How Do I Know If My Baby Is Getting Enough Breast Milk?

One of the hardest parts of breastfeeding is that you can’t see how much milk your baby is drinking.

When you give a bottle, you can see the ounces disappear. When you breastfeed, you may have no idea how much your baby took. So it is completely understandable to wonder, “How do I know if my baby is getting enough?”

The good news is that you do not need to know the exact number of ounces your baby drinks at every feeding. There are several things you can look at to get a much better idea of how breastfeeding is going.

Start with what you see during a feeding

One of the most useful things to watch is what your baby is doing at the breast.

A baby who is actively drinking will usually have periods of sucking followed by swallowing. As milk starts flowing, you may notice a change from quick, shallow sucks to slower, deeper sucks. You may also hear or see your baby swallowing.

This is different from a baby who stays latched but is mostly making small, fluttery movements without much swallowing. A baby can spend a long time at the breast without transferring a large amount of milk.

That is why the length of a feeding does not tell us very much by itself. A 10-minute feeding can be a great feeding for one baby and not enough for another.

Look at your baby’s diapers

Diapers are another helpful piece of the puzzle.

In the first few days after birth, the number of wet and dirty diapers changes as your milk production increases. By about day 5, most breastfed babies should have at least 6 wet diapers each day.

Stool patterns can change as your baby gets older, too. Some breastfed babies poop several times a day, while others have 1-2 poops a day. Your baby should poop daily!

Diapers are helpful, but they should not be the only thing you look at. A baby can have wet diapers and still have difficulty with milk transfer, so we want to consider the whole picture.

Pay attention to your baby’s weight

Weight gain is one of the most important ways we can tell whether a baby is getting enough milk over time.

It is normal for newborns to lose some weight after birth. What matters is what happens next. Your baby’s healthcare provider can help you understand whether their weight changes are within the expected range and whether they are gaining appropriately.

If your baby is not gaining as expected, that does not automatically mean your body is not making enough milk. There are several reasons a baby may not be getting enough milk, including difficulty transferring milk from the breast.

This is one reason a feeding assessment can be so useful. We want to figure out whether the problem is milk production, milk transfer, or something else.

What if your breasts don’t feel full anymore?

This is one of the biggest things that makes parents think their milk supply has suddenly disappeared.

Your breasts may feel very full and firm during the early weeks of breastfeeding. Over time, your body becomes better at matching milk production to what your baby needs, and your breasts may start to feel softer.

Soft breasts do not automatically mean low milk supply.

You may also stop leaking as much, or you may no longer feel the same strong sensation when your milk lets down. These changes can be completely normal as breastfeeding becomes more established.

What about pumping?

Pumping can give you useful information, but the amount of milk you pump does not tell you exactly how much milk your baby is getting at the breast.

Some parents pump several ounces after a feeding. Others pump very little. That can depend on when you last fed your baby, how often you pump, the pump itself, your flange fit, your milk storage capacity, and many other factors.

A baby who is good at transferring milk may get much more from the breast than a pump can remove.

So if you breastfeed your baby and then pump 1 ounce, that does not automatically mean your baby only got 1 ounce during the feeding.

What if my baby wants to eat again soon?

This is another common source of worry.

Your baby may finish a feeding and want to breastfeed again an hour later—or even sooner. That does not automatically mean they did not get enough.

Newborns often feed frequently. They may also cluster feed during certain parts of the day or during periods of rapid growth.

Instead of focusing only on how long it has been since the last feeding, look at what happened during the feeding. Was your baby swallowing? Did they seem active at the breast? Are they having enough wet diapers? How is their weight?

The pattern matters more than any single feeding.

When should you be concerned?

Sometimes frequent feeding really is a sign that something needs attention.

If your baby rarely swallows during feeds, has difficulty staying latched, seems exhausted during feedings, takes very long to eat without seeming satisfied, has fewer wet diapers than expected, or is not gaining weight appropriately, it is worth getting help.

You should also reach out if breastfeeding is painful, you are worried about your milk supply, or you feel like something simply isn’t right.

You do not have to wait until your baby is losing weight or you are completely overwhelmed before asking for help.

Sometimes the problem isn’t your milk supply

When a baby is hungry often or isn’t gaining well, it is easy to assume the problem must be low milk supply.

Sometimes it is.

But sometimes your body is making plenty of milk and your baby is having trouble getting it out.

Things like latch, positioning, oral function, body tension, and how effectively your baby transfers milk can all affect what happens during a feeding. There can also be medical factors affecting either the parent or baby.

This is why “just pump more” is not always the answer.

Before changing everything about your feeding plan, it can be helpful to figure out what is actually happening.

You don’t have to measure every ounce

It is easy to become obsessed with numbers when you cannot see what your baby is drinking.

You may start counting minutes at the breast, watching the clock between feedings, tracking every diaper, or wondering whether your breasts feel full enough. Some of that information can be helpful, but it can also leave you feeling like you are constantly trying to prove that breastfeeding is working.

You don’t need to know exactly how many ounces your baby drank at every feeding.

You need to know that your baby is effectively transferring milk, having appropriate diaper output, and growing well.

And if you are not sure whether those things are happening, that is a good reason to have someone take a closer look.

A feeding assessment can tell you much more than a list on the internet

There is a lot of breastfeeding advice online about how to tell if your baby is getting enough milk. The problem is that your baby is not every other baby on the internet.

Your feeding history matters. Your baby’s age matters. Their weight matters. Their diapers matter. What you see during a feeding matters. Your milk production, your baby’s oral function, and your goals for feeding all matter, too.

Sometimes the answer is, “Your baby is doing great. You can stop worrying.”

Sometimes we find a small problem that is making breastfeeding harder than it needs to be.

And sometimes there is a bigger issue that needs a more detailed plan.

The goal is not to make you watch every feeding with a calculator in your hand.

The goal is to help you understand what is happening so you can feel confident that your baby is getting what they need—and know what to do if they aren’t.

You don’t have to guess.

You just need the right information about your baby, your breastfeeding, and your situation.

To work with me 1:1 for a weighted feed, please email me at ashlee@ashleeibclc.com.