I know from experience how breastfeeding your baby can be one of the hardest challenges in the first few weeks post-birth. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends giving breast milk until your baby is 1 year of age, because breastfeeding provides significant health benefits for your baby. But there are a few big challenges to breastfeeding baby during that first week: Your body is healing, breast milk is just starting to come in (around three days after delivery), and the newborn is learning how to feed. Working with a lactation consultant can be very valuable during this time.
I recommend that moms who want to breastfeed their babies keep trying to do so for at least a month to see if it works out. However, if you are unable to breastfeed or choose not to, you can rest assured that many babies (including many of us) thrived on formula or a combination of formula and breast milk.
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