How much milk does the newborn get?

Current practices are to initiate breastfeeding as soon after birth as possible with the dual goals of stimulating milk production and providing early fluid and nutrition. The reality is that the second goal (fluid and nutrition) depends on the first goal (milk production) and successful breast-feeding. Although it is well-recognized that an infant's initial feeding attempts will not provide much colostrum, Santoro, Jr et al have measured the mass of feeds taken by infants over the first 24 hours of life to be only 15 ± 11 g. Perhaps, more surprisingly, volume per feeding did not increase during the first 24 hours. Because most infants get so little milk, it is less surprising that volume does not correlate with a number of obstetric or maternal variables. These results certainly strengthen the arguments against early discharge after birth and the use of selective feeding supplementation for some infants with perinatal problems, such as hypoglycemia.