When you've gotten past the first few weeks postpartum and nursing is going well, you won't need to do much to care for your breasts. Rinsing them with water in the shower is sufficient — don't wash your nipples with soap, as that can be drying and irritating to the nipple's tissue. If you're not nursing, you may leak a little milk for weeks or even months after giving birth even if you never breastfeed.

If you've gotten off to a rough start with breastfeeding, don't worry — sore nipples and the oversupply and undersupply issues that sometimes make the first weeks of nursing difficult almost always work themselves out after a few weeks. As your body begins to recognize your baby's feeding patterns, it will adjust the output of milk to meet your baby's needs without oversupply. Your breasts will soften, your nipples will toughen up, and you'll get the hang of recognizing your baby's hunger signals and getting him onto your breast. It is truly all worth it for the benefits to both of you.