At Mount Sinai Beth Israel, we place every healthy, full-term baby skin to skin (baby naked, not wrapped in a blanket) with his or her mother immediately after birth. The skin-to-skin contact warms the baby and stimulates the release of oxytocin and prolactin—the hormones responsible for milk production—in the mother.
The more skin-to-skin contact a mother has with her baby, the more stable (heart rate, breathing, body temperature, blood pressure) baby is, and the more breast milk mother makes. Babies who are held skin to skin cry very infrequently, and so do not lose body heat. Babies held skin to skin also have stable blood sugar levels, preventing the need for supplemental milk.
Got (Enough) Milk?
Many parents are concerned that mother will not have enough milk for her baby. Did you know that the stomach capacity of a newborn baby in the first 24 hours is just 5 to 7 ml (about a teaspoon)? In the first 24 hours, mothers are producing a total of about 30 ml (one ounce). These small amounts of colostrum (a form of milk produced by the mammary glands in late pregnancy and the few days after giving birth) produced by mother in the first 24 to 48 hours are more than sufficient to feed a newborn. In fact, just a teaspoon of colostrum can raise baby’s blood sugar several points. Colostrum protects babies’ digestive tracts from bacteria and viruses. Very little is needed to keep the baby well fed and healthy.
Progression of Milk Supply
By the time baby is 3 days old, the milk production has grown from 1 teaspoon per feeding to 30 ml (one ounce) per feeding and the milk is changing from pure colostrum to transitional milk. At this point, mother begins to feel her breasts becoming fuller.
By the time baby is 10 days old, the milk production has doubled again to about 60 ml (2 ounces) per feeding and the milk is now the mature milk. Also by day 10, mothers are producing one ounce every hour, for a total of 24 ounces or more per day. This remarkable growth in production is caused by 2 major factors: frequent milk removal and frequent (or continuous) skin-to-skin contact.
By placing mother and baby skin to skin immediately after delivery, we are ensuring baby and mother’s milk supply is getting off to the very best start.
Please visit our website for more information on breastfeeding.
To find an excellent doctor who is right for you, please call our Physician Referral Service at 866.804.1007.