IS BABY GETTING ENOUGH?
Many mothers wrestle with the question, Is my baby getting enough to eat? Between weight gain, constant signs the baby is hungry, and as often as the baby is at the breast, it is a legitimate question. A sure way of answering your question lies in three different explanations. Below are the guidelines for nursing mothers:
Wet Diapers:
Your newborn baby should be producing at least a diaper in a 24 hour period for each day of life (ie: day one, one diaper. day 2, 2 diapers, ect). If baby produces more than the required amount, wonderful!! After five days, breastmilk has transitioned from colostrum to mature milk, at which point you can expect to see at least 6 diapers a day. Each time your baby urinates, it is roughly 3 Tbsp. If you place that in a diaper you will find the diaper is not as heavy as first thought. When this combines with a previous bowel movement, it may be difficult to determine if the baby has urinated at all. Quick trick, place a piece of toilet paper over your baby's genitalia, it may make it easier for you to determine if the baby has urinated.
Dirty Diapers:
Your newborn baby will have a change in bowel movements from the time of birth to the first few days of life. This change is very important and delay in this change can be one of the first signs that jaundice may occur. Your baby's first bowel movements may be thick, dark, sticky, and dark black. This substance is called meconium. Within the first three to four days meconium will change into a more brown, green, or yellow bowel movement. This change should be finished by the fourth or fifth day. Once your baby's bowel movement turns to the normal infant yellow, it may appear as a liquid, seeded, clumped, or appear as mustard. Your baby should have at least one bowel movement in a 24 hour period for every day of life (ie: day one, one diaper. day 2, 2 diapers, ect). If baby produces more than the required amount, wonderful!! After 5 days of life, baby should be producing at least 3 bowel movements per day. This can change, as baby's go through growth spurts, at times it is normal for them not to poop. Quick trick, use olive oil over your baby's clean bottom and genitalia at diaper changes to help the meconium come off easier at the next change.
Weight Gain:
It is normal for baby to loose up to 7-10% of birth weight after birth. Within the first two weeks of life, it is expected for baby to regain the weight lost. As long as baby is gaining weight, not plateauing or loosing, it is appropriate to wait up to three weeks, especially if breastfeeding has been problematic, if baby had a tongue tie. Failure to gain weight is one of the first signs that there may be a problem with breastfeeding or may indicate a present tongue or lip tie. Weight gain should be watch carefully by your pediatrician. For concerns or questions about weight gain, you can contact me further for evaluation at bosomandsprout@gmail.com.
If all the above appears to be normal for your baby, rest assured your baby is getting the adequate amount needed for each feeding. There are times when the baby appears hungry and has just been fed. Some reasons for this may be:
Growth Spurts: These are common at approximately 2-3 days old, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and anywhere in between. These growth spurts not only help the baby grow but also help to increase and maintain breastmilk production. It is very common to feed your baby at these times for an hour and fifteen minutes later baby wants to eat again. Growth spurts generally last anywhere from a couple of days to a week. They are common and baby should have full access to the breast as often as needed
Need for Intimacy and Comfort: Keep in mind, your baby just spend the last 9 months hearing your heart beat, being fed when needed, untouched, and in a bag of fluid. The outside world is a large change, the only comforting and normal feeling is your skin, your smell, your heart beat, and the sound of your voice. It is common that baby just wants to be comforted skin to skin.
Discomfort/Cluster Feeding: There comes a time, generally in the evening when baby becomes very irritated, wants to eat frequently, and never seem satisfied. Many times this drive is in response to what is called the circadian rhythm, it is the cycle that regulates our sleep and wake cycles. It is interested (on a tangent) that this happens in older people with dementia as well, they do what is called "sundowning" where they become irritated in the late afternoon/evenings. For infants it is because they have an immature nervous system and the circadian rhythm has not fully been established yet. Cluster feeding is more of a comfort response. Unfortunately this need for comfort also stimulates at times a discomfort cycle. Your baby may go to your nurse, suckle, fall asleep, wake, nurse, ect. however what usually happens is your baby feeds, gets full, wants to nurse for comfort not food, has a let down, gets angry, then wants comfort and it repeats.
In the end, it is amazing the journey that we take with our babies. Where there is struggle and hard work, generally there is a good outcome! Be encouraged mommy, your baby knows exactly what to do and so do you! Be brave and courageous beautiful one!