Tips to find out if your baby is getting enough breast milk

Mother's milk is the most natural, nutritious and easily digestible food that the baby's immature digestive system can handle. It has all the natural proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins in the right quantities. However, if you are not sure if the baby is getting enough breast milk, don't worry, you are not the only one with this concern. Most new mothers do not know how to check if their baby is getting enough breast milk. However, it is not a difficult task. All you need is a little information on how often your child passes stool, the number of nappies used in a day and the weight gained by the child. Here are a few pointers from Effath Yasmin, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant that could tell you if your baby is getting enough milk.

• The baby gains his birth weight within the first two weeks of birth.
• The baby should gain 150-200g weight per week, after two weeks of birth.
• After the fifth day of birth, the baby should ideally pass stool 3-4 times a day.
• The baby has about 7-8 wet nappies in a day.

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 that they lactate more. Also, make sure that the positioning of the baby is right so that the latch is proper. If you are not sure about the latch of the baby, consult a lactation expert. Most mums worry that their babies aren't having enough milk without realising the fact that babies have very small stomachs, and hence will not have milk as much as we expect them to have. You can increase breast milk supply naturally with these foods. Image and video source: TheHealthSite/YouTube

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