How do I know if my baby has had enough?

“Is my baby eating enough?” is a question breastfeeding mums often ask, as there’s no reliable way to measure the volume of milk that’s coming out of your breasts. Tiffany Brown shares some hints for knowing whether your breastfeeding baby is, in fact, drinking their fill.

While pregnancy and childbirth may do many interesting and unexpected things to your body, installing a measuring device at each breast is not one of them! Unlike formula, which is measured, allowing the volume ingested to be tracked, a common cause for concern for breastfeeding mums is wondering if your breasts are producing enough milk and, subsequently, if baby is getting enough to drink. So how can you be sure? These general guidelines can help.

FEEDING FREQUENCY

If your newborn baby is feeding at least six to eight times a day, he should be getting enough milk. But don’t worry if he is feeding much more often than this. Newborn babies regularly “cluster feed”, and it may seem they are seeking the breast endlessly on arrival into their strange new world. Breastfeeding is a supply-and-demand arrangement. Frequent feeding is your baby’s way of increasing your milk production. Rather clever, isn’t it?

COMFORT

During the early stages of breastfeeding, the first few moments of a feeding session may ... BUY BUMP&baby ISSUE #7 FOR THE FUL STORY