How to understand that a newborn is full: the main signs

The first couple of weeks after the birth of the baby, lactation only improves, and the woman’s body adapts to the needs of the baby. Milk can come in a lot or, on the contrary, can be produced very slowly. All this is considered the norm in a similar period. However, then the mothers want to be sure that the baby eats up and he has enough breast milk. The consequences of malnutrition can be a lack of weight and height, so it is very important to know and respond in a timely manner to a lack of nutrition in crumbs. In the article, we will consider how to understand that a newborn is full, what are the symptoms of insufficient saturation of a small organism.

Mom's fears

The reasons for the experiences of a young mother can be infinitely many. One of the most common is anxiety about whether the baby is full, whether he has enough milk. Here are a few signs that cause Mom to suspect that the baby is undernourished:

1. The baby eats for a long time, without lowering the chest. In fact, this is more than normal, because the baby likes to feel maternal warmth. In the first weeks after birth, tactile contact is especially important for him. It is necessary to ensure this closeness to him: you can often lie together and relax. In addition, each child is unique and everyone needs a different time for satiation.
2. The baby quickly lets go of the chest. There is no cause for concern. If you let go of your chest, you should understand that the newborn is full or calmed down. Children ask for breast milk not only because of hunger, but also when they feel thirsty, uncomfortable, desire tactile contact. To satisfy these needs, breasts are needed for a short period of time - to know that mom is nearby.
3. Too frequent feeding. In the first few months of life, feeding may be far from normal. The thing is that lactation is only normalizing, however, and the growth of the baby during this period is especially intense.
4. The body adapts to the growing need for breast milk and produces as much as the baby needs to eat. And the child in the first months needs to eat more often than in the following.
5. The baby is restless and moody. If the cause is malnutrition, then this reaction is not observed constantly, but soon after feeding. If this is not so, then the reason most likely lies in another. For example, it may be colic, the child does not sleep well, often cries and calms down only on his hands.
6. The baby releases her breasts, but remains restless. Often this is due to the outflow of milk, and not its quantity. You need to make sure that the baby is correctly applied to the chest. Perhaps his stomach hurts, or maybe the mother herself is in an unstable emotional state.

Causes and Signs of Malnutrition

The reasons that a child is malnourished may include:

• hypogalactia;
• improper attachment to the chest;
• nipple structure;
• lactostasis;
• short frenum of the tongue.

Hypogalactia is a condition in which milk production is less than the baby needs. The reason may lie in a hereditary predisposition or is associated with the mother’s lifestyle. This problem is solved: you should carefully monitor your diet, eat more often, preferably an hour before the intended feeding. Drink more fluids - at least two liters daily. At the same time, drinks should be as natural as possible: fruit drinks, compote, green tea, juices and water. In pharmacies, you can buy special herbal teas that stimulate the production of milk. Frequent application of the baby to the chest also helps to improve lactation. It is important to monitor your psycho-emotional state and not be nervous.

Improper attachment to the chest often becomes the cause of the baby’s discomfort, he does not manage to suckle in full and remains hungry. Mom has cracks on her nipples, causing pain during feeding, the woman is tense, which can not be transmitted to the baby.

The structure of the nipples. If the mother’s nipples are inverted or flat, this makes it difficult for their lips to grip the baby. In such cases, patience and perseverance are required, a couple of weeks after the start of feeding, the breast changes shape, and the nipples are stretched and no longer cause so much discomfort. At first, you can use special breast pads or express milk in a bottle.

Lactostasis. Stagnation of milk, or lactostasis, is a very common problem among nursing mothers, especially in the first months after the birth of a baby. The fact is that if there is a lot of milk, the baby is not able to completely empty the chest. The mammary gland swells and feeding is difficult. In a neglected form, lactostasis can lead to a deterioration in the health of mothers. How to understand whether a newborn eats milk, if the liquid remains in the chest after feeding, we will consider further in the article.

For prevention, after each feeding, it is necessary to express milk, more often apply the baby to the breast, lightly massage the breast during feeding, wear a properly selected bra.

A short bridle does not allow you to grab and suckle properly. Usually, if there is such a problem, the mother is informed even in the hospital or at the first examination by the local doctor. This situation is resolved and should not cause concern.

How to understand that the child is not enough food

It is not always easy to understand whether a newborn eats breast milk, what the baby wants, what worries him, especially if this is the first-born. He expresses his demands with cries and screams. If, after half an hour after feeding, he is unhappy with something, most likely, he is worried about a feeling of hunger.

Sometimes a nursing mother is faced with problems. The baby is just lazy and wants to suck breast milk through the nipple, falls asleep at the chest. In this case, it must be slowed down, not letting him sleep until he finishes the meal. If due to certain circumstances it is inconvenient for him to take a breast, he is fed through a bottle and a portion of what is eaten is monitored.

Another important indicator that the child does not eat up is a slight weight gain. It all depends on the age of the child, on average, it should not be lower than 120 g per week.

Behavior of a full child

To understand whether a newborn child has eaten up, it is worth observing his behavior:

• a well-fed baby rises mood;
• he falls asleep well and sleeps soundly;
• almost not naughty;
• his skin is pink, elastic and does not tumble at the location of the fontanel.

According to studies, a healthy lactating woman produces as much milk as the baby needs. This does not depend on the weight of the baby or the size of the breast.

Count the amount of fluid

You can understand that a newborn has had enough of breast milk by measuring the volume of urine excreted. The main advantage of this method is that the next day, the mother knows if her baby is eating up. To do this, you need to know the amount of fluid released and the amount of milk eaten per day. The first indicator is calculated experimentally, and the second - by the formula.

The action algorithm is as follows:

1. All used diapers are stored in a plastic bag per day, which must be tied so that the baby's urine does not evaporate, the feces are removed.
2. The next day, a bag of dry clean diapers and the corresponding number in urine are weighed. The smaller is subtracted from the larger value, the resulting number displays the mass of the selected liquid.

Normally, this figure is 46-66% of the daily amount of breast milk eaten. When calculating the weight and volume of urine are taken equal. With respect to the volume of liquid released, the amount of milk is calculated and compared with normal values.

We count the number of urinations

The previous method is quite effective and up to a milliliter can determine the lack of milk. However, there is another, simpler method, based on counting the number of urinations.

They do not need to be counted, since the volume of the allocated liquid is calculated according to the previous method. Given that at one time the baby secretes approximately 30 ml of urine, a further calculation is made.

The daily volume of fluid released must be divided by 30 (the amount of urine for each urination), the result will be the number of urinations per day. The norm is 8-14 times a day, provided that it is fed exclusively with breast milk, without water, the minimum indicator will be 8. So you can understand that the newborn baby has eaten.

To determine how much milk is missing for the child, you can add to the amount of missing urination 50 ml. To determine the amount of urine excreted during the day, it is better to use tissue diapers.

The inaccuracy of the method can be associated with the individual characteristics of the baby, who writes a little, but often. Therefore, the number of urinations in this case is not indicative.

Expected Weight Gains

This method involves weighing used and the corresponding number of clean diapers. Feces in this case do not need to be cleaned.

So, if per day the contents of the diaper is 500 g, then, most likely, in a month the baby will gain 1 kg of weight or more. With the contents of diapers of 450 g, the increase will not exceed 700 g. If 400 g, then most likely the baby will not gain weight at all, therefore it is necessary to increase the portion of milk or mixture. With the contents of the diaper from 350 or less, for sure, the baby will lose weight, it is necessary to introduce supplementary feeding and show the child to the pediatrician. These calculations will help to understand that the newborn is not fed up with formula or milk.

How mom feels normal

Often young mothers worry about the fullness of the baby and a lack of milk immediately after birth. How to understand that a newborn ate colostrum? It is worth remembering that immediately after birth, the baby’s stomach is very small and is able to digest only a few drops. Later it expands, and the child begins to eat more. Accordingly, the amount of milk is increasing.

Consider what happens when there is more milk. A healthy baby takes large sips while feeding. After 15 minutes, after eating, he sucks less intensively and throws his chest or falls asleep calmly, clinging to his mother. The woman feels that the milk in her chest has decreased, she has become softer and lowered. The child ate not only the easily received “first” milk, but also fatty milk at the end.

The mammary glands in nursing mothers are involved in different ways. Each feeding each gives one breast, changing them one at a time, others give both at once, since milk does not have enough time to develop enough. Most newborns simply do not want to be separated from their mother and do not let go of their breasts, even after eating.

How to understand that the baby ate a mixture

If a baby who is being breast-fed, for no apparent reason, began to behave uneasily: often act up, sleep badly, lack weight, problems with a chair appear, most likely, he does not overeat. Often, he does not stand three to four hours between meals. In these cases, it is necessary to review the feeding regimen or try to replace the mixture. A pediatrician can help understand whether a newborn is eating up with a mixture. Also, a specialist will advise what food to choose for the baby. A new adapted mixture is introduced little by little, paying special attention to the child’s reaction to the new product.

Properly administered complementary foods for the baby are the key to his immunity. After eating, the artificial baby looks happy and healthy. After feeding, he easily falls asleep, and in moments of wakefulness he is active and smiling. Mom should always carefully monitor the reaction and behavior of the crumbs. Pediatricians recommend keeping a diary where information about the introduction of a new product, the amount of food eaten and the reaction of the baby will be entered. Sometimes feeding occurs more often, sometimes less. The feeding standards recommended by specialists are not always suitable for the baby. Everything is purely individual.

Milk is produced depending on the appetite of the baby. If he completely empties the chest, it will be completely filled. This factor also affects the amount of complementary foods that it needs to be fully saturated. It has also been proven that the fat content of milk increases with increasing time pauses between feedings.

What to do when the baby is not enough food

Above, it was examined how to understand that a newborn was ate with breasts. It is worth knowing about those nuances that will help solve the problem of malnutrition:

1. First of all, you need to adjust the feeding regimen: eat at the scheduled time, at least three to five times daily, monitor the balance of the diet.
2. Maintain water balance in the body, drink more fluids, including teas and herbal infusions that stimulate lactation.
3. Exclude from the diet foods that can affect the taste of milk, and those that can not be eaten by a nursing mother.
4. Daily walk away from the gassed tracks.
5. Get enough sleep and rest at every opportunity.
6. Involve households in caring for the newborn.
7. Master the correct attachment of the baby to the chest.
8. Be sure to feed at night.
9. Follow the feeding schedule, but do not refuse the baby in breast milk on demand.
10. If necessary, feed the baby with expressed milk from a nipple, pipette, spoon, preventing their use outside of feeding.
11. Follow breast hygiene, wash it before each application, apply special emollient ointments to the nipples, wipe with a solution of furacilin or chamomile.
12. Massage the chest with stroking movements.

Among other things, it is important that the feeding takes place in a calm, peaceful environment, away from noise and loud noises that can scare the baby.