In general, your baby will settle after the breastfeeding if he/she is full. There may be exceptions but if your baby is not a very gassy and uneasy, he will easily and comfortably fall asleep when he is full.
If your baby is passing enough urine and stool, this means he is getting enough breast milk. Your baby should have at least five to six wet nappies every 24 hours. The number of stools varies. During the first months babies usually poop 7-8 times a day and then this drops to 1-2 times a day. Therefore urine is a better indicator than stool to understand whether your baby is getting enough breast milk, However babies that are getting enough breast-milk in the first 1 month generally poop minimum 5-6 times a day.
Doctors evaluates whether your baby is getting enough milk (meaning developing well) is through the weight gain.
In the first 6 months, it is normal for your baby to gain 150-250 gr per week. However weight gain is closely associated with genetic potential. It is both normal for a baby to gain 600 grams or 1,200 grams a month. You should not be obsessed with standard 1 kg weight gain and start considering (if not recommended by the doctor) giving formula to your baby when he gains only 800 grams in their first month. It’s ok if there is excessive weight gain with breast-milk because as the baby turns 1 and starts walking, he will easily lose weight. (Unless obesity is genetic in the family) You should not breast-feed your baby less with the fear of weight-gain.
Height growth is also an indicator of adequate nutrition. In the first 6 month, the baby's height should increase 8 cm in 3 months, and in the second 6 months, the increase in length should be 4 cm in 3 months.
The head circumference increases in average 1 cm per month and 12 centimeters in one year.
If the head circumference of your baby is increasing very rapidly, this may be associated with a health problem not related with nutrition. In such a case intracranial monitoring like ultrasound may be considered. However extreme increase in head circumference cannot be associated with nutrition. If the head circumference does not increase, this may be related to the development of intracranial bones and joint disorders.
None of the figures mentioned here are definite since every single baby has a unique growth potential. There may be babies whose parents are petite or babies that genetically don't grow up fast. Height and weight should be assessed together. We should not expect a short baby to gain 1200 grams a month. We should not decide about the progress of growth based on a single measurement. Your doctor who regularly follows your baby’s growth would make the best evaluation.
Is my baby getting enough breast milk?
Dr. Anıl Yeşildal explains whether breastfed babies are getting enough milk, whether the milk they are getting is enough for their healthy development...