Common questions asked by mothers
How often do I need to feed my baby?
Watch your baby, not the clock. Watch out for early feeding cues eg fist sucking. Crying is a late sign of hunger. Let your baby feed whenever he wants and for as long as he wants. Newborn babies can feed between 8 and 12 times in 24 hours.
Newborn babies have lots of feeds close together and this is normal (cluster feeding). Cluster feeding can occur at anytime but is often seen during the evening.
If you think your baby has gone a long time without a feed, wake him up to feed, or if you think the feeds are very long, ask your midwife to check how your baby is attached to the breast.
One breast or two?
Always offer both breasts at each feed. Ensure he has a good feed on one side to get the fat rich milk. Once he comes off on his own, or loses interest and falls asleep, change his nappy and then try and offer the other side. He may not take it but if he has a short feed on the second side, offer this side first next time around.
How will I know my baby is getting enough?
- Plenty of wet nappies (at least 6 wet heavy nappies at day 5).
- He will have two to three dirty nappies per day till he is 4 to 6 weeks old, then his pooing pattern may change.
- The first few poos will be black and sticky. The poo then changes colour at about day 3 to brown/black. By day 5-6, the poo will be bright yellow and fairly loose.
- Your baby will suckle at the breast and once your milk is fully in (around day 4-5) you will see that the baby will suckle 1-2 times and then you will hear a swallow. He will also pause during feeding this is because he wants to enjoy his feed, he will start suckling again on his own.
- Your baby is content after feeds.
- He is gaining weight. He will lose weight initially but most babies have regained their birth weight by two weeks and then start to put on 4-8 ozs per week till he is 3 months old. He’s weight gain after 3 months will then start to slow down.
Can I give my baby a dummy?
If you give a dummy to your baby, you may miss those early feeding cues. If you keep missing those cues, your baby will not be feeding from your breast as frequently as he should. Remember: the more your baby feeds, the more milk your breasts will make.
Can I give my baby formula?
Try and avoid giving formula because if you fill him up with formula, he may not be interested in breastfeeding for some time and your milk will not be removed from your breasts, which could lead over a period of time to your milk supply going down.
Some babies are allergic to cow’s milk (formula), for these babies it may be enough to trigger off allergies particularly if there is a strong family history.
However it doesn’t mean if you give a formula feed that you can’t go back to breastfeeding.
