One piece of info that I like to share with mums who are in the
first 24 hours after delivery and who are concerned about their
babies "getting enough" is from BF & Human Lactation. On page 107 of
the the 1993 edition of the text:
"Small amounts of colostrum, about 37 ml. (range 7 - 123) are
yielded in the first 24 hours.....the infant ingests approximately 7
- 14 ml at each feeding."

I remember Diane Wessinger leading a discussion of this on Lactnet a
few months back as well.  And yes, we all know there are variations
in the amount of colostrum a mother has.

But my point to mums is that it is designed to come in small
amounts.  That a good feeding is only 1- 3 tsp..  So that if baby
needs some expressed colostrum by cup as a supplement or to get him
interested in the breast, those few drops are seen in their proper
context.

It seems to be hard for new mothers to imagine that a baby is meant
to only get a small amount of milk in the first day when all she has
ever seen all her life are 4 or 8 oz bottles full of milk.

I find it is easier for a mum to believe that her baby has had a
good feeding if she isn't trying to visualize large volumes of milk
being transferred. I also point out all the ways of knowing the
latch is good and what to look for to know baby is getting enough
milk over the next few days.

--
Janet Vandenberg, RN, BScN, IBCLC
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
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