Breastfeeding may be the most natural thing in the world, but learning to gauge if your little one's getting enough is certainly anything but instinctual. Because breastmilk doesn't come marked in fluid ounces (unlike bottle-feeding), new mums are often clueless if their babies are getting enough. Don't panic. There are some clear signs to show how well your baby's feeding:
Feeding Clues
Check for these signs while your baby's feeding and after feeds.
Your baby pauses between sucking
When your baby is getting good amounts of milk at the breast, he sucks in a very characteristic way: "You will see a pause at the point of his chin after he opens to the maximum and before he closes his mouth, " explains Dr. Jack Newman, a Toronto pediatrician and author of The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers. "The pause that is visible at the baby's chin represents a mouthful of milk," adds Newman, "the longer the pause, the more the baby got. Once you know about the pause you can cut through so much of the nonsense breastfeeding mothers are being told — like feed the baby twenty minutes on each side".
Your baby shows signs he's had enough
When you take your baby off the breast, he should be quite content and not interested in sucking any more. If he's unsettled, or he's trying to suck on his fingers, then he may still be hungry. In this case, try offering him the other breast and see if he takes it.
