Breastfeeding your newborn baby doesn’t always come naturally or easily, especially in the beginning, and nursing can have its share of ups and downs. It can be an intensely loving, bonding experience or it can be filled with tears when nursing sessions don’t go quite as planned.

Luckily, being prepared for what to expect is half the battle. Here’s what you need to know about breastfeeding your newborn.

Breast milk comes in three stages

It might surprise you to know that in the beginning, your breast milk changes by the week and each formulation is designed to meet your newborn’s precise needs:

• Colostrum. At first, you’re producing a yellowy substance called colostrum. Colostrum helps provide your little one with the nutrients and antibodies he needs to fight infections in the early days. A little goes a long way, so baby only needs a few teaspoons at a time, which might be all you’re producing.
• Transitional milk. Three to five days after birth, colostrum is replaced with transitional milk. Just as the names suggests, transitional milk — which looks like a mixture of orange juice and milk — is the stage between colostrum and mature breast milk.
• Mature milk. Usually between the tenth day and second week, mature milk finally comes in. It’s white and slightly thinner than transitional milk, resembling watery skim milk, and can appear bluish at first.

Breastfeeding a newborn can be a full-time job

Newborns need to be breastfed every two to three hours in the beginning, and each session can take a while. You’ll know that a feeding is done when baby has completely drained at least one breast. For newborns, this can take between 20 and 45 minutes at each feeding.