The first three days have their own rhythm, and knowing it spares a great deal of worry. Your body is not behind schedule. It is doing precisely what it is designed to do, in a particular order, and that order can feel surprising if no one has described it first.
Soon after birth, your baby is often quietly alert, the ideal window for skin to skin and a first feed. You are producing colostrum, a thick, golden first milk that comes in tiny amounts, just a few millilitres at a time. That is not a shortfall. A newborn's stomach is roughly the size of a small marble, and colostrum is rich, protective and exactly enough.
Expect a great deal of feeding. This is normal, and it is the very thing that signals your body to bring your fuller milk in, usually around day three. Many mothers also notice a wobble in mood around the same time as hormones recalibrate, sometimes called the day-three blues. It is common, it is not the same as postnatal depression, and it tends to pass within a few days.
Small, frequent and golden is not a problem to fix. It is the plan working.
A comfortable latch should not pinch or hurt beyond the first few seconds. You may hear soft swallowing once your milk is in, see rhythmic jaw movement, and notice your baby relaxing and coming off content. None of this needs to be perfect from the first hour. It is a skill the two of you learn together, often with a little help.
Reach out to your midwife or a feeding specialist if your baby is very difficult to wake for feeds, is having far fewer wet nappies than expected, is consistently distressed at the breast, or if feeding is genuinely painful for you. Early support is quick and effective, and asking early is always the right move.