How to Tell if Baby is Getting Enough

When your baby is getting an adequate milk supply to satisfy him or her and gaining weight appropriately with exclusive breast-feeding, there will be signs to confirm this is happening.

Signs That Your Baby Is Getting Enough

Your baby has at least one wet diaper for every day of age until the milk comes in. Then your baby should have at least six to eight wet diapers every 24 hours. A good wet diaper is the weight of about one quarter cup of water. Pour this amount into a dry diaper and feel how heavy and gushy it is.

Your baby has one to eight meconium stools during days one to four, and by the fifth day your baby's bowel movements are turning mustard-yellow with one to eight stools per day. Count any stools larger than the size of a quarter. If a dirty diaper is also heavy, count that as a wet and stool diaper. Some babies only stool every other or every third day. Talk with your pediatrician if baby goes more than three days without stooling or you are concerned at all regarding your baby's stooling pattern. If you are having trouble counting the wet diapers because there are so many stools, it is safe to say that you do not need to worry about counting the number of wet diapers.

Other Signs

• Your baby is breastfeeding eight to twelve times every 24 hours and seems satisfied.
• Your baby is beginning to wake himself at least every two to three hours with only one long sleep period of four to six hours.
• You should feel fullness in the breast before the baby latches and then a softening of the breast once baby is done.
• Your baby nurses with long, smooth strokes, although there may be frequent pauses. Audible swallowing should be heard in the form of a soft "kuh" sound, approximately every one to two sucks once your mature milk is in.
• Your baby seems satisfied after breastfeeding. Lower lip turned down, hands relaxed, and eyes may be closed.
• Your baby is gaining one-half to one ounce per day, regaining his birth weight within 10 days to two weeks. This type of weight gain will continue until three to four months of age, after which the weight gain tends to slow down to more like half what it was in the first three months, or approximately one-half ounce per week. Most babies will double their birth weight within six months.

Feel free to visit the Maternal Connections Mother Baby community room in Mountain View, or the Lactation office in Los Gatos to conduct periodic weight checks of your baby. You do not need an appointment to use the scales in Mountain View but in Los Gatos an appointment is required due to limited space and availability. This room is available free-of-charge during our regular open hours, which are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. For an accurate weight check on your baby, baby should be completely naked (no diaper). For more information, please call the Maternal Connections Lactation Center in Mountain View at 650-988-8287, or the Maternal Network in Los Gatos at 408-866-3905