"Milk Matters is an amazing initiative that I am priviledged to have been involved in."
Samantha, breastmilk donor - Bergvliet
"I was blessed with more than enough breast milk for our son and to donate to Milk Matters. It was a pleasure to be able to donate any extra breast milk and I always knew it would be use to save precious little lives."
Renate (breastmilk donor) - Kraaifontein
"I express and freeze my milk for donation as there is no better feeling than knowing we are helping other moms and babies."
Andrea (breastmilk donor) - Cape Town
"As a working mom who must travel for work, I was thrilled to discover Milk Matters on my recent trip to Cape Town. I spent a week there and Milk Matters made the whole experience of donating milk so easy.
I was so pleased that I could donate my milk to babies who could really use it instead of having to throw it away. I would encourage more traveling mamas to do the same."
Liz A. - donor mom from Washington, DC
Should I demand feed or schedule-feed my baby?
A newborn baby's stomach is about the size of a marble with a capacity of around 5 ml. By the time he is a week old it is around 50ml. He just can't cope with too much, too soon.
Breastmilk is also readily digested. Most babies therefore need frequent feeds, round 10 to 12 feeds in 24 hours during the first few days. You could even wake your baby during the day time to fit in extra feeds. He is then more likely to sleep for longer stretches at night. It won't be long before he settles into his own pattern.
Should you baby still be feeding often and not settling between feeds, after the first few days, have a lactation consultant or breastfeeding expert check your baby's latch.
Avoid being tempted by well meaning advice about stretching your babies feeds. Take a moment to count how often you have a drink or snack during the course of a day and your stomach capacity? What's more you have stopped growing and your baby has only just started.