In babies who drink artificial milk, we can know the amount of food they have received just by looking at the bottle lines. But the breasts have no measure, by the way it is not necessary even if sophisticated devices are invented, and therefore there is no way to know how much the baby has taken.
Before saying "I don't have enough milk," or "My milk doesn't feed you," there are some signs you should pay attention to to know if your baby is getting enough breast milk.
The first days after delivery
We must make a special section on the first days of the baby's life, since the physiological weight loss of the newborn. It is a temporary weight loss during the first 3 or 4 days of life in which the baby loses between 5 and 10% of the weight he had at birth.
It is due to the loss of fluids that the baby experiences when moving from a liquid medium to one that is not, and usually recovers between 7 and 10 days after delivery. There is nothing special to do but offer the breast on demand, putting the baby frequently during the day and also at night, since during the night hours milk production is stimulated.
If the physiological loss after childbirth is greater than 10-12%, the evolution of the baby along with the pediatrician must be monitored especially to ensure that he is receiving the amount of milk he needs. It may take up to three weeks to regain your weight.
It is not easy because babies who do not drink enough, become weak, with whom they also do not have the strength to suck, creating a vicious circle. It happened to me with my oldest daughter. What to do? All day to the chest trying to cheer her up with tickle so that it caught on. Closeness and skin-to-skin contact stimulate the baby to look for the breast. Also at night, sleeping with the baby, always being at your disposal for when you want to breastfeed.
Check the diapers you dirty
Urine and bowel movements What the baby does throughout the day gives us the pattern of whether he is getting enough milk or not.
The urine
If the baby urinates less than 6 times a day and the urine is very concentrated, that is, a small amount, very yellow and with a strong odor, can be a sign that you are receiving little milk.
Having a baby urinate more than six times a day is also not a sign that he is well fed, he may not take complete shots and not gain weight, even if he urinates frequently. Therefore, it must be taken as another point to observe.
Bowel movements
On the other hand, the breastfed baby poops are normally semi-liquid, and they make the first months two to three times a day, so hard, dry or green stools could be a warning sign that you are not getting enough milk.
From the second month, bowel movements can be reduced to once a day, and in some cases they can go 3, 4 days or even a week without doing. The number of times is very relative, therefore the absence of feces is not an exclusive sign that it is well fed.
The weight
If the baby does not recover the physiological weight loss after delivery within the periods considered normal, breastfeeding should be monitored closely with the help of the pediatrician and / or a breastfeeding group.
The grip may be failing during sucking or breastfeeding posture, preventing you from pumping out the amount of milk you need or by taking short shots with which only the first milk is extracted, which has fewer calories.
The WHO growth standards tables have to be taken into account, but you also have to know how to interpret them since a baby fed with artificial milk is not the same as one fed with breast milk (the latter usually increase more slowly than the first ), nor is weight gain equal for all children in each group.
According to the AEPed, a baby from 0 to 4 months should increase on average between 100 and 200 grams per week, from 4 to 6 months, between 80 and 150 grams, and from 6 months between 40 and 80 grams per week .
Anyway, it is the pediatrician who must establish that the baby is not gaining weight properly and always comparing two weights with a minimum interval of two weeks.
General condition of the baby
Of course, we must not fail to assess the general condition of the baby. Apart from bowel movements, urine and weight gain, we must pay attention to others signs of vitality in the baby as the tone and texture of the skin, observing possible signs of dehydration, as well as its reflexes, muscle tone and if it is more sleepy than usual.
No one knows your baby better than you to identify any signs of abnormality. Mother's instinct is the most powerful indicator there is, so don't hesitate to activate the alarm if you find something strange in your baby's behavior.
I hope these tips help you to be more confident in your role as a nursing mother, but with real information about the signs you should be aware of to know if your baby receives enough milk.
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In Babies and more | How to know if the baby drinks enough breast milk: weight
