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A healthy active baby: Is she bright and alert? Is she healthy and thriving? Does she demand regular feeding?
A desire to breastfeed very frequently is NOT always an indicator of hunger. Babies are in an oral stage of development
and often want to feed for comfort, when tired or distressed.
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A steady pattern of regular weight gains: Is she gaining appropriate amounts of weight for her age?
It's an overall pattern of healthy growth that's important. Don't be overly concerned by weekly fluctuations in weight gains.
Included along with her weight is how much milk is in her tummy and urine in her bladder. Variations in body fluids alone can contribute
to fluctuations of � lb (or more) for younger babies or up to � lb for older babies. Each time you weigh her, try to weigh her at the same
time in relation to feeding. Use the same scales where possible, as variations can occur between different scales.
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Lots of wet diapers (nappies): Are her diapers heavy with urine? Do you change her at least 6 or more times each day?
*Fluid must go in before it can come out!
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Settled behavior during feeding: Apart from the need for an occasional burp, does she continue to suckle until she
falls asleep? Or is she happy to remain on the breast suckling for long periods? When she's finished does she come off the breast calm and relaxed?
Fussiness with feeding is not always an indicator of low lactation. Nor is baby's desire to return to the breast shortly following a
long feed necessarily a sign of hunger.
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General contentment and long naps: Are you happy with the frequency of her feeding? Is she content between breast
feeds? Does she sleep for long periods during the day or overnight?
Although contentment and a sound sleep pattern can be signs of a well nourished baby, unsettledness and sleeplessness are
NOT always signs of a hungry baby. Unsettled behavior and sleep disturbances can occur for many reasons other than hunger.
If you can answer YES to all the questions above, you could feel confident your baby's nutritional needs are being met.
Depending on your child's age solids will also be necessary to provide a balanced diet. Many breast fed babies are
introduced to solid foods around the age of 6 months.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU to deal with breast feeding problems.
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