Determining if your baby is getting enough breastmilk requires taking a close look at the basics: weight gain, how often is your baby feeding, how many wet diapers are there, how many dirty diapers are there and what do the stools look like.

If you are concerned your baby is not getting enough to eat, you should contact a lactation professional to fully assess what is going on. While you are reaching out to get an assessment, here are the things you will need to have tracked to get a good picture of how breastfeeding is going the first few days.

Weight Gain

After birth, it is not uncommon for your baby to lose a little weight as they transition from being in fluid in the womb to dry air. Fluids administered in labor can cause excess fluid retention which will also have to be shed. Depending on your pediatrician's assessment, a weight loss between 7%-10% is normal. If weight loss goes above 10%, careful monitoring and discussions about appropriate supplementation is necessary. If supplements are necessary, you can either pump your own milk, use donor milk, or use formula. This can be done without disrupting breastfeeding, and it protects your baby's development.

Once copious milk production begins (also referred to as milk having come in), your baby should gain roughly 6 oz/week. If things are going well, we expect your baby to be back up to birth weight in the first 10 days to two weeks. If your baby is not meeting this milestone, and you are not already working with a lactation consultant, you need to be seeing one. Sometimes, if there were early issues that are being corrected, this milestone may be missed, but there should be a solid plan in place to get your baby to this point.

Typical weight gains in breastfed babies will be:

approximately 6 oz/week for 0-4 months
approximately 4-5 oz/week for 4-6 months
approximately 2-4 oz/week for 6-12 months

At any time, if there is a concern about weight gain, it can be helpful to chart the baby's weight gain on a growth chart. Growth chart's are not the final say on how a baby is growing, but the weight gain trend over time can help determine if a baby is gaining well over time.

Feedings

Most breastfed babies will need to nurse between 8-12 times a day. These are averages, so some babies may naturally be inclined to eat more or less often. If a baby is gaining weight well, and mother and baby are content with the number of feedings, there is not a cause to be concerned. If a baby is not gaining weight, and not feeding between 8-12 times a day, one of the easiest ways to modify the situation and improve weight gain would be to attempt to feed more often. If a baby is eating 8-12 times or more and not gaining weight, it is vital that a lactation consultant do an assessment to determine if milk supply is low or if baby is ineffectively transferring milk, and intervention may be necessary to get breastfeeding on a good track. Regardless of weight gain, if a baby is feeding frequently enough that the mother feels overwhelmed, having a lactation consultant evaluate is always a good idea.

Diapers

Diapers are a quick way to determine if a baby is taking in an adequate amount of breastmilk. If your baby is not meeting these diaper count goals in this infographic please talk to your pediatrician or lactation consultant.