A lot of breastfeeding resources (whether in the form of books or information from the internet) concentrate a lot on the 'getting started' part of breastfeeding but covers little about what to expect going forward.

The fact is that things change as you continue to breastfeed and a lot of new mothers get panicky and confused by the changes because the information they read about does not provide some kind of time frame for reference.

Different changes happen to different people, so it is quite impossible to give a one-size-fit all kind of reference list.  But by and large, you can expect the following changes to happen as you continue to breastfeed your baby.  I can't tell you exactly when these will happen and they may or may not happen to you.

1. Your Baby takes a shorter time to feed

A lot of mothers start getting panicky when this happens and start wondering (again!) if it is because they are not producing enough milk.  Don't worry.  Your baby is just getting to be an expert at sucking milk out of you.  Hence, a newborn may take 30-45 minutes, but an 4 month old may only need 5 minutes.

Always check output and weight gain to determine if your baby is getting enough.

2. You may not feel the let down as much or at all

After many months of breastfeeding, you may not feel as strong a let down, or even any sensation of a let down. 

3. Your breasts may not feel as full

In the initial months, you breasts will start feeling full and heavy nearer the next feed.  If you miss a feed, you will feel really uncomfortable.  However, as your breasts get used to the level of demand placed on them, they will not be producing so much but will produce according to the demand.  Hence, you will not feel as full and heavy as before.  This is no indication of the amount you are producing.  As long as you feed, you will have milk.

In line with this, your breast size will also stabilise.  You may be a B cup during the last months of pregnancy and grow into a C during the first couple of months of breastfeeding.  After some time, you will settle back to a B cup again.

4. Your baby may not poo everyday

A lot of old folks will start panicking and make you panic when they know that the baby has not poo'ed for days.  This is because they are used to formula fed babies and formula fed babies should be poo-ing everyday or every couple of days.

This is normal for breastfed babies.  It can be for as long as a week or longer!!  This is not constipation.  Constipation is when your baby has difficulty moving his bowel and the output is hard and dry.  As long as your baby is poo-ing nice, soft, breastmilk poo, he is fine.  No need to panic.  His system matures over time and becomes more efficient at absorbing all the nutrients from what he drinks.  And since breastmilk is so wonderfully digestible and almost everything can be absorbed, there is little left to poo.

However, this is only true if your baby is totally breastfed.  If your baby has started solids, he should be poo-ing more often, e.g. once a day.  Having said that, if your baby (who is taking solids) poo every few days and the poo is not dry and hard, then you don't have to worry too.