The amount of milk needed

Every mother's greatest fear is whether she has enough milk for her child and whether he/she is thriving well. This has turned out to be one of the most common reasons for the (unnecessary) introduction of supplementary feeding, and even complete transition to artificial feeding.

The baby is probably getting enough milk when they:

  • suckles at least 8-12 times in a day;
  • suckles rhythmically with short pauses, chin movements can be seen, swallowing can be heard;
  • wets his/her diapers 6 or more times in 24 hours with pale, diluted urine;
  • usually has 3-6 stools in 24 hours;
  • gains an average of 150-240 g per week for the first 4 months;
  • is active, lively between breastfeeds.

Your baby may not have their need for milk met if they:

  • sleeps in long intervals to conserve energy (more than 4 hours);
  • cries in a weak voice;
  • has a small number of scarce stools, or none at all;
  • suckles too frequently;
  • is not gaining enough weight;
  • urinates too little - fewer than 6 wet diapers, diapers are not heavy, urine is concentrated, a brick-colored trace of urate salts can be seen.

Physiological weight loss

In the first days after birth, it is normal for a newborn to lose weight. This is due to the passing of the first stool/meconium and excess free fluid. The amount of free water is higher if the mother received an IV drip during childbirth or due to a caesarean section; these babies may experience a greater weight loss in the first 24 hours. A newborn's stomach is small - the size of a cherry in the first days.

All this leads to the loss of 7% of birth weight, on average. The maximum physiological weight loss is 10%. If the child has lost 10% or more, it is necessary to check the breastfeeding technique, whether he/she suckles actively, whether he/she has a health problem, and only if all these causes are ruled out and the child does not start gaining weight, supplementation should be considered. If your baby had a greater weight loss in the first few days, it is advisable to stay in the maternity hospital for a few more days to get the necessary help and support for breastfeeding; after discharge, it is necessary to further monitor the child and check the weight after 5 to 7 days.

Weight gain

  • When lactation is established and breastfeeding starts well, the child begins to gain an average of 25 to 30 grams per day. Return to birth weight is expected between 10th and 15th day of life.
  • The thriving norm is a minimum of 600 g per month. Of course, some children gain much more weight; if the baby only suckles, you should not be concerned about excessive weight gain.
  • If the baby gained between 400 and 600 g, additional monitoring is needed and breastfeeding progress should be checked in 7 days; with breastfeeding correction, a weight gain of at least 180 g in one week is expected.

Obstacles you can overcome

Breastfeeding challenges mainly occur in the beginning. Consider:

  • You may not feed your baby often enough (initially, it must be as frequent as 10 to 12 times in 24 hours), you phased out night-time breastfeeding too early, you do not devote enough time to breastfeeding.
  • Bottles and pacifiers confuse the child, so their use is not recommended for the first month or two.
  • Unnecessary use of nipple shields and incorrect breastfeeding also interfere with the optimal establishment of lactation.                    
  • The first months of parenthood are accompanied by insecurity, great fatigue, inadequate diet.

And then temptations come along: if you are impatient and do not have enough self-confidence, you will introduce formula, and you will be one step closer to losing the initial desire to exclusively breastfeed and giving up!  The bottle can compromise milk production to such an extent that it stops completely. In that case, returning to exclusive breastfeeding is not so easy!

Try to make sure you get enough sleep, rest and relaxation. Suggest to your friends and family to give you an hour or two of babysitting instead of gifts for the baby, so that you could go for a walk, coffee or to the hairdresser's. 

Don’t let anyone persuade you that formula is just as good for your baby as your milk!