The title of this blog post is one of the most common concerns of breastfeeding moms. Moms who feed their babies formula can always see exactly how much their baby is drinking; not so with breastfeeding. So should you therefore ditch breastfeeding in favor of formula feeding? No way! Although you can’t see how much breast milk your baby is drinking, there are a few simple things to look for that can clue you in to whether she’s getting enough.

First of all, brand new babies don’t need to eat that much. On the first day of life, their stomachs are only the size of a marble! Not only that, but newborn babies are pretty tired after the ordeal of childbirth, and pretty much just want to sleep. This is normal. Your breasts will only be making a few drops of colostrum, a protein-rich, antibody-rich “pre-milk”. This stuff is like liquid gold – it does a lot in very small quantities! It’s all the food your baby needs for the first few days.

When your baby is about 3 or 4 days old, your true milk will come in. For many moms, it is painfully obvious when this happens. At the very least, your breasts should become firmer and heavier.

Put your baby to the breast every 1-1/2 to 3 hours. You may need to wake your baby up in order to do this. Some babies take longer than others to complete a feeding. It’s a good idea to let your baby nurse at least 10 minutes on each breast. While feeding, she should take about 3 or 4 sucks, and then you should hear a small swallowing sound. This sound may be barely audible, and could sound like a tiny exhale, or a little “k” sound. It’s normal for babies to pause for a few seconds after five or ten sucks.

Once your milk comes in, your breasts should feel full and firm before a feeding, but should be softer afterwards. Also, your baby should seem content after eating. In fact she may even fall asleep at the breast; if this happens before she’s had at least 10 minutes at each breast, you should try to wake her back up.

To know whether your baby is getting enough to eat during this time, pay attention to her diapers. Newborn babies usually have at least one dirty diaper per day. At first they will be black and tarry-looking (this type of poop is called meconium), but by the fifth day they should be the color and consistency of thin mustard. In addition, your newborn baby should have one wet diaper for every day of life – in other words, one wet diaper on day one; two wet diapers on day two, etc. – until the baby is having about 8 wet diapers per day. To tell whether a disposable diaper is wet, you can put a small piece of paper towel in the diaper.

Also pay attention to your baby’s weight. It is normal for your baby to lose up to 10% of his birth weight during the first week of life, so don’t panic if that happens! On the other hand, if your baby loses more than 10% of his birth weight during the first week, that might be a sign that he’s not getting enough to eat. Your pediatrician should be keeping close tabs on your baby’s weight, but never hesitate to mention any concerns to her.

After the first week of life, your baby should start gaining anywhere from half an ounce to an ounce of weight per day. Your doctor should be keeping track of your baby’s weight on a growth chart. Your baby’s weight will fall at some percentile on that growth chart. So if your baby’s weight places him at the 60th percentile for his age, that means that about 40% of babies his age weigh more than him, and about 60% weigh less than him. As long as your baby falls somewhere between the 5th and 95th percentiles, his weight is normal. That’s a pretty big range of normal! On the other hand, if your baby starts to drop off of his curve – in other words, if he goes from the 60th percentile, to the 40th, to the 20th – that could also mean he’s not getting enough to eat. Still, don’t panic if this happens - your pediatrician should be keeping track of this, and will work with you to stabilize your baby’s weight so it doesn’t drop any further.

New moms find plenty of things to worry about, but knowing if their baby is getting enough to eat while breastfeeding shouldn’t be one of them! Don’t let that concern deter you from the wonderful decision to breastfeed your baby.

For more information, check out the book The Nursing Mother’s Companion, by Kathleen Huggins, or visit the web site of the La Leche League at http://www.llli.org/.

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