You and your baby both have to learn how to breastfeed. This may come as a surprise, since lower mammals (such as rats and cats) know how to do it instinctively. However, as we move up the evolutionary scale, we find that primates (apes and monkeys) also have to learn how to breastfeed. In fact, gorillas in zoos who have never seen another gorilla nurse have been taught how to breastfeed by watching videos, and even bringing in other nursing mothers (sometimes human ones!) to show them the ‘how tos.’