How to check if a newborn has enough milk. Five nursing mom's doubts and easy ways to solve them

01.09.2019

How can a mother who is breastfeeding know that her baby has received enough milk? Breastfeeding mothers often have these doubts, since the breast is not a bottle, where you can clearly see how many grams of milk the baby has eaten.

The weight and length of the child must be continually increased. This is the first sign that the baby is eating well. Some mothers weigh their baby before and after feeding.

How to understand that a baby does not have enough breast milk - basic indicators

Baby sucks milk in a special way

With proper feeding, if you wean your baby, you will definitely see a lot of milk in your mouth. The child pauses briefly during meals to rest.

When the baby does not have enough milk, it seems to hang on the mother's breast. Milk does not come and he, sucking on the breast, waits for him for a long time. These pauses will be fairly frequent.

Baby's excrement changes color

After birth, the baby's feces are meconium. Breastfeeding changes the baby's stool, it gradually begins to brighten. The child no longer eats colostrum, but full-fledged mother's milk. The feces of a well-nourished baby will be creamy or watery. Stool shades range from green to mustard. In the first weeks of life, the child will often walk on a large scale, later this process will not occur more than 2-3 times a day.

Urination is an important indicator of proper newborn nutrition.

If the child does not have enough milk, then he will rarely pee. If you change the diaper 5-6 times a day, then you can rest assured - the child eats enough.

False indicators that the baby is not getting enough milk

The chest does not seem full

The female body works according to the individual needs of the child. After the first weeks of breastfeeding, your breast will produce as much milk as your baby drinks. Do not wait for a ton of milk rush and huge breasts.

The baby sleeps all day and night

In the first weeks of life, you will have to encourage your baby to eat at a specific time. Wake up your baby and bring it to your chest. The child is still too weak, he needs to tune in and get into the rhythm.

The baby cries while eating and after taking milk

If a child is crying, this does not always mean that he is hungry. The baby may have a stomach ache, he may not get enough sleep, he may be irritated by odors or noise.

The baby often requires a breast

It is up to the child to decide when he needs to eat milk. You don't have to worry about your child starving if you see them gaining weight. If the baby often requires breast and at the same time is slowly gaining weight, is capricious and pisses little, then you should feed him with milk mixture.

The mother is obliged to monitor her baby's food intake. Timely measures taken will help to establish the process of feeding the baby. Be sure to consult with your doctor and keep regular monitoring of the development of the child.

This video shows that the child drinks milk correctly and has enough of it:

Among the new mom's biggest fears of being a leader is a possible lack of breast milk. But in fact, according to various sources, the absence or insufficiency of lactation occurs in only 1-5% of women around the world. Unreasonable fears are most often associated with the statements of "kind" relatives, brought up in the spirit of Soviet times, when women were not ordered to feed at night, as well as changes in the child's behavior, which are manifestations of development or malaise. Instead of falling into despair, it is better to assess the real parameters that indicate the sufficiency of milk.

There are several objective indicators by which you can understand whether the baby is eating up. They can be assessed by any mother at home without any special tools. Unless you need a scale.

Number of urinations

For the most objective assessment of this parameter, it is recommended to conduct a test for "wet diapers". To implement it, it is necessary to give up disposable diapers for at least a day. You need to count how many times the baby urinates in 24 hours. Normally, a child who is one week old pees at least 10-12 times. This test is valid if the baby is not given enough water.

With less accuracy, you can estimate the abundance of urination in disposable diapers. Provided that breastfeeding is sufficient, the baby fills them per day in the amount of 4-6 pieces.

Child's age	Urine volume per day, ml	The number of urinations per day	The volume of one portion of urine, ml
1-3 years	750-820	10-12	60-90
0-6 months	400-700	20-25	20-30
6 months - 1 year	375-720	15-16	25-45
3-5 years	900-1070	7-9	70-90
5-7 years	1070-1300	7-9	100-150
7-9 years old	1240-1520	7-8	145-190
9-11 years old	1520-1670	6-7	220-260
11-13 years old	1600-1900	6-7	250-270

This is not the only parameter associated with a baby's toilet.

In the first days after birth, and sometimes during childbirth, the baby's intestines get rid of meconium. This is the original feces. It is dark in color. With the appearance of milk in the mother, which occurs about the third day after birth, the baby's feces first turn green and then yellow. From now on, the baby must empty the intestines at least 3 times a day. This figure is valid until the child reaches the age of 3-8 weeks, when the frequency of bowel movements can be only 1 time per day, and sometimes less often, since milk is absorbed more fully.

Weight gain

If in the first 4-7 days of life the baby loses weight, which is a physiological norm, then then he begins to gain weight 125-500 g per week. The increase for the first month, the minimum value of which is 600 g, must be counted from the minimum weight.

Age, months	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Increase per month, g	600	800	800	750	700	650	600	550	500	450	400	350
Increase for the past period, g	600	1400	2200	2950	3650	4300	4900	5450	5950	6400	6800	7150
Increase in height (in cm) per month	3	3	2,5	2,5	2	2	2	2	1,5	1,5	1,5	1,5
Increase in height (in cm) over the past period	3	6	8,5	11	13	15	17	19	20,5	22	23,5	25

It is often not worth evaluating how much a baby weighs, since it is gaining unevenly, and the mother will only have cause for concern. By the way, the scales must be the same.

These are 3 reliable indicators that can be evidence of whether or not there is enough breast milk for the baby. Sucking movements can also be evaluated. When a baby is breastfeeding, not for the purpose of calming, but for food or drink, then this can be easily determined. One sucking movement consists of three phases:

letting go of the chin down;
pauses;
raising the chin.

At such moments, the baby receives the maximum portions of milk. If this happens regularly, then most likely there are no problems with lactation.

The rest of the opinions are just speculation.

Milk scarcity myths

There are several factors that may worry an inexperienced breastfeeding mom. Their appearance is attributed by the woman herself or someone from her environment to the fact that the baby receives little breast milk. But this is a misconception.

1. The baby continues to cry after feeding. Most often this happens in the evening. But crying is a baby's only language. The baby screams for many reasons: fear, discomfort, headache, meteosensitivity, colic, etc.

2. The child "hangs on the chest", that is, asks often and sucks for a long time. In fact, this is the norm. After all, a breast for a small person is not only food, but also a way to calm down, and the world around is full of stress, especially for a newly born baby. And there are more than enough difficult periods in life. Therefore, everyone has their own mode of attachment to the breast. But if the child sleeps less than 20 minutes, is restless, then it is worth contacting the pediatrician.

3. Even with a breast pump it is possible to express a maximum of 30-40 ml. This is one of the most frightening parameters. But it doesn't really mean anything. After all, it is impossible to imitate the sucking movements of a baby either with a breast pump or with your hands. In addition, milk rushes occur while the baby is sucking, even with greater intensity than during the breaks.

4. Milk no longer flows from the breast by itself. In the first months, mom often wakes up in a puddle of milk, and during the day, you cannot do without special breast liners. But at about 3 months, lactation is established, so the milk stops leaking.

5. The breasts feel soft even between feedings. It is also associated with the establishment of lactation.

6. The kid does not sleep at night. In fact, a baby in the first months should not skip night feeds, latching on to the breast between 3 and 8 am is important for lactation. If the baby sleeps for more than 4 hours, then it is worth waking him up. To do this, it is enough to catch the moment when the baby is busy and try to give him a breast. Sleepy babies suck well.

7. The baby is happy to take the bottle after feeding. This does not always show that the baby is hungry. In addition, bottles and nipples can make it difficult to breastfeed.

If a nursing mother is faced with similar phenomena, and weight gain and urinary frequency are normal, then you should not panic. Properly organized breastfeeding is the prevention, and often the solution to lactation problems and milk shortages.

The main secret of proper lactation is feeding on demand, including around dreams. In addition, there are a number of other nuances.

If you have any doubts or concerns, it is best to contact a real breastfeeding pediatrician and a breastfeeding counselor. It is these specialists who should help you in establishing lactation, and, if necessary, make a decision together with you on the introduction of supplementary feeding.

Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova

Reading time: 4 minutes

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Last updated article: 23.01.2017

How to know if breast milk is enough for a newborn

You can find out that the baby does not have enough milk by a number of characteristic signs. Timely measures will help to solve problems with lactation and provide good nutrition.

At the beginning of breastfeeding, many mothers are concerned about the question of whether the baby has enough breast milk. The concern is natural, because it is not possible to determine the exact amount. And if the baby is alarmed and naughty, then suspicion develops into confidence, and the mothers decide to supplement with the formula.

One should not rush to accept such a conclusion; first, it is necessary to observe the baby and carry out a number of simple manipulations.

How much milk does a baby need under one year old?

In their desire to supplement the baby, many forget that the child eats exactly as much as he needs. Breastfeeding on demand will provide him with the required amount of food. For a full feeding, do not give the second breast until the first is empty. This will ensure that you get the fatty hind milk you need to satisfy your hunger.

You should not give the formula to a baby, unless it is clearly established that his anxiety is caused by hunger. Constant overeating of a newborn can develop into a habit, which subsequently leads to obesity and health problems due to being overweight.

Signs indicating a lack of milk

Crying, refusal to sleep and whims are often not associated with hunger, but have completely different reasons. He may be disturbed by loud noises, harsh light, colic, and teething. You can understand that the baby does not have enough breast milk by the following signs:

Within two weeks of birth, the baby's weight has increased by less than 500 grams.
The milk in the breast runs out before the baby has time to release it. He begins to show excitement, not letting the nipple out of his mouth.
The amount of urination is less than 10 times in one day.
The feces become dense and thick.
At the end of the feeding, the baby does not calm down, but continues to search for the breast.

To know for sure if your baby has enough breast milk, you can use several tricks.

Count wet diapers. The method is not effective if the baby is in a diaper all day, so one day should be allocated and saved from being in it. During the control time, more than 10 urinations should occur. If there are fewer of them, it is worth thinking about the insufficient nutritional value of breast milk.
Weigh the child. Experts have calculated that with a normal feeding regimen, weight gain should occur in the range from 0.5 to 2 kg per month. By six months, the weight of the child should double from the original, and by the year it should triple.
Count the number of bowel movements. If the baby eats willingly and satisfyingly, then its number of emptyings should reach 4-5 times a day.

Not all doctors support this rule. Many experts believe that breast milk is absorbed completely with well-functioning feeding. If the child is cheerful, active and calm, the absence of feces for up to 5 days is considered the norm.

Carefully observe and listen to the baby during the feeding process. With proper latching of the breast and active feeding, the child makes characteristic swallowing movements with a certain frequency. If the pharynx is not audible or is extremely short, you should change the grip of the chest, achieving the correct position.
If, after analyzing the information received, it turns out that the child is not getting enough food, several simple steps should be taken to increase it.

Do not rely on the method of weighing the infant before and after feeding. The duration and amount of breastmilk intake is influenced by many factors, the indicators may differ with each feeding, and it is impossible to determine the exact value.

How to increase your breast milk production?

If a mother decides to postpone artificial nutrition and try to establish breastfeeding, then the following measures will help her:

Increasing the frequency of applications. Everyone knows the axiom: the more milk a baby eats, the more its production will increase. Lactation directly depends on the number of attachments, so excluding nipples and pacifiers would be a reasonable solution.
Feeding from one breast to the end. Many mothers are faced with a situation where the baby, actively eating for the first 5-10 minutes, suddenly begins to be capricious, and calms down if you offer him another breast. This is due to the fact that the "back" milk is more fatty, and more effort is required to suck it out. Babies, being lazy, prefer to get lighter, but energetically less valuable "front" milk, which negatively affects their saturation.
Increased nighttime feedings. It is nighttime attachments that play a major role in ensuring a sufficient supply of breast milk. There is no need to worry that this can be harmful, food does not stay for a long time in the baby's stomach, moving into the digestive tract. Feeding from 3 to 8 in the morning provides the strongest release of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for the formation of breast milk.
Increasing fluid intake by the mother herself. For the female body to function properly and produce the required volume of breast milk, it must be provided with sufficient fluid. A nursing mother should drink at least two liters of water daily.
Expressing milk after feeding. The same principle applies as for increasing the frequency of applications.
Calm and relaxed. Lactation disorders are often associated with psychological problems, so it is recommended to discard all negativity, focusing only on positive emotions and images. Tea with mint or chamomile flowers will help you to relax only if the baby is not allergic to these components. Drinking warm liquids also stimulates milk flow.

If you have problems with attachment or doubt creeps in about insufficient saturation, you should contact a breastfeeding specialist. At the maternity hospital, the answer to this question can be obtained from a neonatologist, who will help determine the degree of saturation and resolve any concerns.

Conclusion

To find out if the newborn has enough breast milk, you should observe it for a while and make sure that the moods and irritations have other reasons. After counting wet diapers and the number of bowel movements, you need to make sure that they are not lower than those adhered to by neonatologists and pediatricians.

When in doubt, the best solution is to contact a breastfeeding specialist to help resolve these issues. If, in the process of observation, there is an opinion that the baby does not have enough breast milk, you should postpone feeding with artificial formula, and try to establish good breastfeeding.

A frequent question of young mothers is: "How to understand that a child has enough milk?" If everything is clear when feeding with a mixture, then it is impossible to visually calculate the amount of breast milk consumed. Therefore, many believe that their child is not full and needs to be fed. But is it?

Most of all concerns arise immediately after childbirth, when breast milk is not yet available, and colostrum is secreted instead.

Colostrum in the early days

Colostrum is a concentrate released in the first days after childbirth. Its main feature is its composition, due to the increased content of protein, amino acids and vitamins, it fully satisfies the needs of a newborn.

A small amount of colostrum is excreted, but you should not worry about its lack. The volume of the stomach of a newborn baby is about 5-6 ml, so just a couple of drops will be enough for a full meal for the baby.

Important!

Colostrum contains 10 times more vitamins (A and E) than mature human milk.

We have to hear that in the maternity hospital the child did not have enough colostrum, he often cried, but after eating the mixture, he immediately fell asleep:

Firstly. Crying does not always mean hunger (a child may experience stress after birth, he may be cold, etc.);
Secondly. The stomach of a newborn is not designed for large portions of food. The child falls asleep not because he is full, but because he is exhausted (the body cannot absorb the amount of the mixture, sleep is a defensive reaction).

Breast milk in the first months

Often, it is not worth feeding a child with a formula, and fears about an insufficient amount of milk are just guesses of inexperienced mothers.

If you are on-demand breastfeeding, there should be no question of shortage. The body always secretes milk in the right amount and the baby will receive it whenever he wants.

Important!

Breast milk is unique in its composition. It ensures not only the life and proper development of the baby, but also protects him from infections.

When choosing a strict regimen (feeding by the clock), when the time at the breast is limited (20-30 minutes), the baby may indeed be malnourished.

Before feeding your baby, try increasing the duration of the feed, but do not let your baby suckle for more than an hour.

Breastfeeding rates for children: table by month

Age (month)	Daily feeding volume (ml)	How much should a baby eat per feeding (ml)	Number of feedings
up to 1	600-700	80-100	7-8
1-2	700-900	110-140	6-7
2-4	800-1000	140-160	6
4-6	900-1000	160-180	5-6
6-9	1000-1100	180-200	5
9-12	1000-1200	200-240	4-5

How to know if there is enough milk

Many mothers try to express, timed breastfeeding in order to independently determine the volume of milk in the breast. But breastfeeding experts advise looking not at the clock, but at your baby.

By the number of urinations and stools

Determining whether your child has enough “food” can be done using the “wet method”.

To do this, you need to give up diapers for a couple of days. Normally, a baby with enough milk to urinate 8-12 times a day, and the diaper should be completely wet. If at least 10 diapers are soiled a day, then there is no cause for concern.

In order to determine whether the child is eating enough, you can examine the baby's stool. It should be mushy, yellow-green in color, smell like sour milk. If the stool is green with impurities, this may mean that the baby is not eating enough (it sucks only the front, not reaching the back).

By weight of the child

You can check the feeling of satiety by weighing the newborn before and after feeding. The difference in weight will be equal to the amount consumed.

It is advisable to weigh the child every day. But if this is not possible, then be sure to do it at least once a week.

On the skin of a baby

If the baby receives a sufficient amount of milk, then when the skin is captured, subcutaneous fat is felt (healthy skin is elastic and even).

Lagging behind the bone, pallor and dryness are a signal of a lack of food intake.

Important!

Do not experiment at home and do not rush to feed your child! Only a specialist can say that you definitely do not have enough milk.

Not enough breast milk: 8 myths about not enough breast milk

Sometimes women can indeed have a shortage for physiological reasons. But in most cases, the fears are unfounded.

The chest does not fill (feeling that it is not full)

Most often, the problem is caused by the onset of normal (mature) lactation. The body has already "understood" how much food the baby requires and allocates it as needed. Breasts should not feel full as milk arrives during suckling, not between feedings.

No chest leaks

Leakage in the first weeks after childbirth is considered completely normal, as the body adapts to milk production. Later, when the mammary glands adjust to the needs of the baby (mature lactation), the leaks disappear.

Lack of milk in the evening

In the evening, a woman may feel that she does not have enough milk. Let's look at the main reasons for this feeling:

Night feedings are less frequent than daytime feedings, so milk accumulates, and in the morning the breast is "bursting".
The peak production of the hormone prolactin usually occurs during the night and morning hours.
During the day, the baby is much more likely to breastfeed than at night.

In fact, milk does not disappear, it just weakens its flow. This can be unnerving for a child, especially if sometimes given a pacifier or pacifier.

Important!

If the baby cries during the evening feeding, do not worry about the shortage and supplement the baby with the formula. Take it in your arms, walk around the room and put it on your chest again.

If the extraneous sucking objects are eliminated, the situation will gradually return to normal.

Inability to express

A baby is the best breast pump, so the inability to express milk does not mean that there is none at all.

Crying while feeding

Crying while breastfeeding does not mean you are short of milk. The reasons can be different:

if the newborn was supplemented with a bottle, he may purposefully demand it by crying;
it is difficult for a baby to suck;
too frequent breast changes;
changes in the strength of the flow of breast milk;
colic or congestion of gas;
too long waiting time for feeding (the baby can get nervous to such an extent that he cannot take the breast).

Frequent awakenings at night

Children, especially in the first months of life, breastfeed quite often, both day and night, so frequent awakenings do not mean a shortage at all.

Drinking water after feeding

The sucking reflex is one of the most powerful innate automatisms. Therefore, even after feeding, the newborn can reflexively suck on the nipple or drink water from the bottle. He might just as well suck on a finger, a toy, or something else, but that doesn't mean he's hungry at all.

Frequent breast demand

And even the frequent demand for breasts is by no means a sign of hunger. Thus, the newborn requires contact with the mother, so he feels protected.

Not enough breast milk: what to do

If you really find out that you are losing milk and your fears are justified, do not rush to feed the baby with formula. Try increasing lactation.

How to increase the volume

feed the baby more often and longer (the baby must throw the breast himself);
apply the baby correctly (so that feeding does not cause discomfort, the areola should be placed in the baby's mouth, and not just the nipple);
give up pacifiers and bottles;
offer two breasts during one feed;
change breasts with sluggish sucking;
eat well;
rest more often and worry less about the lack.

Is it possible and how to feed a child with a formula

If all else fails, and the introduction of supplementary feeding cannot be avoided, pay attention to the basic rules for the introduction of artificial nutrition:

Before making a decision, be sure to consult with your doctor;
Examine the packaging carefully when purchasing;
Prepare the mixture according to the manufacturer's instructions;
To preserve breastfeeding, the volume of the mixture should not exceed 30-50% of the daily nutritional volume;
To maintain lactation, do not use a bottle with a nipple (a disposable syringe or teaspoon works well for supplementation);
Introduce the mixture gradually.

If it seems to you that the baby remains hungry after feeding, do not be lazy:

follow the dynamics of weight;
pay attention to the amount of urination and stool;
check the baby's skin.

You should not be guided by your own feelings and behavior of the crumbs. Most of the suspicions about the shortage are not at all justified.

No one can doubt the benefits of breastfeeding anymore. The World Health Organization encourages exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age and continued breastfeeding for 2 years or more. Nevertheless, many women still continue to doubt their own ability to breastfeed their baby. This is due to the old Soviet stereotypes about the feeding regime, about the timing of the introduction of complementary foods and the amount of breast milk needed by a baby in one feeding at each month of life.

Meanwhile, one should not forget that each child develops individually and his needs for food may not coincide with the recommended regime norms prescribed in "smart books".

This article is about how to understand your baby and be calm that the baby is eating breast milk.

How to determine the amount of milk required for a baby

When the baby is artificial, then he is offered a certain amount of the mixture at regular intervals. The recommended amount of formula is calculated according to the age and weight of the child. On average, up to 6 months, a newborn needs such a volume of nutrition, which is equal to 1/6 of its body weight. This rule applies to both formula and breastfeeding. But one child simply will not eat so much, and the other will not drink even half of his portion. So it is with breastfeeding.

It turns out that there are norms, but not all children fulfill them. It is almost impossible to accurately determine the amount of breast milk that a newborn will need per feeding. It is only known that different children drink from 700 to 1200 ml per day. Moreover, the daily volume of milk both at the 2nd and at the 5th month may not differ much, but the baby's weight will still increase. This is because the composition of human milk changes every day to meet the individual needs of the growing baby.

Weighing your baby before and after feeding is an objective way to monitor effective breastfeeding

How to determine the amount of milk drunk by a baby

If a nursing mother is haunted by the question of how much milk her baby is getting, she can carry out a control weighing. To do this, just before feeding, the baby is weighed on a special electronic baby scale. It is then fed and re-weighed. The difference in weight will reflect the amount of food eaten.

Important! The newborn must be dressed in the same clothes before and after feeding, otherwise the result will be unreliable.

In one feeding, the baby can suck out 50 ml of milk, in the other - 150 ml. This is quite normal, but only if the baby is fed on demand at intervals of 2 to 3 hours and is not supplemented with any other liquid.

Summing up the numbers of all feedings per day, we get the daily amount of milk drunk by the child, which is 700 - 1200 ml.

How to know if your baby is getting enough milk

In order to determine whether the baby has enough breast milk, it is necessary to completely abandon disposable diapers for one day. This is done so that the mother can control the amount of urination of the baby. Children who are exclusively breastfed and not supplemented with any other liquid, from 2 weeks to 6 months of age, should urinate at least 12 times a day. This is the most important indicator that the baby has enough milk.

But there are also other criteria by which you can find out that the baby is receiving breast milk in sufficient quantities:

The periods of sleep, wakefulness, and play far exceed the periods of crying.
The baby's skin is pink and firm.
The skin near the fontanel does not drain.
The baby's eyes are shiny, tears come out during crying.
Weight gain of at least 125 - 150 g per week.
At least 12 urinations per day.

If all these indicators are positive, then the baby is certainly eating up mother's milk.

The main criterion for sufficient feeding of the baby is a normal monthly weight gain.

Signs of not having enough breast milk

When a baby does not have enough breast milk, he does not gain weight and behaves restlessly. In addition, the mother may notice that the baby comes off the breast with a cry during feeding, and then picks it up again. The situation can be repeated several times. This behavior of the child can be triggered by colic or poor milk flow, and not a lack of it, so it is necessary to find the true cause of the baby's anxiety.

Sufficiency or lack of milk will be indicated by the number of urinations performed by babies. This is perhaps the most important criterion to pay attention to. But stool frequency has nothing to do with the amount of milk.

If the child has frequent crying without tears and a sunken fontanelle, then an urgent need to consult a doctor, as this may be one of the signs of dehydration.

In conclusion, I want to reassure young mothers. Women who really cannot provide their baby with breast milk are only 2%. It is clear that a mother who loves her baby will be constantly concerned about his nutrition and health. Fearing that the baby is malnourished, doubting the amount of breast milk is a problem for all nursing mothers without exception. To overcome these problems, you need to be confident in your abilities, take care of your health and nutrition, good rest, and sleep together with your child. And our advice will help you to correctly understand and solve any problem.