — but the main thing that builds supply is frequent, effective feeding.
If a 陪月 is helping, they can bring the baby to you when they wake, help with positioning, burp and settle the baby afterwards, and keep you fed and hydrated, so you can focus on feeding and resting.
Vitamin D
- Breastfed babies: the NHS recommends a daily vitamin D supplement of 8.5 to 10 micrograms from birth to 1 year, even if you're taking vitamin D yourself. (Babies having more than 500ml of infant formula a day don't need one, as formula is fortified.)
- Breastfeeding mothers: consider taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day during autumn and winter.
Where to get help
- Your midwife and health visitor — ask them to watch a feed.
- The National Breastfeeding Helpline: 0300 100 0212 — free, open 24 hours a day, every day.
- Local breastfeeding groups and cafés — your health visitor can point you to one nearby.
Sources
Disclaimer
- Our articles are general information only. They are not medical, legal or other professional advice, and they don’t replace advice from your midwife, health visitor, GP or another qualified professional who knows your situation.
- Postnatal Link is not a healthcare provider. Carers on Postnatal Link offer practical postnatal support; they don’t replace your NHS midwife, health visitor or GP.
- We check articles against NHS and other official UK sources at the time of writing, but guidance changes. Check the latest advice, and never ignore professional advice or delay getting help because of something you read here.
- Traditional confinement practices and foods are described as cultural information, not as health claims.
- Links to other websites are provided for information; we aren’t responsible for their content.
- In an emergency call 999. For urgent medical advice call NHS 111 or go to 111.nhs.uk.
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