Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?

The biggest concern of every breastfeeding mother is perhaps the quantity of milk her baby is having every day. Is it enough? Does it meet his daily need of nutrition? After all, her breasts are not transparent and she can’t see through them to verify the exact milliliters her baby consumes at every nursing session.

On the long run, weight gain is probably the best way to prove the baby is getting his need of nutrition. But on the short run, there are other ways to remove all doubts and know the truth:

• The way a baby sucks milk at his mother’s breast, might show whether he’s getting or not his need of nutrition. A baby who’s obtaining good amounts of milk at the breast sucks in a characteristic way: He opens his mouth to the maximum so that the areola of his mother’s nipple is less visible on the downside than the upper side. He sucks the milk for some time then takes a pause. During this pause, he tries to ingest the quantity of milk that is filling his mouth and putting a downward pressure on his chin.
• The frequency of passing stools may also be a sign of baby getting enough breast milk. Usually, a nursing baby starts pooping 3 times a day, by day three of life. His stools texture is often light and soft, ranging in color between orange and yellow.
• A baby’s urination pattern may be as well an extra proof that he’s having enough milk to meet his needs. An infant generally urinates between 5 and 6 times every 24 hours.

In addition to these three evidences, there are other positive signs to prove a successful breastfeeding and baby getting enough nourishment to grow and develop cognitive, physical and motor skills and capacities: baby’s energy and perception, his capacity to reach new developmental milestones, his feeling of fullness and satisfaction after every feed, his will to breastfeed not less than 6 times a day and his mother’s feeling of lightness in the breasts after nursing and not facing any changes in the nipples, etc.

If, despite all the above, you’re still not sure if your child is getting enough milk from your breasts, don’t pass over your doubts and try to consult with a doctor, midwife or any other health provider specialized in breastfeeding. 

Read More: Should I feed My Baby At Will?