How To Tell If Your Baby is Getting Enough

How can you tell if your newborn baby is eating enough?

As a first time mom, it is so overwhelming to be taking on 100% of the nutritional needs of a new baby through breastfeeding. You might worry whether baby is getting enough milk from your breasts (I know I did) – but your milk supply changes to meet your baby’s needs and their tiny stomach can’t hold large amounts of breastmilk yet.

One of the things that worried me the most in those early days was whether my baby was getting enough and gaining enough weight. I needed reassurance that my baby was getting enough to eat. My baby was jaundiced, so it was even more important. Thankfully, I had a great pediatrician who reassured me that my baby was gaining enough weight and made me not feel stressed. But as soon as I left the Dr. office, I was full of doubt and worry.

I used other signs to help myself feel more confident that everything was working as it should and my baby was eating enough.

These are some of the signs that I used to tell that my baby was getting enough milk in those early days weeks.

How many wet and dirty diapers is baby having each day?

This one you will hear a lot. In the hospital the nurses will want you to keep track of the number of wet diapers. Your baby should have at least 6 wet diapers and 3 yellow stools per day by about day five after birth. This generally continues for the first 6 months as well. The diapers with the wetness indicator are so helpful in being able to tell if the diaper is really wet.

Is your baby eating frequently?

In general, a baby should nurse 8 to 12 times in a 24-hour period for the first few days to weeks.  Every 2-3 hours. THIS IS NORMAL! Breastmilk is a perfect food for baby so it is digested quickly. Because a baby’s stomach is so small it just eats more often. Nursing frequently will also help you establish and maintain your milk supply because your body produces milk on a supply-and-demand basis.

How much weight is your baby gaining?

This stressed me out the most in the beginning, but I knew that it could take up to 2 weeks for a baby to be back up to birth weight, so I was not going to be bullied into feeling guilty if he wasn’t there by one week. By 10-14 days after birth, your baby should recover any lost birth weight. Then, for the first 4 months of a baby’s life, average weight gain is about 5-7 ounces per week.

Does your baby determine the length of feedings?

It’s best to let your baby determine when a feeding is over and avoid ending a feeding before they are finished. Some baby’s are fast eaters and some baby’s are slow eaters. Your baby will either come off the breast or fall asleep when they’re done eating. But know that some baby’s will fall asleep before they get a full feeding. If you need to keep baby awake during feedings, undress baby down to the diaper, try to stroke the baby’s cheek to keep him or her awake. I had to do this with my baby, constantly “messing with him” to keep him awake for a whole feeding.

 How does your baby look and act? 

This is where mama instinct comes in. Trust your gut. In general, if your baby is receiving enough breastmilk they should look outwardly healthy and be active, alert and content. If you think something is wrong, don’t be afraid to see you pediatrician or a lactation consultant.

 Are you hearing or seeing swallows during feedings?

While baby is nursing, you should be able to hear or see your baby swallowing as your milk flows. You can see them take long gulps as their chin moves slowly up and down.

Hopefully a combination of visible signs that you can measure, and your own instinct, will help you feel more confident as your baby grows. It’s hard to keep it all in perspective at the very beginning, but once you learn your baby’s patterns and signals, you will start to develop your won rhythm.