Breastfeeding Question

[Nicola]

This might sound silly but my DH asked me yesterday and I couldn't give an answer that really answered him.

If you bottle fed a baby you could easily tell he's drank 2oz or 4oz etc and then know roughly that he'd sleep for X amount of time following that feed.

How do you know the same with a breastfed baby? I mean how do you know when they have had enough and how much they might actually of had?

I know a lot of it is down to science, the baby get's an early milk which then changes twice during it's feed to give the full milk and the end milk which in respect tells baby "that's enough for now" type thing but how do you know what the amount of milk he's had via breast actually was?

Thanks!

 

[lozzi]

You dont kno in measurements, but YOU just know they have had enough.

Breastfeeding is feeding on demand, to their demand.

Your baby will only take as much as it needs...


So unless your expressing your milk you'll kno measurements in frequency and duration of feeds.

hope this helps

 

[maybebaby]

You don't know but you don't really need to know. Baby will stop when he's had enough.

 

[Natural mamma]

Babies are more secure and sleep better than bottle fed babies they are less likey to suffer from collic and develop allergies and their immune system is better. All mine have slept in bed with me for the first year so i never had a disturbed night i would pop the boob in the mouth and hey presto i slept and baby fed. We did however buy a king sized bed and at 6 months took one side of a cot off and pushed it up againgst the bed on my side and filled the gap with a rolled up blanket worked a treat.

 

[Nicola]

I thought it would just be a case of you don't know the quantity they have had but they would know they have had enough type thing. I do plan on breastfeeding and have read a whole book dedicated on the topic but it never specifically answered that question.

 

[Olliesmammy]

Hi, I expect it is different for every person, as its supply an demand my baby may have been more greedy or less greedy than others. But when i went back to work I would express at lunch time, and on average I would get about 5floz from each side. He was 6 months by then and starting solids so i was proably making less than when he was a tiny baby tho. hope this helps! I reccommend expressing just to see, and also introducing a bottle of ur own milk wont put ur baby off the breast or lead to nipple confussion. If you get ur baby used to the teat aswell as the breast u will have the freedom to express if u need to go out, or take medication or go back to work. I didn't and regretted it because all the milk I expressed went to waste and I was in work knowing my son was going without any milk at all and felt even more guilty and worried than i would have done. my sister was the same and now her second son is 8 weeks old and has about 70:30% breast to bottle. at least she knows her son will get milk if she is unable to be there to give it to him. hope this helps x

 

[Tasha20]

All this how many oz business came about because of formula, you feed on demand and when babies dropped off the nipple its had enough.

In the early weeks feeding is constant, your baby wont put on as much weight as a formula baby and I strongly suggest you have a good support network around you.

we are all here to help so please ask

 

[LilMissEmmylou]

my health visitor tells me off for it but im a clock watcher, i know how many mins it generally takes her for a feed so i judge by that if she has had enough, however saying that if she stops a few mins early or goes on a few mins longer i suppose its just as if she didnt finish a bottle or wanted more.

makes no difference either way - as others have said u will just know

 

[cloud9]

I think its a lot about trusting your instincts..I know roughly how long Dylan takes to feed. As Dylan had jaudice when he was newborn i had to wake him up again to get a full feed , there is something in me that knew when he had enough and when he was just too tired to bother.

They tend to go into a deeper kind of sleep when full. You can also tell when they are still eating and when they are just sucking for comfort..It just takes time to gain confidence in yourself

 

[Hellokitty]

If Maia has a bottle she takes it in the same way she does the breast. when she spits the teat out she's done.