Is my baby getting enough breastmilk?

Many mothers worry if they have enough milk for their baby’s needs. There are some easy ways to tell that they are getting enough. You don’t need to measure how much breastmilk your baby drinks.

If your baby is only having breastmilk you can look at their nappies.

Wee

• Wee (urine) should be clear or pale. Dark and smelly wee is a sign of not enough milk.

• By 5 days old, your baby should have at least 5 heavy, wet disposable nappies or at least 6 very wet reusable nappies in 24 hours.

Poo

• Poos should be soft and a yellow-mustard colour.
• Before 6 to 8 weeks, your baby should have three or more runny poos a day, about the size of the palm of baby's hand.  
• After 6 to 8 weeks, they may gradually start to poo less often. Some older fully-breastfed babies may only poo once every 7 to 10 days. Having fewer poos is not a problem, as long as there is a large amount and it is soft or runny.

As well as looking at their nappies, you can look at how well your baby is growing. Your baby is getting enough milk if they:

• put on some weight (They may lose weight soon after birth but start gaining it again. See weight gain.)
• grow in length (height)
• grow in head circumference
• grow out of clothes or clothes become tighter
• look healthy with good skin colour
• have good muscle tone (they look strong and not too floppy)
• are developing normally (e.g. meeting their milestones).

It's normal for young babies to feed 8-14 times in 24 hours. Most babies will need this many feeds. The more often your baby feeds, the more milk they remove from your breasts. This helps you make more milk. 

The way your baby behaves can also help you to know if they are getting enough milk. They should be:

• alert when awake
• calm or content at some times between feeds.

At times, your baby may still behave in ways that make you wonder about your milk supply. They may:

• want to feed all the time
• feed often in the late afternoon and early evening (cluster feed)  
• have fussy periods or cry a lot
• continue to wake a lot at night.

You can be reassured that even babies who are getting plenty of breastmilk may feed often, cry and wake a lot. Even if your baby isn’t hungry, a breastfeed may be all they need. 

Chapter 6 of ABA's Breastfeeding Basics video series explains the signs that show you're making enough milk.