Feeding behavior
- Rooting reflex helps your baby turn toward a nipple to find nourishment
- Breast milk or formula ONLY
- See How to Tell if Your Baby's Getting Enough Breast Milk
- See How to Tell How Much Formula Your Baby Needs
- Your baby's digestive tract is still developing, so solid food is off-limits for now.
How can I tell whether my baby's getting enough breast milk?
This is a common question among new breastfeeding moms. After all, you want to make sure that your baby's getting all the nourishment she needs and, well, you can't actually see how much milk your baby's drinking when you're nursing!
While most moms are able to provide their babies with all the milk they need, there are times when babies don't get enough. And when this situation isn't addressed, a baby can suffer from dehydration and failure to thrive, both of which are uncommon but serious.
Signs that your breastfeeding baby is getting enough nourishment:
This is a common question among new breastfeeding moms. After all, you want to make sure that your baby's getting all the nourishment she needs and, well, you can't actually see how much milk your baby's drinking when you're nursing!
While most moms are able to provide their babies with all the milk they need, there are times when babies don't get enough. And when this situation isn't addressed, a baby can suffer from dehydration and failure to thrive, both of which are uncommon but serious.
Signs that your breastfeeding baby is getting enough nourishment:
- Your breasts feel softer after nursing, because your baby has emptied some of the milk that was making them firm.
- After a feeding, your baby seems relaxed and satisfied.
- After gaining back her initial weight loss after birth, your baby continues to gain weight. (Most babies lose between 5 and 9 percent of their birth weight and then regain it by the time they're about 2 weeks old.) A rough guideline: In the first month, your baby should gain 5 to 10 ounces a week; in months 2 and 3, she should gain 5 to 8 ounces a week; in months 3 to 6, she should gain between 2.5 and 4.5 ounces a week; and from 6 to 12 months, she should put on 1 to 3 ounces a week.
- In the first few days, when your baby is getting your thick, valuable colostrum, she may have only one or two wet diapers a day. After your milk comes in, though, your baby will wet six to eight cloth diapers a day, or five or six disposables. (Disposables can hold more liquid than cloth diapers.)
- In the first month, your baby has at least three stools a day, and they lighten to a yellowy mustard color by the fifth day after birth. She may have less frequent bowel movements once she's a month old. In fact, it's not uncommon for breastfed babies to skip a day of bowel movements now and then. Once she's eating solid foods, at about 6 months, she'll probably become quite regular and go back to having at least one bowel movement a day.
How much formula: Where to start
In general, babies eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. But formula-fed babies tend to be heavier than breastfed babies, appetites vary among babies, and each baby's nutritional needs change from day to day and month to month.
That may sound complicated, but if you follow the basic guidelines below and check in regularly with your baby's doctor, your baby will likely be on track.
Watch the video: See real parents at a doctor's appointment with their newborn, getting advice about how to tell whether their baby is getting the right amount of formula.
Our guidelines are for babies who are exclusively formula fed for the first four to six months, and then fed a combination of formula and solids up to age 1.
Don't give your baby more than 32 ounces of formula in a day, and once he starts eating solids, you'll probably need to cut back on the amount of formula you feed him. Your baby's doctor can tell you where your baby falls on the growth charts and help make sure he's growing steadily and getting a healthy amount of formula.
Note: If your baby is getting a combination of breast milk and formula, talk to his doctor for more detailed advice.
In general, babies eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. But formula-fed babies tend to be heavier than breastfed babies, appetites vary among babies, and each baby's nutritional needs change from day to day and month to month.
That may sound complicated, but if you follow the basic guidelines below and check in regularly with your baby's doctor, your baby will likely be on track.
Watch the video: See real parents at a doctor's appointment with their newborn, getting advice about how to tell whether their baby is getting the right amount of formula.
Our guidelines are for babies who are exclusively formula fed for the first four to six months, and then fed a combination of formula and solids up to age 1.
Don't give your baby more than 32 ounces of formula in a day, and once he starts eating solids, you'll probably need to cut back on the amount of formula you feed him. Your baby's doctor can tell you where your baby falls on the growth charts and help make sure he's growing steadily and getting a healthy amount of formula.
Note: If your baby is getting a combination of breast milk and formula, talk to his doctor for more detailed advice.