Breastfeeding: How It Works, Getting Started, and Solving the Common Problems

Breastfeeding is feeding your baby milk from the breast, and it works on a simple principle: supply and demand, where the more milk your baby removes, the more your body makes. It is recommended exclusively for about the first 6 months and then alongside solid foods well into the second year, and the great majority of problems people run into come back to one fixable thing: the latch.

When I started, I assumed it would be instinctive, and was thrown when it was not. So here is the whole picture in plain language, checked by a lactation consultant: how your milk supply works, how to get started, how often to feed, how to tell your baby is getting enough, the common problems and where to find each fix, and how long to keep going. If feeding hurts right now, jump to how to get a good latch, because that is where most of the answers are.

How breastfeeding works

Your body makes milk on a supply and demand basis: every time milk is removed from the breast, your body is signalled to make more. Two hormones run the process. Prolactin drives milk production, and oxytocin triggers the let-down reflex that releases the milk. This is why frequent, effective feeding in the early days matters so much, and why “saving up” milk by waiting between feeds actually tells your body to make less. We explain the whole system in how breast milk supply works.

In the first days, before your mature milk comes in (usually day 2 to 5), your baby gets colostrum: a small volume of rich, protective first milk that perfectly suits a newborn’s tiny stomach, which holds only about 5 to 7 ml on day one. See colostrum and the first days.

Getting started: the latch

A good latch is the foundation of comfortable, effective feeding. In a deep latch, your baby takes a large mouthful of breast, not just the nipple, with a wide-open mouth, lips flanged outward, and the chin pressed into the breast. Done well, it should feel like a strong tug, not a pinch.

A shallow latch is behind most early problems: sore or cracked nipples, slow feeding, and worries about supply. If feeding hurts, the answer is almost always to take the baby off gently and try again rather than to push through. Our full guides cover how to get a good latch and the best breastfeeding positions, from the cradle hold to laid-back and side-lying.

How often to feed

Newborns feed a lot: about 8 to 12 times in 24 hours, including overnight. Feed on demand, watching for early hunger cues (stirring, rooting, hands to the mouth) rather than waiting for crying, which is a late sign. You cannot overfeed a breastfed baby this way, and the frequent feeding is exactly what establishes your supply.

Expect stretches of very frequent feeding, especially in the evenings and during growth spurts at around 2 to 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months. This cluster feeding and growth spurts pattern is normal and temporary, and it is not a sign that your milk is not enough. More on the rhythm in how often to breastfeed a newborn.

Is my baby getting enough?

You judge this by what comes out and how your baby grows, not by how the breast feels. The reassuring signs:

• Wet nappies: by day 5, about 6 or more heavy wet nappies in 24 hours.
• Dirty nappies: several soft yellow stools a day in the early weeks.
• Weight: after a normal early dip of up to 7 to 10% of birth weight, your baby regains it by about 10 to 14 days and then gains steadily.

A soft breast or a baby who feeds often does not mean you are running low. Genuine low supply is less common than feared. The full checklist is in is my baby getting enough milk, and if you do have concerns, low milk supply covers what actually helps.

The common problems, and where to find each fix

Most breastfeeding problems are common, fixable, and trace back to latch or supply. The big ones:

• Pain and damage: why does breastfeeding hurt and sore and cracked nipples.
• Full, hard breasts: breast engorgement, common around day 3 to 5.
• A tender lump: blocked milk ducts, and if you feel feverish and unwell, mastitis.
• Supply worries: low milk supply and how to increase milk supply.
• A baby who fights the breast: breast refusal and fussy feeding, sometimes linked to tongue-tie.

None of these means you have failed or that you have to stop. Most are sorted with a latch tweak, more frequent feeding, and the right support.

Expressing, bottles, and going back to work

You do not have to choose between breast and bottle. Many parents express milk with a breast pump, follow breast milk storage guidelines, and offer a bottle to a breastfed baby using paced feeding so the baby still works for the milk. This is what makes returning to work while breastfeeding and the occasional night off possible. Mixing breast and bottle, or combination feeding with formula, is a valid choice.

How long to breastfeed

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for about the first 6 months, then continued breastfeeding alongside solid foods to 2 years and beyond. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports exclusive feeding for around 6 months and continued breastfeeding for at least the first year. Around 6 months you start introducing solids while breastfeeding, with milk still the main source of nutrition at first.

How long you continue, and when you move to weaning, is your decision. Any breastfeeding at all is valuable, and there is no point at which it stops being worthwhile.

Where to get help

You do not have to work it out alone, and getting help early is the thing I would tell every new parent. A midwife, health visitor, or an IBCLC lactation consultant can watch a feed and fix a latch in minutes that you might struggle with for weeks. For what those first weeks actually feel like, day by day, read breastfeeding a newborn week by week, and for the bit nobody warns you about, the emotional side of breastfeeding.