Pregnancy Calendar A daily record based on your due date. Sound Advice Expert answers to your questions. Breastfeeding in the first few days, weeks, and possibly months is 'fired' by prolactin, the milk-making hormone. It's this, together with the removal of milk by the baby, that stimulates your body to make milk.
Most women find their breasts sometimes feel 'full' between feeds.
The prolactin levels gradually fall in the first six months after your baby's birth, and milk is made more directly in response to how often and how much your baby eats. In fact, studies have shown that prolactin levels are back to pre-pregnancy levels by the time your baby is 6 months old, yet it is perfectly possible to supply all the milk your baby needs, simply by feeding him. However, your breasts won't feel full, because the milk is being made more efficiently and more responsively, according to your baby's needs. You're not storing lots of 'extra' milk between feeds now that your body is relying on your baby's stimulus, rather than your hormones, to make milk. Sometimes mothers worry, thinking that feeling less full means they don't have enough milk.