Helpful Tools

Checklist for Success

The following questions are designed to help you know whether you and your baby are off to a good start with breastfeeding. Review them when your baby is 5 to 7 days old. If you answer "No" to any questions, please call 817-250-BABY (817-250-2229).

1. Do you feel breastfeeding is going well at this time?
2. Have you noticed an increase in your milk supply or a fullness in your breast?
3. Is your baby able to latch on to your breasts with the baby's mouth covering all of your nipple and some of the darker area?
4. Does your baby swallow for at least 5 minutes at each breast?
5. Does your baby let you know when he/she is hungry? (Answer no if you have to wake your baby for most feedings.)
6. Does your baby usually nurse from both breasts at each feeding?
7. Does your baby nurse about every 2 to 3 hours, with no more than one long sleep interval of up to 5 hours? (At least 8 nursings each 24 hours).
8. Do your breasts feel full before feedings?
9. Do your breasts feel softer after feedings?
10. Are your nipples so sore that you dread breastfeeding your baby?
11. Is your baby having bowel movements that are soft and mustard-yellow and resemble cottage cheese?
12. Is your baby having at least 4 bowel movements each day that are more than a "stain" on the diaper?
13. When you notice a wet diaper, is it pale yellow or clear?
14. Does your baby seem to be hungry after most feedings? (Is the baby fussy, sucking hands, vigorously sucking a pacifier after most feedings?)
15. Do you have any sore, tender spots on your breasts that are hard or red?

Adapted by The Breastfeeding Resource Center, Mercy Health Center, Oklahoma City, from materials originally developed by The Lactation Program, Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center, Denver, Colo.

Breast Feeding Basics
Birth Day

• Ask for help getting baby latched on; please turn on your nurse call light if you need assistance.
• Right from the start, the baby gets colostrum (the first milk). Breastfeed the baby immediately after delivery, even at night. There is often a time shortly after birth where the baby is exceptionally alert and ready to feed. Please feed the baby every two to three hours or more often if baby is eager. You may need to awaken him or her. Gently unwrap and feed "skin to skin" whenever possible. Expect the baby to pass urine and meconium (black, tarry stool) by 24 hours of age.

Days 1-4

• Do not offer milk, water or formula unless medically necessary.
• Baby continues to get colostrum (the early milk) from the breast and this will gradually change to mature milk. Continue to feed every two to three hours (minimum of eight times in 24 hours). Expect that the baby will become much more eager about wanting to eat during this time. Often, just before the mature milk comes in, babies may go through a "marathon feeding frenzy." Nurse the baby through this and do not supplement your breast milk. Expect one wet diaper for every day of age until your milk is in and two to 10 meconium stools every 24 hours. Your baby may lose 7 percent to 10 percent of her birth weight as the extra fluid in her body that mother nature provided is absorbed.

Day 5 to two weeks

• As your milk comes in, feeding patterns sometimes change. A baby that had been latching easily may have trouble now that the breast is fuller. Try warm, moist heat to your breasts and hand expression of milk before feeding. Your baby's bowel movements should be turning mustard yellow. Your baby should be weighed at four to five days, then again at one to two weeks. Your baby should be back to birth weight at that time. Feed as often as your baby wishes. Anywhere from eight to 12 feedings in 24 hours is normal and babies routinely feed from 10 to 30 minutes per breast. You should be able to hear the baby swallowing the milk.

Weeks 2-4

• Many babies begin to exhibit "evening fussiness" by now and may cluster many small feedings close together during this time. Your baby should be gaining 1/2 ounce to 1 1/2 ounces per day. Eight to 12 feedings a day, two to 10 bowel movements a day and six to eight wet diapers a day continue to be normal. Gassiness is common and not a problem for most babies. Babies at this age like to be held closely, rocked and carried in front packs. Some babies sleep uninterrupted for four to five hours at a stretch. Many continue to eat at frequent intervals throughout the day and night.

 Weeks 6-12

• By this time, many babies are starting to settle into a more predictable routine. Many will not be sleeping through the night (five hours). Your breasts may not leak as much and may feel softer most of the time. Your baby's wet diapers will increase and bowel movements will slow, often to once a day or even once a week or longer.

Used with permission from Evergreen Hospital Medical Center-Breastfeeding Center

Daily Record for Breastfeeding Mothers

(Follow this link for a printable version)

Directions: Every day, circle the appropriate time to the nearest hour that you started breastfeeding. Also mark off the first four bowel movements and the first eight wet diapers that your baby has during each 24-hour period. Indications that your baby is getting enough to eat are: Breastfeeding at least eight to 10 times daily, you hear your baby swallowing, your baby is having at least one wet diaper per day of life (i.e. three days = three wet diapers) and daily bowel movements. By day six, your baby should have six or more wet diapers and two or more bowel movements in 24 hours. Bowel movements are the best indication that your baby is getting enough to eat.

If you need help, call 817-250-BABY (817-250-2229)