Your newborn's first feeds
Colostrum is a thick, yellowish colour and more concentrated than mature milk. It is rich in protein and antibodies that help to protect your baby from illness. Colostrum also helps your baby to pass their first meconium poo.
At birth, your baby’s tummy is tiny and they only need a small amount of milk in the first few days. The amount of colostrum your breasts make is enough to meet their needs. Milk is even there if your baby is born prematurely.
Healthy term breastfed babies tend to drink these volumes each feed during the first week:
- 1 day old, 2 to 10 mL
- 1 to 2 days old, 5 to 15 mL
- 2 to 3 days old, 15 to 30 mL
- 3 to 4 days old, 30 to 60 mL.
Increasing milk in the early days
Between 2 and 5 days after your baby is born, colostrum gradually becomes thin and bluish-white in appearance. The amount of milk you make increases too. This change is sometimes known as your milk 'coming in'.
Your baby has an instinct to feed and if given the opportunity to feed often, will help increase your milk supply. The size of your baby's stomach also increases so they can take a larger volume. This is a normal part of establishing a breastmilk supply.
How often will my baby feed?
It is common for newborns to breastfeed 8 to 14 times or more in a 24-hour period. This will mean that your baby will be feeding very often – every 2 to 3 hours, including at night.
Sometimes one breast may be enough for your baby, and other times they may need two. Sometimes your baby will go to sleep between feeds and sometimes they will be awake and want to feed again. Many newborns have periods each day where they feed very frequently for a few hours. Often these cluster feeding periods are followed by a longer period of sleep.
If your baby is extra sleepy, you may need to wake them to make sure they get the milk they need.
Be guided by your baby's feeding cues and feed them whenever they show an interest. This is the way to ensure that your milk supply keeps up with your baby's needs.
Many new mums worry whether their baby is getting enough milk. We can't measure how much a baby takes when they breastfeed but even in the first week, there are some reliable signs that your baby is getting enough. Some of these relate to your baby's nappies. Read on to find out more.
Your newborn's first nappies
Your baby's first poo
The first poo your baby will be black and sticky. This is from the meconium that's in their digestive tract before birth.
By day 2
By day 2, baby's poo should be softer but still dark in colour. Over the next few days, the poos change to a greenish-brown and then to a mustard-yellow. As the colour changes they become less sticky and larger in amount.
Your baby should have at least 1 wet nappy on day one and at least 2 on day two.
Over the first few days
Your baby should have at least 3 wet nappies on day three, at least 4 on day four and at least 5 on day five and each day after that.
Over the first few days, salts of uric acid in your baby's wee may leave a rusty, orange-red stain on the nappy. This is normal during this time. If you see this after day 4, check with your doctor.
From day 5 onwards
Provided your baby is only having breastmilk:
They will have at least 5 wet disposable, or 6 very wet cloth nappies in 24 hours. The nappies should feel heavy after use with about 60g of wee, like the weight of a large egg.
Baby's wee will be pale. If your baby's wee is dark and smelly, this is a sign that they aren't taking in enough milk.
Baby will do plenty of soft poos of a yellow-mustard colour. Under the age of 6-8 weeks, babies usually have three or more runny poos a day. Poos are about the size of the palm of your baby's hand.
This video from our Breastfeeding Basics series explains what you can expect in the first week.
© Australian Breastfeeding Association October 2025
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