images

I am seven months pregnant and I would like to know how can I ensure that once my baby is born, he/she is having enough breast milk?

Answered by International Board certified lactation consultant Effath Yasmin.

Most new mothers do not know how to check if the baby is having enough breast milk. But if we give them enough information like – this is how many times the baby should pass stools in a day, adequate weight gain of the baby, etc. they can determine if their baby is getting enough milk or not. The fact is none of the mothers come out of the hospital knowing if their baby is having sufficient breast milk. Below are some points which mothers can use to determine if their baby’s health and nutrition is normal or not.

1 Within two weeks of the birth, the baby should come back to their birth weight.
2 The baby should gain 150-200g of weight per week, after two weeks of birth.
3 After the fifth day of birth, the baby should ideally pass stools 3-4 times in a day.
4 The soiled diaper should weigh between 30-60 ml. To get an idea, take a fresh diaper and fill it with 3 tablespoons of water. This will give you an idea of how heavy should the diaper feel.

If these points do not hold true for your baby, it means that he/she isn’t getting enough breast milk as a result of insufficient lactation or improper latch. Mothers can then increase the frequency of breast milk feeds as this will ensure they lactate more. Also make sure that the positioning of the baby is right so that the latch is proper.