The question is not just about the newborns's possible reserves for riding out any particular amount of time without eating.  We're also learning more about the importance of early calibration-- even in the first hours -- in promoting the ongoing supply -- milk removal is so important for getting the body to invest in this new metabolic activity.  So if nothing vigorous is happening in those first couple hours of cozy skin-to-skin, I would encourage hand-expressing onto a spoon frequently to give the baby some "bonus" milk to wake them up to the wonderful world waiting, and to start sending the message to the mother's body.

 I'd even add pumping if the baby isn't doing his/her job by the end of the day, warning the mother she'll not see big amounts, but that anything removed "places the order" and we'll syringe up every drop to give to the baby.  I'd rather err on the side of promoting supply for the long-term picture if the baby needs some time to step up to the job.  There's no downside to some little spoonfuls of colostrum, which may head off the cascade of supplements that will come if there's too much weight lost, or problematic blood-sugar readings.

Margaret Will, IBCLC Maryland, USA
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