How much milk does baby need?
Chart extracted from Medela website.
How much milk does a baby need?
Do not worry if you do not see much milk at the start, baby only need a small sip of milk only.
Do not hurry to start pumping. Enjoy the bonding with your baby for now and only start once you are almost time to back to work.
Baby appetite is very very small where Day 1 & 2, baby only need 1 - 1.5tsp.
Day 3 to Day 6, baby need about 0.75 - 1oz milk.
After One week, baby need about 1.5 to 2 oz.
After 2 weeks, baby need about 2.5 to 5oz.
How often should be the feeding?
I would recommend to feed baby every 3 hours. If baby doesn't wake up, try waking the baby up to just latch on it. Each latching try to make it 15-30mins for the start to stimulate milk.
This is also to make a routine for the baby to only ask for milk every 3 hours and not every 1 or 2 hours. These will wean out a mummy.
Mummy could also plan their timing for others activity.
How much milk will your body produce?
Milk produced depends on how much baby needs. The more baby suck, it will tell your body that baby need more. It will produce more eventually.
Remember, over stimulate will lead to breast engorge and then fever. Prepare some cabbage to cool down your engorgement. Ask baby to suck and sooth down the engorgement. If baby do not want to suck, then you have to use hand express. If you feel harden on your breast, use hot cloth to soften it and express it out.
You can also get help from Singapore Breast Feeding Support Group: http://breastfeeding.org.sg
There is also many support group on Facebook. Join them and you and get more opinions.
First time mummy is also encourage to attend breastfeeding class and delivery class. Breastfeeding class will teach you how to hold the baby and how baby should suck. Delivery class will teach you how to do breathing during labor.
Usually all these classes will come with a lot free goodies that it will tick partial of your checklist items without purchasing it.
