You've welcomed your child to the world. You are remembering all those specifics about the days after birth, or feeling them for the first time.
There is a saying that on the third day, expect the milk to flow, and the tears! The hormones that cause the milk to increase also can make us extra emotional and tender.
In the midst of the exhaustion, excitement, joy, baby blues, allow yourself to feel these emotions, and know that's its ok.
Most mothers begin to notice a change in their milk around day 3 or 4. Your breasts may become firmer and fuller, you may notice some leaking of breastmilk and a change in the color from yellow to more white.
As much as is possible, try to stay in bed, skin to skin with your baby. You might have baby in just a diaper on your chest. Being skin to skin with baby has a long list of benefits to you both, including regulating blood pressure, temperature, promoting rest and relaxation, promoting milk increase and bonding. Try to have friends and family take care of the cooking, childcare of older children, and chores around the house so that you can keep this important task of rest, bonding and setting up a great milk supply. If latching baby hurts a lot and is getting more painful rather than less, please get in touch with a lactation consultant who can help.
If day 4 has come and gone and you feel there has been no change in your breastmilk, schedule a visit with a local board-certified lactation consultant to make a plan to increase your milk production and monitor baby’s progress.
For more information about milk increase in the first days after birth: