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Is my baby getting enough – a big question that I get asked at almost every consult! You are not alone! It’s normal to wonder if your baby is getting enough!

After all there is no gauge on your breast and you can’t always feel when your breast is drained.

The great news is I can show you how to confidently know your baby is getting enough milk very easily!  And the rule is, what goes in must come out!  

So lets talk about poo and wee!

What Goes In Must Come Out!

To answer the question, “Is my baby getting enough?” We need to talk a little about POO and WEE!  Simple, your baby’s poo and wee will give you all the answers!

You don’t have to see your breast milk to know that your baby is getting enough! It’s all about what to expect in the nappy!

So what do you need to see in your baby’s nappy? Let’s check this out!

The Facts!

Once you know what to expect with poo and wee you can count your baby’s nappies and RELAX!

So what I’ve done is created a table that you can keep handy all the way to 6 weeks. Check it out here.

You can see that the chart breaks down the first week clearly. This is because there is so much change!  Also, it is a big learning phase for you, it is where you start to TRUST your breasts and your milk supply.

So forget about what you ‘think’ your baby is getting, just follow the table and KNOW that your baby is getting enough!

This table not only reassures you that your baby is getting enough. It also confirms that your milk is coming in!

Poo this colour means your milk HAS to be IN!

You see, if the wee increases and the poo changes colour it means your baby IS drinking more.

Most mothers don’t actually know when their milk has come in.  But seeing the poo and wee change in line with the table above confirms it! Your Milk Is In!

Now you know the facts lets delve a little further into the nitty gritty. Particularly the size of your baby’s poo. It means a lot!

Poo Size Does Matter!

After the first week or after your baby has graduated to YELLOW poo; it is time to look at the size of each poo.  Let me explain……

A baby over 5 days will poo around 3 times per day. In the chart above I have put 1+ per day.  But we need to allow for variations of normal!

Remember I am talking about after the first week when poo is yellow! One poo per day is normal IF it is BIG!  A big poo fills the bottom of the nappy and is creeping up the back of the nappy and spilling out the sides! BEAUTIFUL!

If you have a baby that has dainty poo’s, I mean small, like a little squirt.  Then you will see lots of them, more than 3!  Below is a break down:

The amount of poo = the time between poo
Long time = large poo
Short time = small poo

So you are counting the nappies as well as the amount of each poo.

If you seem to be changing a poo each nappy then this is heaps! If the poo’s are spaced apart, expect to be cleaning a biggie! A poo that needs two people to clean up!

Now you’ve got the normal, what if your baby is not meeting this guide?  Don’t worry, I can help you.  In fact I have all the SOLUTIONS below:

What If My Baby Is Not Meeting The Guide?

If your baby is doing more than this chart that’s ok. But if your baby is doing less?  Don’t worry!  I can help you.

Firstly, I need to ask you a few questions about your baby’s feeds and sleeping habits to help you get the right amount of poo and wee.

Remember what goes in comes out. So not enough feeds in a day (or too much sleep) will decrease the poo and wee.

Step #1 Check If Baby Is Oversleeping

I know it’s a bit surprising, because generally speaking you don’t want to wake up a sleeping baby. However, there are times where you should not let your baby oversleep.

I’ll explain.

If your baby is sleeping too long, they are not breastfeeding enough. And by not feeding enough, they actually start having less and less energy and their poo and wee will decrease.

When a baby under 6 weeks that’s not taking enough milk becomes too tired to feed, they just keep sleeping. This means not enough poo and wee.

So how do you tell if your baby is sleeping “the right” number of hours, or sleeping too long?

Ask yourself two questions:

1. Is your baby sleeping for more than 6 hours straight in a 24 hour period?
2. Is your baby having six or less breastfeeds in a 24 hour period?

If you’ve answered “yes” to one (or both) of these questions, it’s time to wake your baby. Don’t worry – it’s for their own good because they need more feeds!

This will not just get your baby back on track with poo and wee, it will also help fix their sleeping routine because they won’t be so tired all the time.

So until your baby is 6 weeks old, I recommend you follow these four simple rules until your poo and wee issues have turned around!:

1. During the day, wake your baby up every 3 hours
2. Allow 4-6 hours sleep at night.
3. Remember only one big sleep (6 hours maximum) each 24 hours.
4. Fit 7-8 breastfeeds in a 24 hour period.

Again, only follow these rules until your poo and wee issues have turned around! (Usually it only takes a week or two!)

Some mothers with low poo and wee may also have weight issues. If this is you, head over to my blog on slow weight gain. You will be totally on track before you know it!

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: If you can’t wake your baby up to feed – then it is time to get some help from your Doctor. DO NOT DEALY. Get your bub checked out today!

Step #2 Check If Baby Is Falling Asleep At The Breast

Falling asleep at the breast is a normal behaviour for a newborn! The thing is, it’s out of your control.

If bub is falling asleep at the breast, it means there is less milk going in. Leading to less poo and wee.

I have a great plan to help with this! It is over at my blog called Managing a Feed From Day 1. This will explain how to take advantage of your baby’s limited energy and take heaps more milk in at each feed.

Heaps more milk means heaps more poo and wee! By following the feed plan you will see that poo and wee will increase. FIXED!

Step #3 Does Your Baby Have Jaundice or Yellow Skin

Firstly, you need to see your doctor if you suspect that your baby’s skin is yellow, this could be jaundice.

Jaundice is normal in healthy newborns and lasts for a few days. BUT can get quite serious if left untreated, hence a visit to your doctor.

Jaundice or yellow skin can make your baby tired. You see, your baby is trying to get rid of the jaundice (via their poo and wee) and uses lots of energy to do this.

Lots of energy on this task means less energy for breastfeeding. Less breastfeeding means less poo and wee.

So the plan to help your baby overcome jaundice is to feed more. But what you need to do is wake your baby for feeds. Just follow these points:

1. During the day, wake your baby up every 3 hours (unless you baby wakes earlier).
2. Allow 4 hours sleep at night.
3. Fit 8 or more breastfeeds in a 24 hour period.

You can also follow my breastfeeding plan to get back on track with poo and wee here.

So now lets bring it together!

Bringing it together

What goes in comes out! If you just remember this, and always refer back to the poo and wee chart you can answer the question…………..”Is my baby getting enough?”

THE GOAL – you need to see a yellow poo every day for babies 2-6 weeks. If you don’t, DON’T PANIC, just feed your baby more by waking them and keep counting the nappies.

If you need more information about how your baby is feeding at the breast then head on over to my latching blog, 7 Steps to Latching Success, this will give you more knowledge to build your confidence!

You can also contact me to have a chat about your particular situation on 0414403208 or head to my services page.

Now have fun counting nappies and watch your confidence soar!