A few years ago, when I started my practice, I noticed that I was getting only emergency calls from mothers experiencing different problems. The work in private practice is very different than the hospital one. At the hospital, I used to witness the first latch of many babies, and I used to talk to them about the do’s and don’ts of breastfeeding.

Unfortunately, I don’t have many opportunities anymore to tell mommies what to expect in the first days and weeks or what they can do to prevent future problems. But if there’re any future moms or very new moms reading this, I can assure you that you will need to know these six essential things to survive your baby’s first days of life.

1. Don’t forget to do Skin to Skin with your baby within the first hour after birth, and for the next 24 hours.

Studies have shown that early Skin to Skin practices increase the levels of oxytocin in mothers and babies and facilitates the latch.