How do you know how much your baby eats while breastfeeding?

Question

I plan on breastfeeding. I am 32 weeks, now. I haven't had a chance to address the issue with my doctor, so I'd like to have some input from mothers with experience with breastfeeding. How do you know if your baby is getting enough? Did you feed at the regular 3-4 hour intervals or did you try to feed more often if the baby woke up more frequently?

One other thing, what do you do if the baby makes a habit of falling asleep while feeding? I'd imagine it being different than a bottle-fed baby.

Answer 1

You'll know by how much weight he/she gains.

Answer 2

You feed on demand, and you know by weight gain, and wet diapers.

Answer 3

yea breastfeeding is different when bottle feeding but when it comes to them falling asleep then the answer is the same..just burp them than let sleep. Im a mother of 2 and brestfed both. regardless of the 2-4 hours your baby will cry when hungry. I feed my baby on one breast then when she starts to squirm and pop off here and there (about 5-15 min. later) then thats means she is ready to be burped and switched to the other side. pretty much when there 6 months and younger and you breastfeed, then they will get up just to eat or be changed and then go right back to sleep. kids who are breastfed are much more relaxed than bottle fed babies. Dont worry within then first day to one week you will get the hang of it..but you can still always talk to your doctor, which i know you will b/c when you have your baby a lactation nurse will be there to actually help you and guide you through it all!!

good luck

Answer 4

For the first 3 weeks I had to wake my daughter up every 2 hours to eat,but that was only because she had jaundice and was very sleepy and would sleep through being hungry.  Now I just let her tell me when she needs to be fed - you can tell from the feeding cues they give you (fussing, lip smacking, shaking their heads back and forth, etc.) and I fee her whenever she is hungry.  You really don't know how much they are getting when they are breastfed, but you know they are getting enough by the number of wet and poopy diapers they have per day.  After the first week they should be having 4 poopy and 6 wet diapers per day, and that means they are getting enough.  

As for the falling asleep eating - my daughter always falls asleep eating - it's usually her way of telling me she's done.

Babies who are breastfed can rarely take in more than 2-3 oz at a time even when they are older - the reason is that breast milk is easier to digest than formula so baby can get more calories out of a smaller volume of milk.  When they are older, your body will change the makeup of your breast milk so that the same volume contains even more calories for your baby.  That's why they say it can prevent childhood obesity - formula fed infants need a higher volume of milk to get the same calories which artificially stretches their stomach - then when it's time for solids, they have a much bigger stomach to fill which leads to overeating.

Answer 5

"How do you know how much your baby eats while breastfeeding?"

Who cares?

I mean, despite what bottle-feeding mothers may believe, there is no accurate "A baby of X age and X weight must eat X amount." You don't need to keep track of a healthy baby's diet any more than you do your own.

However, you may find this of interest:

"Is my baby getting enough milk?"

http://www.kellymom.com/newman/04enough_...

"what do you do if the baby makes a habit of falling asleep while feeding?"

If baby = tiny newborn who seems to be feeding poorly, you can try nursing in the bathtub to keep baby awake.

If baby = older baby, you luxuriate in it. Nursing is a fantastic way to get a babe off to bed.

Answer 6

As for knowing how much their getting, you don't know specifically, you just know that they are getting enough by there wet diapers, bm's and weight gain. One should always feed on demand, although if the nb doesn't wake to eat within two hours you should offer anyway. I say that because for the first few weeks of my oldest sons life all he wanted to do was sleep and that's what my LC told me to do if he didn't "ask" for it within 2 hours. If baby falls asleep during feedings, wake him/her up to nurse a little more if you are concerned with the intake, or if you are concerned with baby getting used to nursing to sleep, wake him/her up (still sleepy) and put in bed so he/she can fall asleep on his/her own. Good luck.

Answer 7

I fed my baby on demand and I didnt look at numbers on how much he took in, I just fed him until he pulled himself off my breast. With breastfed babies they tend to eat in more intervals because breastmilk isnt as thick as formula is.

If your baby falls asleep while eating, I just tickled my sons feet, or started to undress him and tickle his little sides. Either way a starving baby wont sleep.

Answer 8

You'll know that your baby is getting enough as long as he/she is having enough wet and dirty diapers in a day.

For the first 8 weeks I fed on demand (sometimes every hour during a growth spurt); breast milk is digested very quickly and babies have very tiny tummies.  After 8 - 12 weeks, you can try to start a feeding schedule, but you won't get up to 4 hours until they are older (like 6 months) and have started solids.

Babies do have a habit of falling asleep while eating.  Luckily with breastfeeding, they cannot be force fed and will only eat what they need (I'm not saying all bottle fed babies are force fed, just that this is a perk to breastfeeding IMO).  My suggestion is to let the baby sleep when they fall asleep (in the first 8 - 12 weeks). Try feeding again when they wake up. When they are about 3 months old, you can try a cool rag on their feet or head to wake them up. Stripping them down to their diaper will help, too.

(I tried getting my first child on a schedule as soon as we came home from the hospital and all it did was frustrate me - babies aren't ready for a schedule until they are a few months old.)

Now, if you really want to know how much the baby is getting from a feeding, there is a way...  When at the doctor's office, weigh the baby. Then nurse him/her.  Weigh the baby again.  This will tell you how much he's getting in a feeding.

Good luck on the rest of your pregnancy!  And good luck with the breastfeeding!  (Please know that it takes time to learn and to teach the baby.  Give yourselves plenty of time to get the hang of it and try not to give up!)  

Answer 9

If they are having the appropriate number of dirty diapers. I do believe its 6-8 wet, and 3-4 poopy? Its been 6 months so my mind is getting foggy. Also if they are steadily gaining weight then you have nothing to worry about.

A good clue is if your baby is crying before and afterwards they seem content and drowsy (when they are newborns) you pretty much know.

EDIT: If you have a baby that likes to fall asleep in the middle of a feed, change his or her bum when you are burping him/her. It will wake them up enough to finish their meal.

Answer 10

It'll let you know when it's hungry and it'll let you know when its full. after you burp it it needs to be fed more though, to fill the space of the burp

Answer 11

well you know by when your b*****s feel full you have the baby nurse,and if your baby falls asleep while feeding you just unlatch them with your finger and put him in his crib.