How to understand that a newborn has enough milk. Is it possible and how to supplement a baby with formula?

There are many signs by which nursing mothers try to determine whether the baby has enough breast milk. But how do you understand which criteria are reliable and which you shouldn’t rely on? Breastfeeding specialists note signs that indicate that breast milk is sufficient for the baby.

The main signs that there is enough milk

Experts consider weight gain and the amount of urine produced to be the most informative and reliable criteria for the sufficiency of breast milk. The child should urinate at least 6-8 times a day. In this case, we can say with confidence that the baby has enough breast milk. Urine should be light yellow, almost colorless and have a slight odor. This means that the baby receives a sufficient amount of fluid through breast milk.

In the first two weeks of life, the baby should regain its original weight. Then every month for six months he gains at least 500 g. It is better to do control weighing once every two weeks.

Focus on how often you change your diaper. If this happens at least four times a day and the diapers are full, then everything is fine. To accurately count the number of urinations, you can stop using diapers for a day and conduct a wet diaper test.

Additional criteria

There are a number of other possible signs of milk sufficiency:

calm behavior of the child after feeding;
regular intervals between feedings;
normal stool.

If after feeding the baby does not show signs of anxiety and falls asleep sweetly, then he is full. Long intervals between feedings also indicate that the baby is full. It is believed that if the baby does not ask for breastfeeding for 1.5-2 hours, then everything is fine with the amount of milk.

But don’t panic if your baby demands the breast more often. The reason may be not only a feeling of hunger, but also discomfort in the tummy, the need for affection and protection, the desire to be in the arms of the mother.

Pediatricians and breastfeeding specialists recommend putting your baby to the breast on demand. This should be done even if you are sure that the cause of your baby’s anxiety is not caused by hunger. In addition, frequent feeding is beneficial for normal lactation.

Monitor your baby's normal bowel movements. A newborn's stool should be yellow, uniform, and smell like sour milk. The frequency of bowel movements is different for all babies. Some babies soil their diaper after almost every feeding. And it happens that bowel movements occur once every few days. This is also the norm, provided that when emptying the baby does not experience pain, he is not bothered by colic, he is gaining weight normally.

With a lack of milk, the stool is darker in color, it can be greenish or brownish, and has a dense consistency.

False signs of low milk supply

Quite often, a nursing mother believes that she does not have enough milk, based on unfounded facts:

lack of feeling of breast fullness;
long or frequent sucking of the baby;
discomfort of the child during feeding;
small amount of milk when expressing.

For most women, it is quite normal not to feel heaviness and fullness in the breasts after 1-2 weeks after the start of lactation. The body adapts to milk production and the baby's needs, and you stop feeling discomfort. But this does not mean at all that milk has become scarce.

There are no rules or regulations for how long a baby should spend near the breast. Some children are sated in 10 minutes, others need half an hour. The child chooses the number of attachments and sucking time. Do not panic if the baby often asks for the breast, this does not mean that he is not getting enough. Just follow your baby's wishes and feed on demand.

After 4-6 weeks, many children begin to feel nervous near the chest: arching, crying. The mother begins to feel that the baby is feeling discomfort due to lack of milk. But that's not true. In the first weeks, babies often abandon the breast and fall asleep when the milk flow becomes weaker, even if they are not yet full. But at an older age, the child no longer wants to fall asleep until he is full. Just squeeze your breasts a little to increase the flow of milk, and in the future the baby will learn to suckle more actively and the process will improve again.

All parents want their children to grow up healthy and happy. While the baby is just a baby, the concept of health and happiness is closely connected with how much nutrition the child has. Therefore, many mothers may be faced with the question: how to determine whether the baby is getting enough nutrition? This question is especially often asked by mothers who are breastfeeding. How to find out, Is the child getting enough to eat? How long should a baby stay at the breast?? Is not it little milk? Child crying from hunger or for another reason? What to do if a child "uses the breast as a pacifier"?
We will try to answer these and many other important questions!

In fact, there are only two reliable ways to determine whether a mother has enough milk:

Child's weight gain per week: from 125g or more.

According to the World Health Organization child weight tables, healthy babies gain from 500 g to 2 kg for each of the first 6 months of life. If the child is not gaining anything, or not gaining enough weight- this is a reason to look for mistakes in organizing breastfeeding or contact a breastfeeding specialist.

Number of urinations per day: 12 or more.

A child who receives nothing other than mother's milk directly from the breast must pee at least 12 times per day. You need to count urination without a diaper, diapers, rompers, panties. If the child pees little, this is a reason to think about how correctly breastfeeding is organized and, if necessary, correct those points that cause difficulties. As a rule, first of all, it is advisable to start putting the baby to the breast more often and check how well the baby latch onto the mother's breast.

All other signs are unreliable and cannot help the mother determine whether the baby is eating.

Let's look at the most common ways that mothers wrong use:

So, what should a mother do who thinks she has little or not enough milk?

The first step is to assess the child's weight gain and then count the number of urinations. If both are normal, it means that the child has enough nutrition, and you need to understand where doubts arise that baby has enough milk, what is the real reason for the anxiety of young parents.

If one or both signs are shown, that is, there is a real lack of milk, you definitely need to look for the cause and eliminate it as soon as possible. And the reasons could be, for example, the following:

superficial latch on the breast by the child ();
rare and/or short feedings;
feeding according to the schedule;
limiting time spent at the breast;
ineffective breast emptying;
use of a pacifier and/or bottle;
additional water.

In this article we tried to address the issue of insufficient milk production. We will be happy to answer all your questions. And our wonderful Milk Fairies from the support group will be happy to help every mother make breastfeeding a pleasure!

P.S.: This topic seemed so important to us that we wrote, in which we tried to reveal in more detail possible reasons real milk shortage.

Polina Novoselova,
lactation consultant

The main indicator that a baby is receiving enough breast milk is its calm behavior and good development.

If the baby calmly lets go of the breast after the next feeding, he is in good condition. emotional state, is actively awake for some time, and then sleeps for quite a long time, usually waking up only for the next feeding, which means he has enough milk.

Receiving a sufficient amount of breast milk, the baby often urinates (up to 10-15 times a day) and defecates from 1 to 6-8 times a day. His stool has a uniform consistency, without an unpleasant odor.

A child who receives a sufficient amount of mother's milk produces normal weight and height gains. When assessing these increases, you can focus on the following averages. During the first month of life, a child gains an average of 600 g of body weight (in the first days after birth, he often even loses some weight due to the so-called physiological loss of body weight, which is then compensated by higher rates of development). During the second and third months, the average increase in body weight is 800 g, and then for each month of life these increases decrease by 50 g, amounting to 750 g in the fourth month, 700 g in the fifth, etc. Monthly increases in a child's height in the first 4 months of life are on average 2.5-3 cm.

The good development of a child can be judged by the condition skin- His skin is clean, velvety, pink. By the end of the first month of life, the baby usually holds his head well, reacts to sounds, and smiles; at 2 months begins to pronounce individual sounds, follows with his eyes a moving object, the face of an adult; at 3 months, in response to emotional communication, he animatedly moves his arms and legs, smiles, makes sounds, lying on his stomach, leans on his forearms and raises his head high, with support from the armpits - firmly rests his legs on a solid support; at 4 months he examines, feels and grabs toys hanging above him, gurgles, laughs loudly, recognizes his mother and other close people.

If you suspect a lack of breast milk, you can carry out control feedings of the baby, weighing him before and after breastfeeding, and by the difference in weight determine how much milk has been sucked. Weighings should be carried out several times a day, since the baby does not always suck the same amount. Having thus determined the average volume of milk received per feeding and multiplying this figure by the number of feedings, you can judge how much milk the baby sucked per day. More accurate data can be obtained by weighing the child within 24 hours after each feeding. The norm for children in the first 4 months of life is considered to be the amount of milk that is equal to 1/5 of the child’s body weight. So, for example, if a child weighs 4000 g, then the daily milk intake should be 800 ml (4000:5 = 800). However, it should be remembered that each child develops in its own way and some children, receiving less milk than the specified norm, give good gains in body weight and are in no way inferior to their peers. Therefore, the main indicator of nutritional adequacy remains proper development and good health of the baby.

Employees of the Department of Childhood Diseases N3 with courses in endocrinology and homeopathy Faculty of Internal Affairs of the Russian State Medical University L.I. Ilyenko and A.Yu. Kostenko.
Article from the book "A book for parents about natural feeding and the rules of caring for newborns."

Discussion

That’s it, that’s what I did, for my peace of mind I weighed it in the morning before and after. I always knew when there was a crisis. Plus, the child gains very well in the first month, so there is almost always a difference on the scale every day. During a crisis - Apilak course and frequent application, including at night.

Wrong information! You cannot carry out control weighings, this is not informative! It's all wrong!

11.07.2013 23:16:13, ,m

It is very strange to hear about the calmness of a child if he is well-fed. My first child hardly cried, but in the first month he gained only 100 g. At 2.5 months. Naturally, I became artificial. Now my daughter is 2 months old and I really want to breastfeed for a long time. Maybe someone can tell me when, approximately, the child will not have enough of one breast. You understand, in my case, the cry of a child is not an indicator.

I feed my baby often, on demand, but at first I doubted whether I would have enough milk, because... During pregnancy and after childbirth, my breasts almost did not change in size (I have size 2), there is a lot of milk, Marishka does not complain, she is growing well and gaining weight.

08/30/2002 06:33:58, Snuu

No need for control weighings! Some children eat every 1-2-3 times, others 2-3 times an hour. It makes more sense, if you are very interested in how your baby is gaining weight, to weigh the baby once every 2 weeks, for example. Regarding calmness and good sleep as indicators of whether there is enough or not enough milk, this is doubtful. I ate very often in the first months, slept little, and gained 1.5 kilos.

Please tell me how to wean a 2-year-old child from the breast. How to do this without damaging the child’s psyche?

I couldn't finish reading it. Nonsense. Since 2 months we have been sleeping all night and pooping 3 times a day. This weighing is not necessary for us, girls, or for the child, but for the doctors for show - so-and-so weighed herself. I “weighed myself” at 1 month, when Dashka didn’t care where to eat as long as she was fed, but now (5 months) the doctor won’t feed her. So draw your conclusions accordingly.

06/25/2001 02:02:42, Katya and Dashonok

But I think you need to act with your heart. I never weighed the baby “control”, I looked at the general condition, the desire to eat, I always fed on demand and NEVER gave formula! Even if she suckled very little at a time, she simply gave the breast more often (since she asked more often accordingly!). Result: at one year and a half months she is still on breastfeeding and “can’t imagine life without mother’s milk”, she doesn’t know how to handle a bottle at all, but she’s great with a spoon, and she’s never sucked a pacifier!

My baby is 4 months old, he is completely breastfed and is gaining 1.5 kg per month. Now his weight is 8.450 and his height is 67 cm. He often suffers from stomach pain, we give him Hilak-Forte. The child is excitable, the neurologist prescribed a sedative medicine for the bath. An ultrasound of the brain showed the presence of excess fluid between the hemispheres. We have been prescribed treatment. Please tell me, should I introduce artificial complementary foods with all the above symptoms, given that the child, as the therapist told me, is gaining too much weight? And one more thing: do I need to get tested for bacteriosis? The evil aunty therapist yelled and said that it was all from nerves... Help, please!!!

05/30/2001 23:54:07, Lada

Of course, we got excited with the weigh-in - it just frayed our nerves. As for the rest, the article was written for those cases when lactation has already been established. If the mother gets it in the first days and during the first month of life, and the mother has no other information, then feeding will be over. In general, I came across the opinion that the increase is small, even its absence in the first month should not be a reason for introducing formulas, the main thing is that the baby wets enough, look at the condition of the skin, emotional state

05/29/2001 19:23:42, Oltya

After the milk comes in, indicators of milk sufficiency will be a minimum of 5-6 wet diapers or 6-8 cloth diapers plus a minimum of 2-5 dirty diapers per day. At the end of the month it will be possible to add weight gain. Indicators such as calmness can terribly confuse an inexperienced mother in the first month. The general appearance of the child is also a good indicator in combination with the number of diapers.

I can only say what, in my opinion, confirms the lack of milk: constant restlessness of the child, 45 min-1 hour on the chest, no swallowing, after half an hour the story repeats itself, cries, frequent stools, green, liquid, with mucus, urine passes few. We lived like this for 2 days, experimenting. My control weighings every 3 hours ALWAYS showed no more than 30 grams. In contrast, before and after those two days: the baby, supplemented with formula, slept until the next feeding, stool on mixed diet 3-4 times a day, good consistency, good urination, at about 3 weeks of age I ate 90-120 grams of breast with formula 7 times a day, i.e. mixture 60-90 grams. I didn’t suffer from dysbacteriosis, so there’s no need to sin with stool. That is, in my opinion, the main thing is that the child is calm, which means he is well-fed.

It just so happened that my variations in “control” weighings at the age of 26 days ranged from 30 g per feeding to 180... Actually, a bad article. The fact that a well-fed child “should have bowel movements several times a day” is completely delusional. After all, how many times have they already said that a child who is fully or partially breastfed has a “normal” stool frequency of “from 7 times a day to once a week.” That is, if a child poops once every 2 days (which is good, his personal individual version of the norm), judging by this article, he is malnourished.

Again about control weighings.... Another mother will receive a bunch of complexes and a quick transfer to artificial feeding.

How can you tell if your baby is getting enough breast milk? What signs of deficiency are true, and what to do in a situation where there is really little milk? You need to take a closer look at the baby’s condition and make sure that he takes the breast correctly.

Breastfeeding mothers, especially those with their first child, often feel as if there is not enough milk in their breasts. In a world where everything can be counted and measured, it is difficult to accept the fact that the amount of food for a newborn is determined only by how the mother’s body reacts to the child’s appetite.

It is very important to put your baby to the breast correctly and listen to your feelings. Reliable indicators of adequate or insufficient nutrition are frequency of urination and regularity of bowel movements, and, in the long term, normal weight gain.

The needs of a newborn are determined by two factors: body weight and age. In the first days after birth, mothers worry whether the baby has enough breast milk, since the breast produces very little food for the newborn - nutritious colostrum. The volume of milk required can be imagined if we consider that a baby is born with a stomach with a capacity of 7 ml. Already on the 4th day it will increase to 40 ml, after 10 days it will be approximately 80-90 ml, and by the age of one month it will be equal to 100 ml.

10 days-6 weeks - the child needs a volume of milk equal to 1/5 of his own body weight per day;
1.5-4 months – 1/6;
4-6 months – 1/7;
6-8 months – 1/8;
8 months – 1 year – 1/9.

On-demand feeding technique

On-demand feeding techniques are the foundation of successful breastfeeding

In the first months of life, contact with the mother is of enormous importance for a child.

Many people think that education begins later, but no, it begins from the first days of life. And refusal of breastfeeding without a good reason, due to difficulties at the stage of lactation formation, leads to the loss of some intimacy with the newborn.

He, like any person, wants to be heard and understood: that is why the technique of feeding on demand has gained such approval.

Trust nature, listen to your child, overcome difficulties. A bottle of formula and a pacifier may be a necessary addition, but they will not replace the closeness that breastfeeding provides.

Feeding “on demand” is recognized by pediatricians as the optimal scenario for healthy and complete lactation. The mother's body is configured to provide the baby with food and is able to produce as much milk as required.

Putting the baby to the breast when he asks - The best way achieve a balance between milk production and the needs of the newborn.

How often to put a newborn to the breast

Let the child determine how much milk he needs. When lactation begins, you need to put the baby to the breast every time he asks. This will launch the natural mechanism that regulates milk production.

If the mother is guided by some artificially created schedule, she will soon be faced with the question: there is not enough breast milk, what to do? You just need to trust the child with the right to decide how much he will eat, even if at first he asks for the breast 25 times a day. No worries - by 3 months he will reach a regimen of approximately 6 feedings per day.

Regarding the duration of feeding sessions. For a newborn, everything is unusual and frightening, but near the mother’s breast he feels as protected as possible. So even if it seems that the baby is just sleeping with the nipple in his mouth, there is no need to take it away. In addition, the longer he sucks, the better it stimulates lactation.

Signs of milk supply

How do you know if your child is getting enough nutrition? – Watch the child, not the clock! This phrase is familiar to many mothers who have sought advice from lactation specialists.

Neither the duration nor frequency of breastfeeding guarantees that the baby is full. Reliable information can only be obtained by observing the condition of the newborn and the course of natural physiological processes.

Urinary frequency

In the first days after birth, when the baby eats colostrum instead of breast milk, the daily volume of urine will be small. It will take 2 diaper changes, with each baby peeing 2-3 times. You can determine when it's time to change a diaper by weight. A diaper containing urine will weigh the same as a new one with 3-4 tablespoons of water in it.

When a baby switches to full-fledged milk, he gets more fluids and will pee more often. This can happen 12 times per day, so you will need 5-6 diapers.

For the purity of data, it is important that the child is fed only with mother's milk. and extra drinking lead to increased urine production.

Frequency of stool appearance

Pay attention to the consistency and color of the stool - if the feces contain mucus or blood, then this is a cause for concern

If your baby doesn't get enough breast milk, it will be noticeable in his stool. What should a nursing mother expect?

In the first 3 days after birth, the baby will poop dark green meconium 1-2 times a day - this is everything that has accumulated in its intestines during pregnancy.

On the 3rd day, the stool should lighten; normally, the baby’s stool is liquid, mustard-colored, almost odorless. If so, this is a serious cause for concern.

But don’t be confused if the child has a real one. Its reasons are described in detail here. If the stool is dark brown and thick, the baby may not have enough milk during breastfeeding, but before introducing supplementary feeding, you should consult a specialist.

The frequency of bowel movements during the development of breastfeeding reaches 5 times a day. Everything is individual: some more often, but little by little, sometimes after each feeding. Some less often, but in impressive portions. Normally, for a baby up to 1.5 months - at least 2 times a day. After 1-1.5 months, the bowel movement pattern may change - this is not a problem if the stool is still mustard-colored and creamy in consistency.

Characteristic sucking

An experienced nursing mother understands that the baby is getting enough milk by the way he sucks. How does this happen? If a newborn holds the nipple in his mouth, and the movement of his lips and cheeks shows that he is trying to suck, this does not mean that he is eating. When he doesn't have enough breast milk, the baby will do the same.

A sure sign that there is enough food is noticeable gaps in the movements of the chin at the moment when the mouth is as open as possible. The correct algorithm for breastfeeding is as follows: mouth wide open - pause - mouth closed. The motion is similar to how adults drink drinks through a straw. A pause in the movement of the chin means that the baby is swallowing milk. The longer it is, the more milk goes into the tiny tummy.

Thus, the time that the baby spends with the breast in his mouth does not play any role - only how he sucks and whether he is able to swallow milk is important.

Weight norm

After giving birth, the baby needs about 4 days to get rid of meconium and swelling, after which weight gain begins. The norm is an increase in body weight of 125-250 g per week. To keep the data clean, you need to weigh your baby either naked or in a dry diaper.

6 false signs of low milk supply and 1 reason to be concerned

Some mothers believe that if there is no feeling of breast fullness, then there may not be enough milk for feeding (this opinion often exists among inexperienced nursing mothers with small breasts)

There is no feeling of breast fullness - this is normal; in the first days or weeks after childbirth, few people feel it. Some women do not feel full during the entire period of breastfeeding, and this does not in any way affect the quality of lactation.
The baby cries immediately after feeding. One of the reasons may be hunger, but there is a high probability that he is worried about colic or other discomfort. You should not feed your baby by the hour: let him suckle as much as he wants. Do it.
Feeding is frequent and feeding sessions last a long time. There is no single correct lactation schedule– the needs of each baby are individual. Some people want to eat more often, but little by little, while others want to eat less often, but in larger portions. You need to focus on the fact that the child actually sucks the breast and swallows milk, as well as on the volume of stool (2-3 times a day). If it seems that something is wrong and the baby is malnourished, you need to consult a doctor, and only he can advise how to supplement the baby’s feeding if there is not enough milk. It is not advisable to introduce complementary foods on your own.
Many mothers express milk to estimate the volume and are upset when the results obtained do not meet some standards. In the vast majority of cases, a nursing woman has enough milk in her breasts, and problems arise because the baby is not properly attached to the nipple or is not sucking effectively. Reasons why baby refuses breastfeeding, freaks out and cries, are described in this.
If you offer a bottle to a baby immediately after feeding, he will also eat formula. This does not necessarily indicate that he is hungry. By checking the quality of feeding in this way, parents risk influencing it in a negative way.
A sharp increase in appetite - the baby asks for the breast more often and sucks longer - means another growth spurt, and not a lack of milk. The baby should be put to the breast on demand, and milk production will very quickly adapt to the increased needs.

If the baby does not wake up on his own for night feeding, this does not mean that he is full. Infants have a very fast metabolism, and they are not able to eat for 7-9 hours.

Please note that weight and height standards are periodically revised approximately every 10 years, and what was the norm 10 years ago is no longer considered the norm now. Dr. Komarovsky talks about this and much more:

Techniques for dealing with deficiency or how to increase milk production

I always scold young mothers who, at the slightest difficulty, run for a bottle of formula. You don't need this! Understand that the healthiest thing for a newborn is mother’s milk..

And bringing lactation back to normal is not that difficult, you just need to make an effort and be patient for a few days. But do not neglect breastfeeding, it provides immunity and protection that are difficult to overestimate.

The baby rarely asks for the breast, looks lethargic and apathetic, and does not gain weight well. Most likely, he lacks natural food. But supplementary feeding with artificial formula should be a last resort, before moving on to it, you should try to establish lactation. What to do if there is not enough breast milk?

Put the baby to the breast as often as possible, do not remove it while it looks like he is suckling.
End the feeding session only when the baby wants it.
Offer both breasts at each feeding. Start the next feeding with the breast that was the last one.
If the newborn sucks sluggishly, you need to change breasts more often. Every time it is noticeable that he has stopped swallowing, he should be transferred to the other breast.
Do not give your baby a pacifier - it reduces the effectiveness of sucking during feeding. If you eventually have to give complementary foods, it should be done from a cup or spoon, without a pacifier.
Take care of mom. In order for milk to be produced in sufficient quantities, she should not be nervous. It is important to eat well, get as much rest as possible and drink enough fluids.

Using these recommendations, you can solve the problem of lack of milk in the breast and stabilize impaired lactation. If this fails, you should refer to the information provided in the article. This is not a cause for concern: perhaps the baby is taking the nipple incorrectly or something else has happened that is easy to fix.

From parents' stories

Tatyana, 27 years old, mother of Lesha, 9 months

As time passes, I understand that all this is funny, but I will write for those who are as mistaken as I once was. I myself have small breasts, and I was always secretly worried about how I would be able to feed the child. I gave birth, there was very little milk, so it seemed to me.

I listened to mothers with such problems... I discovered another reason for concern: there was no feeling of “fullness” in the breasts. Well, yes, it increased, but it was not like what they write there. Fortunately, I finally decided to contact a lactation specialist, and not torment myself with doubts while sitting at home.

It turned out that everything is in order, the baby should eat as much as he wants, and if he poops and pees normally, it means he is full. In general, I advise everyone: when doubts arise, contact professionals, do not trust third-hand information.

Yulia, 28 years old, Samara, mother of Milana, 6 months

We had problems at the very beginning, at 1 month, that is, I thought so. Mom advised me to switch to “Malysh” and not fool myself. It seems like she only fed me for a month, and nothing. But I decided to find out why this was happening and went for a consultation.

It turned out that we mistook for a lack of milk a natural breastfeeding crisis, when a child experiences a growth spurt. The doctor said that everything will get better in a week or two, but for now need to put the baby to the breast more often. And guess what? The milk actually increased in just a few days.

Conclusion

To determine whether a baby has enough breast milk, no special measurements are needed, just watch the baby carefully. The main indicator that he is eating normally is good mood, activity and regular excretion of urine and feces in sufficient quantities. If the baby releases the nipple on its own and calmly falls asleep after feeding, it means that he is full. If he sleeps until the next feeding - 3-4 hours - this is also a good sign.

A child who is within the normal height and weight range for his or her age is properly nourished. All physiological indicators are individual; when there is a suspicion that the baby does not have enough milk, you need to seek help from a specialist. You can find out answers to frequently asked questions to pediatricians regarding the topic of the article from the video:

Taisiya Lipina

Reading time: 5 minutes

A A

Mother's milk has no competitors in terms of benefits for the health and development of the baby, protecting it from allergies and diseases. Replacing breast milk with even the best adapted milk formula is justified only if the mother is absolutely “non-dairy”. In other cases, lactation can and should be fought for. But first you need to determine whether there really is not enough milk.

How can you tell if your baby is not getting enough breast milk?

A young mother’s worries about a lack of milk are most often groundless: nature perfectly adapts female body to the child's needs. First check if your doubts are valid.

Signs of malnutrition in infants can be divided into reliable, which clearly indicate a lack of milk, and relative, which may be symptoms of other painful conditions.

Assess the situation comprehensively : 1-2 identified signs are not yet a reason to buy the mixture.

Reliable methods:

Small weight gain or loss

If you have electronic scales at home, you need to determine the difference before and after each feeding, and then calculate the total volume of milk consumed per day. The norms are as follows: from 10 days to 2 months - a fifth of body weight, from 2 to 4 months - a sixth.

Worth considering

Breastfed babies may consume different amounts of milk at different feedings or even days, so it is more objective to assess weight gain over the week. Breastfeeding consultants claim that if a baby has eaten at least 125 g in a week, then this is quite enough and the baby has enough milk.

However, constant weighing can make the mother even more nervous, so it is better to determine the increase at control weighings when visiting the pediatrician once a month, especially if the child’s overall health is good, he is growing and developing normally.

Insufficient urination

Give up disposable diapers for a day and carry out a “wet diaper test” within 24 hours - up to 2 months there should be ten or more of them, then six or more, the size of wet spots is no smaller than a regular plate, urination should not cause concern or painful sensations, and the color of the urine should be pale yellow.

If there is no desire or opportunity to bother with swaddling

Relative:

Frequent and demanding crying (it is also called hungry) - this cry is easy to distinguish from whining, when the child is simply bored and asks for attention. Mom will need to become a real virtuoso in assessing the different intonations of crying.
Long feedings . All babies have their own rate of milk absorption.
Lethargy or restlessness, sleep disturbances . May indicate insufficient rest, overstimulation from active games or the onset of the disease.
Sharp excitement when approaching or smelling the mother . The baby may simply ask for communication.
Sucking a finger, the edge of a diaper or blanket . The baby may also be teething or feedings are not frequent enough, and he does not have time to satisfy the sucking reflex.
Excessive dry skin . Milk for babies – not only tasty food, but also a life-giving source of quenching thirst. However, dryness is possible due to a lack of certain vitamins or excessively dry and hot air in the nursery.
“Empty” soft breasts between feedings, small volume of expressed milk . With stable, established lactation and frequent feedings of the baby, there should be no soreness and engorgement of the mammary glands - milk flows to the breast during feeding.

Causes of milk shortage

Even if some of the symptoms of malnutrition are observed in an infant, there is no need to rush into supplementary feeding, much less transfer to artificial feeding.

Most often this is a temporary problem and may be due to:

Don't worry too much : knowledge of the symptoms and reasons why milk decreases during lactation will quickly help with all difficulties, and a calm mother will always have a baby that is well-fed, cheerful and active.