Sight, smell or the sound of the baby, conditioning due to feeding time and nipple stimulation (suckling), initiate milk secretion. Some women experience a pleasant tingling feeling in the breast during milk flow. The new born should stay with the mother.

There is always enough milk to meet the baby’s requirement. The average milk yield is approximately 700 to 1100 ml. in 24 hours for the first six months. The more baby demands milk and suckles, the more milk is produced. The milk supply can be thus adjusted to the needs of the baby. Overdistended breasts may sometimes leak. It may be due to unexpected “let down reflex”.

It is better to feed the baby when he “demands” rather than feed at a fixed time. It avoids overdistension of breasts. Weight gain is an indicator that the baby is getting adequate breast-feed. If there are no wet nappies, tight clothing or-any other reason for his crying, the baby is probably hungry. He must be breast-fed. As the baby grows, feeds become fewer and at regular intervals.