Signs That Your Baby Is Breastfeeding Well

1.Deep and Slow Sucks

• At the start of the feed, your baby will have shallow and quick sucks. When your milk starts to flow, the sucks should become deep and slow. There should also be a pause during the suck when your baby's mouth opens the widest. Your baby is drinking milk during this pause. There should be at least 10-20 minutes in total of this "deep and slow" type of suck at each feed.

  You can:

  • feel your breast being pulled with no pain.
  • hear your baby swallowing.

 

Mouth opening.

Pause when mouth is opened the widest. Baby is drinking milk during this pause.

Mouth closing.

2.Wet Diapers and Stools

 

Baby's Age	Wet Diapers Each Day	Stools Each Day
1 day old	At least 1 wet diaper (a wet diaper feels like at least 2 tablespoons or 30 ml. of water poured on a dry diaper)	At least 1-2 sticky dark green/black stools
2 days old	At least 2 wet diapers	At least 1-2 sticky dark green/black stools
3 days old	At least 3 heavy wet diapers (a heavy wet diaper feels like at least 4-5 tablespoons or 60-75 ml. of water poured on a dry diaper)	At least 2-3 brown/green/yellow stools
4 days old	At least 4 heavy wet diapers	At least 2-3 brown/green/yellow stools
5 days old	At least 5 heavy wet diapers	At least 2-3 stools, getting more yellow
6 days old and after	At least 6 heavy wet diapers *At all ages, urine should be clear to pale yellow with almost no smell*	At least 2-3 large yellow stools Stools can be soft like toothpaste or seedy and watery After 1 month, some breastfed babies may have 1 very large yellow stool every 1-7 days. This is normal as long as the stool is soft and the baby is healthy. It is also normal for some breastfed babies to have many stools each day.

3.Weight Gain

• Most breastfed babies will lose 5-7% of their birth weight in the first 3-4 days after birth.
• Your baby should then gain at least 4-8 ounces (113-227 grams) a week in the first 3 months, and at least 3-5 ounces (85-142 grams) a week from 4-6 months.
• Your baby should return to his/her birth weight by 2-3 weeks of age.

4.Other Signs

• Your baby has a loud cry and moves actively.
• Your baby's mouth is wet and pink.
• Your baby's eyes look bright and awake.
• Your baby comes off the breast looking relaxed and sleepy.
• Your breasts feel softer and less full after breastfeeding.