Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk

in the early days and weeks

Because you cannot measure how much breastmilk your baby is getting, counting diapers is one way to know he's getting enough in the early days and weeks. As a rule of thumb you are looking for 1-2 diapers on Day 1, 2-3 diapers on Day 2, 3-4 diapers on Day 3 and so on. Once your mature milk has come in (anywhere from 2-5 days usually) your baby should be having AT LEAST 5-6 wet disposable diapers and 2-5 or more stools per 24 hours. If you are using disposable diapers and cannot tell if they are wet, tear off the top layer to be able to see. AT LEAST one of the stools should take 2 or more diaper wipes to clean up. Baby should be the one to end the feeding, not mom watching the clock, and should appear satisfied and content.

Around 6 weeks baby's stooling pattern CAN change from multiple stools per day to one every several days. As long as the stool is soft, it is probably the normal pattern for your baby

When a baby is born its stomach is the size of a golf ball and because ALL of the nutrients in breastmilk are used by the baby, he should be eating 8-12 times in a 24 hour period. As he gets older he will become more efficient at breastfeeding and might be able to go longer periods between feedings.

Because a baby is able to use all the nutrients is breastmilk, the stools are very loose and seedy, ranging in color from mustard yellow to brownish green and all the shades in between. They have a yeasty type odor.

*Do I have to eat a special diet if I breastfeed? Is it true that some foods and drinks can make my baby fussy?

When a mom breastfeeds, she usually doesn't need to cut ANY foods from her diet. If there are foods that that don't agree with mom, but she is eating to make sure she has a nutritious diet, they might not agree with baby either. Foods that mom eats get to her milk within 24 hours, so if baby is unusually fussy one day, look back on what was eaten the day before to see if mom ate something she hadn't had before. Then mom might want to be real observant when she has the food again to see if baby reacts the same way. If baby is fussy again, mom might want to cut the food out for several months before trying it again. In general, moderation is the key with any food. Eating 5 pieces of chocolate cake might make a baby fussy, but one piece doesn't affect him at all.

Breastfeeding should NOT hurt. If it is painful for mom, something is not right and you should seek help from a Lactation Consultant as soon as possible. A little bit of nipple tenderness sometimes occurs in the early days while mom and baby are learning how to work together, but it should not progress beyond tenderness. A few drops of expressed breastmilk or a tiny amount of purified lanolin will help heal the tenderness as mom and baby get in sync.

Most medications are OK for a breastfeeding mother to take. The book Medications and Mother's Milk by Dr. Thomas Hale, RPh, DPh is a reference used by many Lactation Consultants when a mother or her doctor has a question about the safety of a specific medication. Always check, if there is any question about a medication; there are many alternatives available. While one medication may not be the best while you are breastfeeding, there may be another just as easily available that will solve your problem and not interfere with breastfeeding.

taken from Medications and Mothers' Milk, 2006 by Thomas Hale R.Ph, PhD

Significant amounts of alcohol are secreted into breastmilk, although it is not considered harmful to the infant if the amount and duration are limited. The absolute amount of alcohol transferred into milk is generally low.

Approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics for use in breastfeeding mothers.

taken from Breastfeeding and Human Lactation by Jan Riordan and Kathleen Auerbach, p. 147

Alcohol affects the central nervous system of both the breastfeeding mother and infant. When taken in sufficient quantity it can potentially inhibit milk ejection. The effects of alcohol on the breastfeeding baby appear to be directly related to the quantity that the mother ingests. When the lactating woman drinks lightly, the amount of alcohol the baby receives is commonly thought not to be harmful but may have a mildly sedative effect. While "social" drinking is usually not considered a problem for breastfeeding women, a troubling study by Little et al. (1989) showed that the motor development of breastfed infants may be slower when the mother drinks alcohol. This decline in motor skills was related to how much the mother drank, even after more than 100 variables were controlled, including smoking and general drug use. Mental development was not affected.

Alcohol intake in any amount does pass into the milk. If mom has a drink, the alcohol is diluted by the time it gets to her bloodstream, it is diluted more when it is made into breastmilk, and then the baby's organs can filter out and excrete the alcohol after drinking the milk. Moderation is the key. A glass of wine with dinner or a beer in the evening once in a while is OK.