How do you know if your baby is getting enough milk? It’s a common question and worry for new breastfeeding mums. It’s kind of like blind faith because you have to trust that your baby is taking the amount of milk he needs.
But there are some signs that you can look out for that will put your mind at ease. As a first-time mum, I used these signs to determine if my baby was getting enough milk and it turns out all of my babies did!
Here are the things to look out for:
1. Soiled & Wet Nappies / Diapers
This is the number one sign and the biggest sign. It depends on babies age as well. But if you are seeing regular soiled nappies and wet nappies this is a big sign that your baby is drinking and digesting your milk. So well done mama!
Here is the average of how many soiled and wet nappies your baby should be getting as a newborn.
Day 1: 1 or 2 wet nappies and 1 black poo
Day 2: 2 or more wet nappies, 2 black poos
Day 3: 3 or more wet nappies, 3 black or green poos
Day 4: 4 or more wet nappies, 3-4 yellow poos
Day 5 and beyond: 5 or more wet nappies and many yellow poos
As your baby grows, the poos will get bigger, and you will have more wet nappies, too. This is because your baby can take in a lot more milk, and breastmilk is easy to digest for babies. Also, as they grow, do not worry about counting the poos and wet nappies; as long as you are changing your baby regularly, that should be good enough.
2. Full Breast Before Feeds, Soft Breast After Feeds
Before you feed your baby, it is good to check how full your breast is beforehand. This can help you to determine how much your baby has taken. I like to weigh my breast with my hand to see which side is the fullest, and then I will feed my baby with that side. After the baby has been fed, you can feel your breast to see if it is softer than before. If your breast feels full, then there may be a little problem with the baby’s latch. If you would like to know more about getting the perfect latch, please check out my BLOG HERE.
3. Contentment After Feeds
Looking at your baby’s mood can help you to determine if he has had a good feed. Just think, after you have had a big dinner on a Sunday afternoon, you feel relaxed, a bit sleepy and very calm. This is the same for your baby after they have had a good feed. So, the contentment signs that you need to look for are:
Open and relaxed hands
Sleepy
Come of the breast in their time
They are not interested if you offer them more milk
Note: Always remember to offer both sides. That becomes a full feed. One side will not satisfy a baby, especially when they are exclusively breastfed.
Here are some signs if your baby is not satisfied or still hungry:
Crying or moaning
Clenched fists
Rooting
Putting their hand in their mouth (for an older baby this can also be a teething sign)
Trying to suck on an arm or a piece of clothing.
If this is the case, and your breasts have been emptied, continue to feed until they are satisfied, there are certain times your baby will go through a sudden growth spurt, and they might cluster feed for hours. Not to worry because it will slow down and you might find that your baby will sleep for long periods afterwards.
4. Audible Swallowing
When a baby is having a good feed and has a deep latch, you will be able to hear them gulping occasionally. They start with rhythmic suckling and then they gulp some milk. It’s really cute when you listen out for it. You will probably start hearing something after 48 hours of breastfeeding.
You should not be hearing ‘clicking’ or ‘smacking’ sounds as this means that your baby is not latched on properly. You will be able to tell as your nipples will feel a little pinch if your baby does this. Sometimes this can be due to your baby falling asleep on the breast. If they are falling asleep and they are satisfied, you can take them off the breast and put them to sleep, if they are still moaning and want to feed, try to keep them awake. You can do this by taking a layer of clothing off, tickling their feet, putting the lights on, changing positions…just anything you can think of to keep them awake during their feed!
5. Regular Feeding
On average, they say that you should be breastfeeding 10-12 times per day (24 Hours)
This is the average amount of feeding your baby should get per day. It’s around every 2 hours. If you have difficulty tracking your baby’s feeds, you can use my FREE breastfeeding log when you sign up to my newsletter.
Don’t think about it too much, just feed when your baby needs feeding. Regular feeding helps to boost your milk supply as your body works by feeding on demand. If the demand is there, your body will continue to produce milk. You can never overfeed a breastfed baby as the milk is easy to digest, plus your baby will let you know if they are full. If you want to learn about the best way to increase your milk supply, check out the BLOG HERE.
6. Leaking From The Other Breast
Leaking from the other breast whilst feeding is a good sign that your baby has a good supply and that your baby is feeding well. Leaking breasts will decrease over time as your body will adapt to your baby’s feeding cues. If you have leaking breasts your body is practising its let down reflex, this would not be happening if your baby wasn’t getting enough milk. Leaky breasts usually appear after 48 hours.
If you would like to store some of the milk that is leaking, I recommend using these milk collectors.
7. Weight Gain
It is normal for newborns to lose up to 7% of their birth weight in the first few days. This is due to the baby adapting to being out of the womb, learning how to breastfeed, etc. Your midwife will check to see if your baby has gone back to their birth weight after a few weeks. Here you will find out how your baby has gained weight. Regular checks during the newborn stage with your doctor or midwife will give you the results of how much weight your baby has gained.
This is a great determination for you to see if your baby is getting enough milk. My first baby lost 7% of her birth weight, but my second and third baby lost only 1 oz of their birth weight, which is pretty small. This is because I have mastered breastfeeding, it became easier the second and third time around, and they were pretty chubby babies.
If you feel that your baby isn’t latching on correctly and is struggling to gain weight, please speak to your health care provider to check for lip ties and tongue ties. These can be rectified so that your baby can suck with more comfort.
Conclusion
So there you have it, my 7 signs of how to tell if your baby is getting enough milk.
1. Wet and soiled nappies
2. Full Breasts
3. Content baby
4. Audible Swallowing
5. Regular Feeding
6. Leaky Breasts
7. Weight Gain
Check out these signs, it will reassure you, and at the end of it, you still have to trust the process, trust your body and trust your baby.
When breastfeeding constantly it is important to have easy access clothing and bras for you to have a more comfortable experience. Cake Maternity have a wide range of beautiful bras for breastfeeding mums and Bshirt has some stylish clothing for easy access too.
So just relax in these moments, watch how cute your baby is. Look how they need you, look at their body and how small they are, such a blessing! Keep going mama and trust the process.
Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me with any questions you may have.
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