Sara Chana, lactation consultant extraordinaire, sheds light on the issues, mysteries and joys of breastfeeding.
Moms always ask me,”Do breastfeeding babies ingest the same amount of breast milk at each feed?” The answer is no! When a baby is breastfeed, that baby will take in a different amount of breast milk at each feed. In a twenty-four hour period a baby needs to take in a certain amount of total ounces and a certain amount of total calories in order to thrive, but that baby will take in a different amount of milk at each individual feed, depending on the infant’s hunger and mood (Just like us adults!). When an infant is bottle fed, the caregiver will pour the exact amount of formula into a bottle at each feed and expect the baby to drink the entire poured amount. Even if the child turns his head a way, the caregiver will do her best to try to “force” the child to eat the amount in the bottle. With breastfeeding, the breast does not show “ounces”; the normal, healthy baby is supposed to be allowed to take in what he wants and needs (Assuming that the baby is not the product of a premature birth or has a suckling disorder–to name the most common difficulties.) So, for example, a six-week old baby might take in 2.4 ounces at one feed, 3 ounces at the next feed and only 1.8 ounces during the following feed. As a general rule, the thing to remember is, “what goes in, must come out.” Looking at diapers is the way nursing mothers are supposed to gage how the breastfeeding is going. As long as the baby is producing six to eight diapers in a twenty-four hour period, and is happy, the breastfeeding mother can stop worrying about “how much the baby is getting.”
Sara Chana, IBCLC, RH (AHG) www.sarachana.com is a lactation consultant, classical homeopath, registered herbalist, doula and mother of seven children. She has worked with over 10,000 new moms and babies. She just launched an APP called Breastfeeding For Boobs which has 103 videos and a section on alternative medicine for moms that is available on iTunes and Google Play. It is an encyclopedia that fits in the palm of your hand. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sarachana.breastfeeding