Feeding Your Newborn
Learning how to properly feed your newborn is important. While many mothers find early feeding to be a special time providing opportunities to bond with baby, it can also present some feelings of confusion and frustration for others. One common concern new moms often share with registered nurse Cindy Zizek is whether or not their infant is eating enough, and how this in turn affects baby’s overall health. Zizek recommends that parents learn about their baby’s stomach development rate, because understanding how much he should consume during his first few days is one way to feel assured that he is getting exactly what he needs to grow.
Zizek explains that mothers who choose to formula feed can have a more accurate idea of how much formula baby is getting. With breastfeeding, this too can also be easily measurable. “Whether you choose to breast or formula feed, the most important thing to remember is that breast milk or formula should constitute your baby’s diet for the first six months exclusively,” says Zizek.
Infant Stomach Size Development1
| Days |
Stomach size comparison |
Volume |
| 1-2 |
Thimble |
5-7 ml |
| 3-4 |
Ping pong ball |
22-27 ml |
| 7-10 |
Large chicken egg |
60-81 ml |
In the first two days after birth, your baby’s stomach is approximately the size of a thimble, capable of holding only 5 to 7 ml of fluid at a time. For this reason, breastfeeding mothers produce a minimal – but sufficient – amount of colostrum, a highly concentrated and nutrient-enriched form of milk that comes in prior to mature milk.
At days three and four, your baby’s stomach is the size of a ping pong ball and can hold approximately 22 to 27 ml of fluid. Breastfeeding mothers begin to produce mature milk during this time period (within two to five days following delivery). After one week, your baby’s stomach has reached the size of a large chicken egg, holding approximately 60 to 81 ml. Your baby’s first growth spurt, which should take place between days 10 and 14, is fueled by this larger stomach capacity change.
As days and weeks progress, your baby’s rapid rate of growth will slow down, and he will require fewer calories. During this time, your baby will also begin providing cues that he has had enough to eat by refusing the breast or bottle.
How to know if baby is getting enough
- A baby should be feeding at least 8 times in every 24 hour period and feeds with active sucking and swallowing.
- Count the number of wet and dirty diapers your baby is producing for the first week of life in a 24 hour period. There should be as many wet diapers as days old for the first week of life. For example, if your baby is two days old, he should produce two wet diapers. Babies should have 1-2 black or dark green stools in the first and second day of life. After day three, babies should have three large soft seedy yellow stools. After reaching one month of age, the number of stools can decrease to approximately one to two per day.
- A breastfeeding mother’s breasts will begin to decrease their milk supply if the “demand” is lessening as well, so a decreasing supply likely means that baby is not drinking effectively.
- Your baby should seem satisfied after feeding.
- Baby should be gaining weight consistently.
If you still suspect that your baby is not receiving a sufficient amount of formula or breast milk, speak with your doctor or lactation consultant.
Did you know?
- Nursing babies eat more frequently than those being fed formula because breast milk is easier for babies to digest.
- Any formula left in a bottle after baby has finished eating must be thrown out to prevent the growth of bacteria and a breakdown of nutrients.
- It is common for a baby to lose some weight after birth (about 7% of their birth weight in the first three days after birth). From day four onward, your baby should be gaining 20 to 35g per day, regaining his or her birth weight by days 10-14.