The best way to understand that the baby is sucking properly and getting enough nutrition is to follow baby’s development and hunger-satiety signals.
Observe your baby while breastfeeding.
In the first 6 months, it is of great importance for the baby to be able to suckle properly in order for the baby to be fed adequately and to maintain its healthy development. If your baby makes quiet and slow sucking movements, swallows visibly or audiblely, pauses for 3-5 seconds and starts sucking again, it means that your baby is able to suckle correctly.
Is my baby getting enough milk?
In the newborn period, the baby should stay on one breast for about 15-20 minutes and the baby wants to continue feeding, the other breast should be switched. As babies get older, they will start to suck more vigorously, so the time it takes to empty a single breast may be decrease. Babies send “I’m full” signals by closing their lips, turning their head away from the breast, and starting to deal with different things. Babies who are not satisfied usually cannot fall asleep, their sleep time is shortened and they cry a lot.
Check your baby’s weight gain.
In the first 6 months, attention should be paid to the frequency of breastfeeding in order to ensure appropriate weight gain in infants. Babies should be breastfed whenever they want in the first month of their life, without setting any time, and the time between two breast-feeds should not exceed 2 hours. In the following months, they should be breastfed 6-8 times until the 6th month, and at least 5-6 times after starting solid food. Babies 0-6 months old should take an average of 800 g (not less than 500 grams) each month, and 6-12 months an average of 600 g (not less than 500 grams) each month. The fact that the baby achieve appropriate weight gain is an indication of adequate nutrition.
Check the number of wet diapers.
Another way to tell if your baby is getting enough breast milk is to track the number of wet diapers. At least 6 wet diapers a day for babies 6 days old and older can be an indication that the baby is getting enough nutrition.
Resources:
- https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/breastfeeding/how-much-and-how-often.html
- https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/frequency-feeding-frequently-asked-questions-faqs/
- Saki, A., Eshraghian, M. R., & Tabesh, H. (2012). Patterns of daily duration and frequency of breastfeeding among exclusively breastfed infants in Shiraz, Iran, a 6-month follow-up study using Bayesian generalized linear mixed models. Global journal of health science, 5(2), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v5n2p123
- Zhou, Q., Tan, Y. L., How, C. H., & Yang, L. Y. (2022). Breastfeeding woes: a family physician’s approach. Singapore medical journal, 63(2), 68–73. https://doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2022036
- La Leche League Canada (2015). How to Know Your Baby is Getting Enough Milk. https://www.lllc.ca/sites/default/files/457_CMYK_2015.pdf
- Nommsen-Rivers, L. A., Heinig, M. J., Cohen, R. J., & Dewey, K. G. (2008). Newborn wet and soiled diaper counts and timing of onset of lactation as indicators of breastfeeding inadequacy. Journal of human lactation : official journal of International Lactation Consultant Association, 24(1), 27–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334407311538
