5 Signs Your Baby is Not Getting Enough Breast Milk

A mother's struggle is indeed endless. After carrying a child for nine months and giving birth, a mother still has to fight to breastfeed her baby. Breastfeeding may seem very easy. However, if experienced firsthand, breastfeeding requires strong determination from a mother. Many mothers eventually give up breastfeeding their children due to a lack of support from their surroundings. The belief that breast milk is insufficient for the little one always haunts during the early stages of breastfeeding.

For a mother to know whether her baby’s breast milk needs are met or not, it can be seen from the signs of insufficient breast milk. If your baby does not show the following signs of insufficient breast milk, then breastfeed with confidence.

Yellow Urine

Direct breastfeeding cannot show how much breast milk is consumed. But you can see it from the color of the baby’s urine. If the breast milk is sufficient, the urine color of the baby will be clear. If the urine is bright yellow, it means the little one is still meeting their drinking needs. However, it needs to be increased again.

Be cautious if the urine is brownish yellow or even appears reddish. This indicates that the little one is experiencing dehydration and needs to drink sufficient breast milk immediately.

Frequency of Urination Less Than 5 Times

Normally, a newborn urinates more than five times a day. If the little one is using disposable diapers, you can check the diaper every two hours. Whether it is full or not.

If the frequency of urination is less than five times, you can immediately provide breast milk more frequently before experiencing more severe signs of insufficient breast milk.

Looks Weak and Rarely Cries

A baby whose breast milk needs are met will be active when awake. Whether moving their head or arms and legs. When crying, their voice will be loud.

But in babies who are dehydrated, their movements will appear weak and they will rarely cry. In more serious conditions, the baby may not even be able to cry because they are too weak.

Skin Appears Dry

Just like adults, if fluid needs are met, the skin will not be dry. In babies experiencing dehydration, the skin around the lips will appear dry and even peel.

This sign of insufficient breast milk will appear if the baby is lacking fluids for days. If this sign appears, it means the level of dehydration has started to become severe.

Weight Does Not Increase

In the first week after birth, a baby's weight can decrease due to the baby expelling various wastes from their body. As long as the weight loss is not more than thirty percent of the birth weight, this is not a problem. The recommended weight gain for a baby in the first month is at least six hundred grams. Or about two hundred grams each week.

If the baby shows any signs of insufficient breast milk, it is advisable to increase the frequency of breastfeeding. Provide breast milk every two hours. If the little one is still not awake, you can gently wake them up to continue breastfeeding. Do not let the baby sleep too long, as it can lead to acute dehydration that endangers the little one.

You can also record the times of breastfeeding for better monitoring. Don’t forget to breastfeed the baby for at least 20 minutes to ensure that the breast milk obtained meets the baby's needs. You can also practice ways to help the baby feel full quickly while breastfeeding.

A sign that the baby is full from breast milk is that the baby spits up. If the baby often spits up, you can use this method of burping the baby to avoid spitting up.

Those are 5 signs of insufficient breast milk that you can check in your baby. If there is one sign in your baby, immediately increase the frequency of breastfeeding.

Author: Iskael