Breast-feeding may be natural and good for your baby, but it’s not always easy. In recent years, most American mothers were breast-feeding their infants when they went home from the hospital, but many switched to bottles in the first few weeks. By six months, only about 20 percent were still nursing. To make breast-feeding easier to maintain, start preparing before your baby is born:

• Learn about breast-feeding and line up people to help you if problems or worries occur. Books are useful, But nothing beats talking to people who have been there. Check with your hospital to to see if it offers breast-feeding instruction or can refer you to a lactation consultant. If you don’t know any experienced breast-feeders, you can find some through the local chapter of La Leche League, an organization that promotes breast-feeding. Check the Web site at www.lalecheleague.org or call (847) 519-7730. If you are going to hire someone to help you after the birth, look for a person with breast-feeding expertise.

• Be sure you and your partner are emotionally prepared for the round-theclock commitment of breast-feeding, especially in the first couple of weeks. Doing it—and getting enough rest and food so that she can do it comfortably— may consume most of a new mother’s waking moments. The new father, too, will have adjustments to make as he tries to keep the household running while struggling with sleep deprivation himself. His efforts, his support, and his encouragement can be crucial.

• Make sure your child’s doctor is knowledgeable about breast-feeding and sees it as part of his or her job to help you carry it out, as long as it is in your baby’s best interest. Most doctors are likely to say they favor breast-feeding—it’s gospel these days. But as with any group of people, doctors vary in how much they know or care about this subject. Some will help you find a way to work around problems; others will encourage you to switch to the bottle long before other options have been exhausted. Many pediatric practices have a lactation consultant on staff, and some physicians have been certified themselves as lactation consultants.

• Prepare a comfortable place (or several spots around the house) for nursing. Many women favor a rocker, glider, or other cozy chair with arms, a footstool, and pillows to help prop their baby into a comfortable position. You may want a telephone and a radio within arm’s length, as well as a place to put drinks and snacks for you and cloths for burping your baby. An adjustable light is a nice touch. If you have a toddler, add a stash of toys, books, or games for a special play time while you nurse your baby.

Getting Started

Your baby should be put to your breast soon after birth—ideally in the delivery room. When the nipple touches your baby’s lips, even a newborn will usually lick and suck a little. At this point, you’re just meeting your baby—don’t worry about technique.

Mother’s milk usually comes in on the third or fourth day, but it can happen sooner or later. Until then, your baby will be sucking small amounts of colostrum, a yellowish fluid that is rich in antibodies that help protect your baby from disease. During this period, you should nurse your baby frequently—about every two hours. It’s easiest if your baby “rooms in” with you—that is, stays in your hospital room round-the-clock. If that is impossible, try to arrange for your baby to spend most of the day with you.

Once your milk comes in, expect to nurse 8 or 12 times in each 24-hour period. Each session may take only 15 minutes (if your baby’s an efficiency expert) or closer to an hour if he dawdles, dozes, and likes to finish up with so-called nonnutritive sucking—sucking for comfort.