Breastfeeding:

-Let your baby nurse seven to ten minutes on each beast, right from the start. Increase your nursing time each day until your baby is nursing each side 15 to 20 minutes on each side.

-Many babies don't nurse well for their first few days. Be patient with a newborn who seems more interested in sleeping. You can gently encourage him to awaken: Burp him, unwrap his blanket, change his diaper or tickle his foot.

-Make sure your baby is positioned well with his head, tummy and knees facing in toward your body. He should be up near your breast, not down in your lap. A pillow may help. Support your breast by placing the thumb above and the other fingers below to guide your nipple to the baby's lips. The baby should take some of the dark area around the nipple into his mouth when he nurses.

-Be sure to talk with your doctor about any medication you may be taking. Some (not all) drugs cause adverse effects when they pass through your milk to your baby.

-Be sure your baby nurses long enough to receive the rich calorie heavy "hind milk" that comes toward the end of the nursing session.

-Don't give your newborn bottles of water or formula before nursing becomes well established. Bottles require a different sucking action, possibly causing confusion and less demand for your milk.

-Be generous and flexible with your nursing time. Your baby may want to nurse as often as every two to three hours in his first weeks, or about six to ten times in a 24-hour period. Sometimes he may sleep four or five hours between feedings; other times he may want to nurse every hour.

-Check for proper weight gain in your baby. Most babies lose weight during their first weeks in the real world. But they bounce back to birth weight after two to six weeks. Most babies gain about four to seven ounces each week for the first month.

-Your "let down" reflex (the tingling sensation that tells you milk is ready to go to the baby) may not be automatic when you first begin nursing. Try breast massage. Use the flat of your hand and stroke from the outside of your breast down toward the nipple.

-Check to make sure your baby is getting enough milk. One good sign is six to eight really wet diapers every day. Your baby is probably getting enough if he nurses every two to three hours, sleeps between feedings, looks as if he's filling out, putting on weight, growing in length and is active and alert.

-Don't try to test for hunger by offering the baby a bottle after nursing. Your infant is so programmed to suck that he will usually take some milk even if he's not hungry.

-Remember that what you eat and drink may affect your milk. Onions, garlic, and spices may add a strong disagreeable flavor to your milk. Cabbage, sauerkraut and rhubarb may cause gas pains if your baby is sensitive to them.

-Drink plenty of fluids so that you can produce plenty of fluids for your baby. It's a good idea to drink a glass of water or juice before or while you nurse.

Bottlefeeding:

-Use the type of formula your doctor recommends. Get a two week supply. New babies usually drink two to four ounces, six to eight times a day.

-Make sure you have the basic equipment: Six to eight bottles, a dozen nipples, a bottle brush and measuring container.

-Check with your doctor about the best method for sterilizing bottles and nursing equipment.

-Soak used bottles and nipples so that milk scum doesn't harden. Wash bottles and brush in hot soapy water. Force water through the holes in the nipples. Rinse well. Let bottles drain. Do not dry with a dish towel.

-Mix formula with water that has been boiled and cooled. Follow formula directions exactly.

-Formula should be warmed to about room temperature, neither hot nor cold.

-To warm a bottle: Run it under hot tap water or let it stand in a bowl of hot water a few minutes. Be very very careful if you microwave warm formula as it may unevenly heat the formula.

-Don't mix solids such as cereal with a bottle of formula during feedings.

-Burp the baby several times during a feeding in the early days. Later, burp him about halfway through and at the end of the feeding.

-When the baby is nursing, tip the bottle so that the nipple and collar are filled with milk.