How soon can my babe start with his breastfeeding?

Within the first half-hour or so, your babe will typically start licking his lips ready for a first feed. After the placenta was expelled, your progesterone and oestrogen levels dropped, and together with the hormone prolactin taking over, your breasts produce your baby’s first official feed. This colostrum milk will line your baby’s sterile stomach with an antibody-rich protective barrier against invading bacteria. Expect your baby to remain skin-to-skin for an hour or two, as they can often feed for 30–40 minutes on each side. Your baby is born equipped to instinctively seek the smell of your naked breasts. In fact, if left on your abdomen, within the first hour your newborn will, without any help, do a ‘squirmy-crawl’ (using its pushing reflex) up your body towards your breasts and latch on, perfectly. But this reflex is diminished within just a few hours.