When breastfeeding, it is not always possible to know exactly how much milk baby is getting. If breastfeeding is going well, and baby is being fed responsively (check out our post on Responsive Feeding), this shouldn’t cause a problem.
However, for some people or in certain circumstances the lack of monitoring baby’s milk intake can be stressful and even problematic.
While you may not be able to measure exact volumes of milk intake, there are some signs you can follow to ensure baby is getting enough milk.
Weight monitoring
By monitoring a baby’s weight, it allows us an insight into their overall health and their nutritional status.
It is common for babies to lose up to 10% of their birthweight in the first week. By around 14 days babies usually return to birthweight. When baby is slow to return to birthweight, this may indicate an issue with feeding. Seek help from your midwife or lactation consultant to troubleshoot and identify any issues.
Beyond day 14, a baby’s weight should continue to increase as your milk supply stabilises. When there are plateaus or declines in baby’s weight, this can indicate an issue with feeding. It is important to seek help from your midwife or lactation consultant if you notice this.
Wet and dirty nappies
Monitoring baby’s nappies offers another helpful insight into their nutritional and hydration status. This is an easy way to keep track of baby’s milk intake and is often the first sign when an issue arises.
Between days 0-5 you should expect to see 1 wet nappy for each day of life (e.g. if your baby is 2 days old, they should have 2 wet nappies in 24 hours). Beyond day 6 you should expect 5-6 heavy, wet nappies in 24 hours.
Between days 0-3 babies will pass meconium, a dark and sticky substance. Then, from days 3-5 their dirty nappies should change to a mustard / yellow colour. You should expect 2-3 of these in 24 hours. After day 5, babies usually have 3-5 dirty nappies in 24 hours.
When babies reach 4-6 weeks, they may poo less frequently but will pass more when they do go. It is common for breastfed babies to have a few days without any dirty nappy, they often find their own pattern.
Other signs of hydration / dehydration
Babies will show signs of dehydration when they are not receiving enough milk. One of the signs is infrequent wet nappies, less than mentioned above. You may also notice that their urine is dark in colour.
Persistent jaundice can be another sign that baby is not getting enough milk. Jaundice can make a baby sleepy, meaning they are less likely to wake for feeds. If you notice this with your baby, make sure to wake them for feeds every 2-3 hours.
N.B. Jaundice can be common in the early days, and is not always a sign of dehydration when not present alongside the above-mentioned signs. However, frequent feeding can help reduce jaundice, so it is important to feed baby regularly when it is present even if that means waking them for feeds.
Feeding frequency
When exclusively breastfeeding you should allow baby to feed as regularly as they wish. In the first few weeks babies should feed between 8-12 times in 24 hours. Allow baby to cluster feed when they need to, as this will help stabilise your supply.
Implementing a rigid feeding routine with exclusively breastfed babies can negatively impact your supply and prevent baby from getting enough milk.
Instead, focus on being available to baby for responsive feeding. Get to know their feeding cues, work on perfecting their latch, and do lots of skin-to-skin so baby has access to feed regularly. Allow baby to come off the first breast themselves and where possible offer the second breast. Feeding responsively in the above-mentioned ways will help to ensure your baby is getting enough milk.
If you notice signs of dehydration or slowed weight gain, seek help from a health professional. They will likely observe you feeding baby and ask questions to get an idea of your breastfeeding and your and baby’s health. If you are concerned about supply issues, check out our blog posts on Understanding Low Milk Supply and Understanding High Milk Supply.
