Is Your Newborn Having Enough Milk?

As a mom, I was always worried since the day my baby arrived whether he is having enough? Is my milk enough for him? I even tried expressing and feeding him just to compare with what different sources recommend. Though it was said that if your breast feels light and your baby slept after each  feeding  and wet at least 6 nappies a day- it’s going right.

But a mom brain like mine always had so much in mind- what if he slept being tired sucking and slept hungry or half full or he is peeing more as the temperature is little cold…This worry was making me nuts, as I was told that my baby was full term baby and a little “big”, hence he may need more. Need more, is it?? so how much more is good enough?

Being an engineer, all the old moms solutions were not helping my anxious new mother’s mind. I needed numbers, I needed logics, I needed proofs.

After consulting with lot of paediatrics, talking to lot of new moms, reading from various books and webs, I finally came to a conclusion that there is no rule or quantity (as mentioned on the formula milk pack) which can help tell you if your little one for enough and is content. Each baby is different, and each day may also be different. 

So how do we know how are “we” doing?

The best way is to track their weight. 

Babies normally drop 10% of their weight in their first few days because it’s the excess water they are holding during birth, this takes normally for 3-4 days to settle down and get in their correct weight,

So it is suggested not to refer the birth weight for this purpose. You should ideally check the baby’s weight after a week, probably when it’s your first paediatric appointment or the day you check out from your hospital (which is normally around 3-4 days). This weight is kind of stable and when you start feeding BM or FM, the baby start gaining weight.

The instant check on your baby could be a healthy weight gain.

So to check amd track if you are doing well with your newly acquired feeding skills, track his weight. The baby should gain around 800-1200 grams a month i.e. roughly around 200-250 grams a week. 

As I said my baby was a little big (I delivered on the exact due date I.e full term baby), I had a lot of apprehensions which were successfully answered by my baby indirectly every week through our measuring scale. Some weeks were good, some were bad. But the overall weight gain was normal, so we were happy.

Remember the below golden rule, as the doctors say:

Double of the birth weight in SIX months and TRIPLE in a year.

Though few babies may achieve double the weight earlier. It is totally fine. As the babies get more active post 6 months weight gain is a challenge. But don’t worry if they take a little extra in reaching this milestone.

After all each baby is different and have different pace. But don’t forget to ensure, the baby wetting 6-7 nappy a day, is happy and actives most of the day. Do consult your paediatric in case you observe any other changes.

#babycare