In this episode, I explain newborn digestion and feeding in the first month of life, including breastmilk, formula, poop patterns, reflux, and why uncertainty is normal. Learn what’s developing inside your baby’s gut and how confidence comes with time—not perfect tracking.

00:00 – Welcome & Why the First Month Feels So Confusing

Why tracking feeds, poop, and sleep helps identify patterns—but rarely provides day-to-day certainty in the newborn stage.

03:30 – You’re Not Doing It Wrong: Newborn Immaturity Explained

Why even highly informed parents feel unsure, and how newborn digestive immaturity—not lack of knowledge—drives most early feeding questions.

07:00 – How Much Newborns Actually Eat (and How Fast It Changes)

Stomach size, feeding volumes by day of life, and why babies may seem extra sleepy or unsettled when intake hasn’t caught up yet.

11:00 – Colostrum vs Mature Breastmilk: What Changes and Why It Matters

Protein density, volume shifts, and how early milk aligns with a newborn’s developing digestive system.

15:30 – Stomach Acid, Reflux, and Gastric Emptying

Why newborn stomach acid starts low, increases over time, and how this explains sour burps, reflux, and spit-up.

20:00 – Fat Digestion in Newborns (Lipase, Bile, and Absorption)

How breastmilk supports fat digestion when pancreatic enzymes and bile production are still immature.

26:00 – Lactose, Enzymes, and Common Feeding Myths

Why most newborns are not lactose intolerant and what “enzyme immaturity” actually means.

30:30 – Immune Protection Through Breastmilk

How antibodies in colostrum (IgA, IgM, IgG) survive digestion and support early immune development.

36:00 – Gut Permeability & Why Newborns Absorb Differently

Why newborn intestines are more permeable, what that means for nutrient absorption, and why hydration matters.

40:30 – Poop, Motility, and Why It Changes So Much

Normal differences in stool patterns, gut movement, and why poop is a poor report card on feeding success.

45:30 – Breastfed vs Formula-Fed Poop (and Why Both Are Normal)

How substrate differences affect stool, gas, and transit time—and why change doesn’t equal failure.

50:30 – Formula Safety, Predictability, and When It’s Helpful

Why formula works well despite digestive immaturity and how its consistency can be supportive for families.

55:00 – Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) & Gut Microbiome Development

What HMOs do, why they soften stool, how they feed gut bacteria, and how formulas now incorporate them.

1:01:30 – When Digestive Symptoms Are Red Flags

Poor growth, blood or mucus in stool, true malabsorption—and when pediatricians want to know more.

1:06:30 – Crying, Gas, and the Six-Week Peak

Why fussiness isn’t always digestive, how mechanics matter, and what’s normal in early infancy.

1:11:30 – The Big Takeaway: Confidence Comes With Time

Why clarity arrives through experience, observation, and support—not perfect data.

1:14:30 – Bonus: Newborn Nutrition Needs (Extra Credit)

Calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrate needs in infancy—and why babies require so much energy early on.

If this episode resonated with you:

• Follow or subscribe to The Lunchbox Reformation so you don’t miss future episodes
• Share this episode with a parent who’s expecting—or in the thick of newborn life
• Join my upcoming Nutrition for the First Chapter Masterclass (January 25) for a deeper dive into infant feeding and formula navigation

You don’t have to get it perfect—you just have to keep showing up. ????

Breastfeeding doesn’t always go as planned—and when it doesn’t, many parents are left carrying unnecessary guilt, shame, and confusion about formula feeding. In this episode of The Lunchbox Reformation, I explore the emotional and clinical realities of breastfeeding struggles, supplementation, and transitioning to formula.

Drawing from my own experience as a new mom in medical training and over a decade of pediatric practice, I walk through common early breastfeeding challenges, including latch issues, tongue and oral movement concerns, head and neck restriction, breech positioning, and milk supply anxiety.

Most importantly, this episode reframes infant feeding away from performance and perfection. I offer compassionate guidance for parents who are supplementing or choosing formula, emphasizing that the “best” formula is often the one your baby tolerates well—and that a regulated, supported parent–infant dyad matters far more than meeting an idealized feeding goal.

This conversation is for anyone who is pregnant, breastfeeding, adopting, supplementing, or grieving a feeding journey that didn’t look the way they expected. The takeaway is clear and grounding: how you feed your baby does not define your worth as a parent—attunement, observation, and care do.

Register here for the science of breastmilk and formula masterclass!

What you eat postpartum supports the breastfeeding parent more than breastmilk itself. Dr. Liz Daniels explains postpartum nutrition, breastmilk composition, and which nutrients truly matter for recovery and infant health.

Postpartum nutrition is often framed as a way to “optimize” breastmilk—but that framing creates unnecessary pressure for parents. In this episode of The Lunchbox Reformation, we break down what postpartum nutrition actually affects when breastfeeding, and what the body regulates automatically.

You’ll learn why breastmilk composition is far more resilient than social media suggests, how carbohydrates, fats, and protein support the parent more than the milk itself, and which micronutrients—like iron, vitamin D, iodine, choline, and omega-3s—deserve attention during postpartum recovery.

This episode is for anyone who is pregnant, breastfeeding, postpartum, or supporting a new parent and wants evidence-based clarity without fear-based feeding advice. The takeaway is simple but powerful: your body handles milk production—nutrition supports you while it does that work.

If this resonates with you, please subscribe and/or follow for more. I would love your feedback - leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Register for the Breastmilk and Formula Masterclass here!