How to Know if your Baby is Getting enough Milk


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One of the most common questions that breastfeeding moms ask is how to know if baby is getting enough milk during breastfeeding. This is a normal and natural question. Your breasts aren’t transparent so as to allow you to see how much milk is in there. There aren’t any ounce markers along the way to tell you how much baby has had. Fortunately, there are some other ways that show you how to know if your baby is getting enough milk.

Some of those signs have to do with your baby’s age and development. The question is most common during the newborn period, so it’s important to look at that time period first. During those first few days, your baby is getting mostly colostrum. This first milk is thick, and it helps to boost your baby’s immunity system. During that time, your baby will probably have just one or two wet diapers each day.

After about the third day, your breast milk will start to come in. From here, you’ll count a much higher number of wet diapers. You should expect about 6 to 8 wet diapers per day at that point if you’re using cloth diapers, and 5 or 6 wet diapers if you’re using disposables.

You can also expect your baby to have between two and five bowel movements each day during about the first several months. However, some babies may transition to fewer and larger bowel movements in the six week range.

There are some other ways to know if your baby is getting enough milk, including:

  • She is nursing somewhere between about 8 and 12 times each day.
  • He can determine the length of his feeding. Depending on a number of factors, this might be as much as 20 minutes on each breast or even longer.
  • You should be able to hear your baby swallowing when she is feeding.
  • Baby will gain approximately 4 to 7 ounces each week beginning on about day four. He will grow both in length as well as the circumference of his head.
  • Your baby should be active and alert, with good color and having firm skin.


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