Feeding Your Newborn Baby

Happy Baby

As a new mom, we often wonder how much milk would a baby drink. If they are being breastfed, how do we know that they have enough milk?  Are they crying because they are not getting enough?  Eventhough you have breastfed them all night long.

For a new mom, babies may be a bit complicated to understand.  Obviously because they can only cry.  So it is quite a challenge for a new mom to deal with babies when they just first born.  Mostly, newborn babies cry for 3 things: 



  1. They're hungry

  2. Their diaper is wet or already filled with poo

  3. They want their mama and want to be cradled


But they can be other reasons, like colic or gas, etc.  But the above three are usually the common reasons they cry.  So, when you think the baby is hungry, you wonder how much milk do they need?  Especially when you know you just fed him less than an hour ago.  So how can you know?  There are ways that moms can do to ensure that the baby is fed at the amount they need.  Here are some tips you may need to know:

Feeding Schedule
Newborns and young babies make their own feeding schedules, but overtime, you can teach and put them on a feeding schedule.  Babies are a creature of habit.  It's better to put them on a schedule since young, so that they can understand the schedule and play by that rules.  Having a feeding schedule helps avoid a hungry baby from overeating.  

It is recommended that you follow "Demand Feeding" schedule for your baby, which means feeding the baby whenver she acts hungry or wants to eat.  Gradualy, a routine will develop.  

For bottle-fed babies, generally, give your baby a bottle every 3-4 hours.  For the first month, don't let your newborn sleep longer than 5 hours without eating.  By the second month, your baby should be fed every 4-5 hrs.  As they grow older, you'll notice the routine and when they are sleeping, let them sleep all the way through, as they also need their sleep.  

Breast-fed babies should be fed 8-12 times per day or more often, which means feeding at least every 2-3 hours.  for the first month, don't let your baby sleep longer than 3-4 hours without being fed.  Same with the bottle-fed babies, as they grow older, they can sleep more without being fed.  My personal experience is that my daughter would wake up if she's hungry.  So if she doesn't, I wouldn't wake her up but she will get a big feed once she wakes up from her sleep.

How Much Milk
For bottle-fed babies:  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a newborn should consume around 30-90ml of formula per feeding.  By the end of the first month, your baby should take 60-100ml per feeding.  Each subsequent month, you should increase the average feeding by 30-40ml, until you reach around 240ml per feeding.  

For breast-fed babies:  According to the authors of "What to Expect the First Year," when a newborn is breast-fed, he should be allowed to nurse for as long as he wants.  It's okay if your baby unlatches a few times or nurses slowly.  One feeding can take up to 45-60minutes and you just feel like all you do just nurse him all day.  Make sure you switch breasts every 30-45 minutes or whenever the baby seems uninterested in the first breast.  Allow him to feed until he doesn't want anymore.

Signs That Your Baby Is Hungry
Crying is your baby's last resort; you should notice that your baby is hungry well before she cries for food. Watch for these signs of hunger: sucking her hands or the air, pursing her mouth, unusual alertness, rooting (turning to your breasts or "searching" for something to suck) or whimpering.

During the first months, try to listen to the baby's cry and understand it to figure out what she wants.  Check her diaper and hold her, if she still cries, then she may be hungry but don't automatically feed your baby every time she cries.  If you feed her everytime she cries, you might ignore some of her needs, and you might overfeed her.

Is Baby Getting Enough Milk?
A newborn should produce at least five dirty diapers each day and at least eight to 10 wet diapers each day. As they grow older, of course, the amount of time that the diaper is dirty or wet may vary and she could go on without passing motion for more than 5 days.  Don't worry, as long she looks fine and not constipating, she's okay.  Just observe and make sure that she would pass motion within 10 days, otherwise, you may want to check to her pediatrician.  

Your baby should also seem satisfied after a meal.

If your baby is showing these signs, then she is eating enough.

*references: "How Much Milk Should My Baby Drink" by Lauren Orcutt

17 Comments

  1. avatar
    vitri lestiarini January 13, 2011 3:54 pm

    thx ya shinta,
    dalam hati si aku selalu ngeyakinin diri kalo aku pasti bisa. Tapi org disekelilingku aja yang suka bikin ngedrop. ngomong siap sedia Sufor lah, tar ngasi ASI nya dikit2 aja dicampur Sufor jadi ga ada support buat ASIX.
    Untuk banget ada TUM walau baru 2 bulan joint udah dapet banyak banget info2 yang berharga.
    thx buat sarannya ya, bener2 ngebantu banget ;)

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  2. avatar
    vitri lestiarini January 13, 2011 3:39 pm

    halo salam kenal, topiknya udah lama banget tapi berhubung baru baca jadi baru bisa post comment sekarang.
    aku lagi hamil 27 mgg dan kembar, terus terang aku lagi bingung masalah pemberian susu pada bayi nanti kalau lahir. ada yang bilang kalau anaknya kembar pasti di tambah Sufor karena acupan ASI nya kurang mengenyangkan.
    pengen banget anak2ku kalau bisa sih pake ASIX ga usah pake Sufor, mungkin mamas ada yang punya info yang bisa disharing untuk ngakalinnya gimana. Ty ya :)

    1. avatar
      shinta lestari January 13, 2011 3:47 pm

      hi vitri.. wow! congrats yaa.. seru banget akan punya anak kembar.

      sebenernya kenapa gak mungkin bisa kasih ASIX ke anak kembar? asi itu akan selalu ada kalau emang demandnya ada. kalo demandnya dateng dari 2 anak, ya pasti supply nya akan berproduksi untuk 2 anak. yang penting vitri harus yakin kalo pasti akan bisa. kunciny disitu aja kok.

      ini ada article yang mungkin bisa bantu ttg cara2 breastfeeding twins. mudah2an membantu mencerahkan yaaa..
      http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_tips_twins5.html#

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  3. avatar
    Rizka Rahmalia August 20, 2010 8:53 am

    TFS ya mba slesta....
    bisa jadi bekal nanti ^^
    *3week more left to delivery her baby*

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  4. avatar
    Andri Wibowo August 14, 2010 6:17 am

    tfs mbak.alhamdulillah,aku jd tau.atha sekarang sudah 40hr.pas lahir kuning jadi kubangunin tiap 2sampe 3jam&saat itu ga tau dia kenyang apa ngga soalnya bayi kuning suka tidur,stlh kuningnya baik dia mulai terbiasa dgn jadwalnya&nangis klu lapar trs dilepeh sendiri klu udah cukup dgn wajah damainya itu:)sekarang sdh lwt sebulan memang bobonya klu mlm lbh lama.bs 3-3.5jam.cuma atha kurang enjoy klu mimik yang kanan tp tetep aja kucobain.hehehe

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  5. avatar
    shinta lestari August 10, 2010 4:16 pm

    @tisa, @dini, @toto: thank you yaa.. itu foto perdana naia di foto senyum. diambilin temen, pas banget momen nya :)

    @sunshine: semoga berguna ya! sebagian sih inget, tapi biar pasti dan infonya gak menyimpang, ya mesti buka2 kitab juga deh.. heheh..

    @astrid: kalo gitu ntar buat adeknya yofel aja deh.. heheh..

    @chrisye: di elo udah lewat yah chris? jangan2 malah mau nambahin tips?.. silakan lohh..

    @jin kura kura: glad to know that! :)

    @tamara: hehe iya, kesalahan ibu2 baru gitu ya. asal nangis, angkat, susuin. pdhal belom tentu nangisnya karena itu. akhirnya cuma ngempeng dan bikin capek emaknya. jadi kapan mau punya baby lagi? hihi..

    @pinkmomma: naia juga sebenernya bukan anak yang nangis kalo diaper nya basah. mayan anteng, jadi gue pake sistem utk ganti diapersnya tiap 3jam. dan kalo udah poo, idung gue udah tajem banget tau hehe..

    @winD: don't worry yah! asi itu akan selalu di produksi sesuai dengan demand anaknya. jadi yakin aja kalo asi kamu cukup. sabar ya! semoga tips di atas berguna.

    @marchemie: isapan lewat puting langsung dan lewat botol itu beda. biasanya anak jadinya gitu, teruss aja nyedot yang di botol padahal udah kenyang. soalnya asal dia kenyot, airnya keluar. kalo asi kan engga.. dia harus bener2 latch on.. dan kalo gak, jadinya ngempeng deh. hebat deh, bisa convert afraz jadi full asi lagi. bravo!

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