Is My Baby Getting Enough

Dear K.,
I am breast feeding my 10 day old. I gave birth at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth and they have a support group monday through friday from 1pm to 2pm. When I get there I weigh my son, feed him, then weigh him again and that tells me how many ounces he took in. Also helps to talk to other moms about what they are going through. I suggest you look into the hospital you delivered at or try south shore. Then you can answer you pediatrician. Good luck!

Hi K.,

Short of weighing your baby on a baby scale before and after each feeding, there isn't any way to definitively determine how many ounces a breast fed baby is taking. We had a lot of difficulty getting our daughter (4 1/2 months now) to latch on (she never did get the hang of it - I've had to pump and bottle feed from day 1) and that was the technique the lactation consultant used. I don't know where to purchase a baby scale but if you are that concerned about it, I'm sure your pediatrician could point you in the right direction. Best of luck.

S.

Hi, I don't think you can tell how much the baby gets while nursing. I was able to roughly tell how much my daughter would need at a feeding to satisfy her (and have the recommended wet diapers) is to pump a bottle (i.e. 4-6oz) and give it to her to see how much she would drink from it. Once she didn't want anymore, than I would take from that feeding how much she is taking at each feeding to be satisfied This amount will change once your son begins having cereal /fruits... but if he is just nursing now - try that to give you a rough idea. Good luck!

Shame on the ped that asked you that! Do you feel that he/she know a lot about breastfeeding? there is NO WAY of knowing how much your baby eats. Even if you pump and see how much he is getting through the bottle, always remember...he will alway empty the breast much more effieciently. Do you feed him on demand? By now if you know his queues, the hungry cry, the sleepy/tired cry you should know what to do. And if that is feeding him every 4 hours, then that's fine! As long as he is growing and is happy don't worry about it. As far as him being underweight...that's so vague. Is he constantly crying and seems hungry? If not, then you just have a small baby that is just growing at his own pace. Have faith in your insticts. If you feel you are doing a good job and your baby is getting milk whenever he is hungry, then you are all set. Again I would reconsider that pediatrician....

I agree with the poster who said your doctor should have asked how often is your baby nursing. You can't gauge how much your baby gets by pumping-output varies, and babies are way more efficient than a pump. the other important thing is how many dirty diapers your baby has. a bf-ed infant should have (i think....i don't remember exactly) 8-10 wet diapers a day and 1-2 poopy diapers, or none as breastmilk is very gentle and digests easier than formula.

Is this a new doctor for you? I have never been asked that at a well visit. I have an almost 4 yr old and a 5 month old. You could pump instead of nurse a feeding and you would be able to estimate the ounces that he probably gets at a feeding.

Good Luck!

Honey I think the best way to get an accurate amount would be to pump for as long as the child is eating on each breast than that will give u an approximate amount.

You might want to try pumping and see how many ounces you get. This might be able to give you an idea on much ounces your baby is getting. Hope this helps.

The short answer is there really isn't unless you weigh baby after each feeding. The real concern is does baby have the right number of wet and dirty diapers.

Who is saying your baby is underweight? Are they using the right charts to determine this? Remember most Peds use formula fed charts rather than breastfed charts. Check out the growth charts at www.kellymom.com - I am sure there is nothing to worry about. My son is consistently at 10th percentile for weight and my Ped has never uttered any concern about it. (he's 22lbs at 22 months)

My doctor asks me the same question everytime, there is no way to gauge how much breast milk your baby is getting unless you pump and bottle feed it to them. The question your doctor should be asking is how often does he or she nurse and how long is each nursing. My doctor record the ozs when my son gets bottle as well as record the number of times I nurse him in a day and I tell him how many minutes each time.
You shouldn't worry too much about the weight, I heard that babies up until they are two years old are able to recognize when they are hungry and when they are full. If you think he is nursing enough times during the day he should be okay
hope this is helpful
take care
M.

I am currently nursing too and my baby seems to have gotten enough when she takes herself off, falls asleep, and doesn't wake back up even after a diaper change (sometimes she just gets tired but isn't quite done yet, so I have to put her down to see). They say if the baby sleeps for 1-2 hours after a feeding they have gotten enough, or if they are alert but not crying. Also, I definitely change about 8-10 wet diapers a day with her, and most of them have the yellowish, runny poop that breastfed babies get. You learn what amount of time is normal for your baby, for mine she feeds anywhere from 30-45 minutes sometimes! It is very time consuming... good luck!

When my son was born I had trouble nursing and saw a lactation consultant. She weighed my son naked and then had me nurse him, then weighed him again after to see about how much he was getting. I also kept a record of when he nursed and how long those sessions lasted. Pumping could work too, but I was told your baby will get more breastfeeding than you will get pumping. Good luck!
K.