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Is Baby Getting Enough Milk?
By Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC
| IS
BABY GETTING ENOUGH? -- QUICK REFERENCE CARD |
| ~~~
BIRTH to 6 WEEKS ~~~ |
WEIGHT GAIN:
If baby is gaining well on mom’s milk alone, then
baby is getting enough. A 5-7% weight loss during the
first 3-4 days after birth is normal. Baby should regain
birth weight by 2 weeks. Once mom’s milk comes in,
average weight gain is 6 oz/week. If these goals are not
met, call your lactation consultant. More
on weight gain. |
WET DIAPERS: 5 - 6+ sopping
wet diapers per day (after 1st week).
Expect one wet diaper on day one, increasing to 5-6 by
one week. To feel what a sufficiently wet diaper is like,
pour 3 tablespoons (45 mL) of water into a clean diaper
(if baby wets more often, then the amount of urine per
diaper may be less). Urine should be pale and mild smelling. |
DIRTY DIAPERS:
3 – 4+ dirty diapers per day (after day 4).
Stools should be yellow (no meconium) by day 5 and the
size of a US quarter (2.5 cm) or larger. The normal stool
of a breastfed baby is usually yellow and is loose (soft
to watery, may be seedy or curdy). More
on infant stooling. |
| OTHER POSITIVE
SIGNS: After a feeding, mom’s
breast feels softer and baby seems reasonably content.
Baby is alert, active and meeting developmental milestones. |
|
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Page last modified:
10/10/2005
Additional Resources
Is baby getting enough milk?
| Does your breastfed baby need formula supplements?
@
Neonatal
(Newborn) Weight Loss by Marie Davis, RN, IBCLC talks about
why babies lose weight at the very beginning
How
to tell your baby is getting enough at the breast by Kathy Kuhn,
RN, BSN, IBCLC
Is
my baby getting enough? by Becky Flora, IBCLC
L-A-T-C-H-E-S
* Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (for the first 4 weeks) and
Scoring
Key by Marie Davis, RN, IBCLC
Growth
spurt or low milk supply? How to tell the difference by Kathy
Kuhn, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Why
we don't routinely supplement breastfed babies from the Breastfeeding
Committee for Saskatchewan
Hospital Guidelines
for the Use of Supplementary Feedings in the Healthy Term Breastfed
Neonate, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Clinical Protocol
Number 3
Supplementing
the Breastfeeding Baby by Kathleen G. Auerbach, PhD, IBCLC
Supplementing
The Breastfed Baby by Paula Yount
Thoughts
on the appropriate use of supplements by Kathy Kuhn, RN, BSN,
IBCLC
Does
This Mother Really Have to Wean? Questions Leaders Can Ask by
Laure Marchand-Lucas (Leaven, Vol. 33 No. 5, October-November
1997, pp. 117-18) has information on the acceptable medical reasons
for supplementation under the WHO/UNICEF Breastfeeding Friendly
Hospital Initiative.
Powers NG, Slusser W. Breastfeeding
Update 2 : Clinical Lactation Management. Pediatrics in Review
1997 May;18(5):147-161.
