Hi everyone my name is ilao I'm a registered Midwife and childbirth education instructor I practice Midwifery in a large Urban setting in Canada and I'm the mom to two lovely children I love teaching families about prenatal pregnancy birth and postpartum care and in today's video I'm going to chat with you about baby's feeding pattern how to tell if baby's getting enough milk and when to tell if baby is full let's get started let's have a chat about ond demand feeding research shows that in the first week of Life efficient frequent feeds can dramatically increase milk supply and really get that relationship off to a good start remember our feeding relationship ship is demand Supply the more the baby is feeding and asking for food the more your body will make some babies are very efficient feeders and can finish a meal in 5 minutes some other babies take a little bit longer they graze or they snack but babies in general at the stage will not fit to a rigid schedule so trying to get them into a schedule or pattern is really frustrating for both you and baby ideally watch your baby's hunger cues and signs and feed according to your baby and not the clock so how do we know when baby is full babies are just like us so if you think about your appetite throughout the day and how it changes babies can be very similar sometimes they'll just want a light snack other times they'll want the entree the appetizer the dessert and the cheese plate every baby's a little bit different but trust that most babies know when they're hungry and when they're full babies can show you signs that they're getting full towards the end of a feed at the start of a feed or when a baby's hungry their body is quite tense hands can be up close to the face and their arms look like little chicken wings they start to fill and their tummies get full those hands open they become soft and relaxed the arms drop down and if you pick them up they're kind of floppy like noodles in your chicken noodle soup babies may also unlatch themselves start to fall asleep or slow their sucking when they've had enough for the feed new parents often wonder how they know if baby's getting enough milk here are a few things to look out for when babies are feeding well they are calm and content at the breast they are sucking and swallowing vigorously and they have really good output so if you see a lot of wet and dirty diapers you know if it's coming out it's going in babies will also start to gain weight they feel heavier they start to fill out their clothes a little bit better and they also settle well after feeds not necessarily sleeping through the night at this stage but settling down and sleeping a little while after their feeds if you're at all concerned or unsure ask yourself the following questions how frequently is my baby feeding throughout the day on average we're looking at every 2 to 3 hours so a minimum of about 8 feeds in a 24-hour period remember to take a look at that output have their wet and dirty diapers decrease significantly is baby quite fussy at the breast do you feel unwell like the milk is not being transferred from the breast to baby's tummy and there's quite a bit left behind is baby unable to settle after feeds or is breastfeeding quite painful for you those are other signs that the transfer of milk may not be so efficient and baby is not latching well and feeding well so remember to have a look at babies sucking and swallowing and you want to see frequent big swallows and gulps of milk as that baby moves the milk from your breast into the tummy and again if you are feeling generally well overall you can be fairly reassured that that feeding is going well but baby and mom come together as a team so if you're not feeling well or you're concerned that your baby is not feeding well it's always a good idea to reach out to your health care provider they're there to help let's take a minute to talk more in depth about baby's output in that first week of life you're going to be very tired and waking up frequently to feed baby so it can be really helpful to mark down wet and dirty diapers in a notebook on your calendar maybe on an app in your phone and keep track of them so when your healthc care provider asks you pull up that information at a moment's notice we can expect to see at least one wet diaper in that first 24-hour period in the next few days approximately three wet diapers and then by the end of that first week at least six or more heavy wet diapers every day wet diapers at first can be a little hard to tell most commercial diapers will have a line down the front a yellow line that turns blue or green if there's urine present and with those first few P's the volume is very very small and it can be hard just opening the diaper to tell if there's a PE inside because they're so absorbent if you're using cloth diapers you can consider plac a small square of toilet paper at the front of the diaper and it will be wet even with a small quantity of urine with 30 diapers in the first couple of days we expect to see one to two sticky black T poos called muonium or baby's first output as the week progresses it eventually transitions to mustard colored yellow maybe a little orangey seedy quite runny stool and every baby's a little bit different so after that first week or two when feeding is well established babies settle into their own poop routine some babies poop six times a day some babies poop every few days whatever becomes normal and routine for your baby if you're seeing a lot of good output lots of wet and dirty diapers and it matches up with the expected output then you can be reasonably certain that baby is getting enough to eat and is satisfied and thriving as long as their stool is soft they don't appear to be in any discomfort and continue to feed well bowel movements every few days isn't typically something we worry about here are a few things you can do if you're concerned about having a low milk supply so first things first remember our breastfeeding relationship is always demand Supply the more frequently baby is at the breast eating or there's stimulation at the breast to remove the milk the more our bodies will make having baby skin to skin is also very helpful or having baby in a sling or Carrier this helps stimulate the release of ox oxytocin and prolactin to very very important hormones in the production of milk beware of certain supplements if you have any questions at all about the safety of certain supplements be sure to ask your health care provider if you're finding the feedings a little uncomfortable or concerned about the latch make sure you check out our video number two on perfecting that ideal optimal latch and go back to BAS Basics you can always check in with a board certified lactation consultant to assist with latching or with pumping or any other things you might need help with and remember it takes a few weeks to get the hang of things so be gentle with yourselves give yourself the time to learn this new skill you're important too and you can't pour from An Empty Glass so take care of yourselves so you can take care of your babies that brings us to the end of this video be sure to check out the other videos in this series and hopefully you have some new information to take home with you take care and we'll see you next time