3 signs your breastfed baby is getting enough milk

When you start breastfeeding there’s so much to think about, and it can take a while for everything to fall into place. And once you’ve got the hang of it, your baby has successfully latched on and seems to be feeding, how do you know if they’re getting enough milk?

During a recent Facebook live chat with midwife Tylah McConnell, brought to you Multi-Mam Compresses, we discussed three very definite signs that your baby is getting plenty of milk.

Watch our chat all about breastfeeding (story continues below).

1. Your baby is super relaxed

Tylah says that one of the best signs that your baby is getting enough milk is that they will appear calm and relaxed, often referred to as ‘milk drunk’, after a feed. “If a baby has had enough, they will get sleepy and they will lose suction off the breast,” she says. However, you still need to make sure – sometimes babies appear sleepy but aren’t completely finished. “They’ll sort of pretend to fall asleep but if you try and unlatch them, they’ll start sucking again, and this is the sign they’re not done,” says Tylah. “But if they sort of unlatched by themselves, this is a great sign.”

2. What goes in, always comes out

Another sign that baby is getting enough milk is their output – after all, what goes in, certainly comes out the other end. But it’s not so much about your baby’s poos than how many wees they do. “Poos aren’t necessarily as significant to worry about,” says Tylah. “We’d like baby to be doing them, but we don’t track them as much.” Breastfed babies can have runny bowel motions that are mustard-yellow in colour, sometimes green or orange, but they may not have a dirty nappy every day.

What is more important when it comes to how much breast milk your baby is drinking, is the amount of wees they’re doing each day, and the colour of them (they should be pale yellow). “So we say day one – one wee, day two – two wees, and so on,” says Tylah. “And you get up to about day six, then you should be continually getting that six to eight wees a day.” This translates into approximately six to eight wet cloth nappies or five to seven disposable nappies in 24 hours.

3. Your baby is gaining weight

Another excellent sign that your baby is getting enough milk is that they are putting on weight. Your healthcare professional will weigh baby on day three or four and then again at one week and two weeks. According to Tylah, after your baby’s initial weight loss at day four, they should gain approximately 20 to 30 grams a day. “That’s a good sign that baby’s getting enough,” she says.

At the end of the day, every baby is different and if you have any concerns about breastfeeding your little one, contact the Australian Breastfeeding Association or talk to your GP, midwife or family healthcare nurse.