The importance of breast milk for the health of the baby and the mother herself has been spreading in the country through media such as TV and newspaper for some years, making people aware of breastfeeding their children as long as possible, at least during the first year old.
However, as much as mothers are willing to feed their children with breast milk for as long as necessary, some of them do not know the ideal amount to be consumed throughout the day and the correct way to breastfeed their child.
At first it may seem like a guessing activity, but with practice you will realize that a few simple guidelines are enough to clear up this doubt:
1 – Used diapers
The first clue as to whether the baby is being well fed is the number of diapers he will get dirty throughout the day. In the first month of life, if you are being fed correctly, six to eight diapers will be used per day and the baby will evacuate at least twice, in most cases, after breastfeeding.
When it grows a little, the bowel movement tends to decrease in quantity.
2 – Sleep
Good breastfeeding is also signaled when the baby, after drinking breast milk, sleeps an average of two hours. However, if the amount of milk is not being adequate for days in a row, the baby will become sleepy and quiet, very docile. When this occurs, and he sleeps for four hours or more, it is recommended that a pediatrician be consulted.
3 – Baby weight
The newborn’s weight is checked by the pediatrician a few days after you leave the hospital, most likely two weeks after that date.
During the first week of life, the baby will normally lose 7 to 10% of the weight he had at the time he was born, but after this week, he regains weight, reaching 15 days of life with the same weight as the day of birth.
These numbers can vary according to the characteristics of each baby or the situation of the birth – if there was any difficulty during delivery – which can reflect on the frequency and effectiveness with which the mother is able to breastfeed her child.
If the baby is being well breastfed, receiving an adequate amount of milk, after one week of life it will be between 50 and 100 grams close to the birth weight. When there is a lot of weight loss in the beginning, recovery can be a little slower.
4 – Breastfeeding assessment
Normally, before breastfeeding the newborn, the woman’s breasts are quite full, and as soon as she feeds, they are empty. This sensation tends to diminish over time, since the body is efficient enough to perceive and produce exactly what the baby needs, but in the first weeks it is possible to rely on it to determine the amount of milk your child is suckling.
In addition, most mothers are aware that the baby is sucking milk just minutes after he starts breastfeeding. For mothers who are not able to perceive, just observe if the newborn is sucking more firmly and listen to him swallowing more often, since the ejection of milk increases its outflow.
Drops of milk dripping after breastfeeding and the child’s satisfaction aspect are also indicative.
If all of the above are occurring in a way that means sufficient food, there is no reason to worry. Even if your baby wants to breastfeed more often or just after the last feeding, it may just mean that he wants to feel comfortable or needs to suck on his breast to relax and sleep.
