How much milk does a breastfed baby drink? Are the quantities he suckles daily sufficient? For parents of a breastfed baby, these questions are both common and normal! After all, where the parents of a bottle-fed baby can know exactly what their little one is absorbing, the finding is much less obvious in the case of breastfeeding. And yet, there are simple ways to make sure your baby is drinking enough.
How much breast milk does a full-term baby drink?
Before trying to measure how much your baby is drinking, a quick review of daily milk intake is in order. In breastfed babies, as in bottle-fed babies, these nutritional needs evolve progressively (see table below). In particular, during the first few days of life, there are two important stages:
- On the third day, the milk comes in: the colostrum is replaced by breast milk, produced in greater quantities.
- On the 15th day of life, milk production reaches its “cruising rhythm”: the infant drinks the same quantity of milk (or almost) every day until he is 6 months old.
| Age | Quantity of milk per 24h | Amount of milk per feeding |
| J0 | Between 25 and 56ml | 6 ml |
| J1 | Between 113 and 185 ml | 12 ml |
| J2 | About 200ml | 22 to 27ml |
| D2-D3 (period of milk coming in) | About 400ml | 36 to 50ml |
| J4 | About 600ml | 50 to 75ml |
| D15 – 6 months | Between 750 and 800 ml | 66 to 100ml |
Please note: these figures are indicative and may vary depending on the baby. And for good reason: the amount of milk absorbed by a baby when breastfeeding can be as much as 1.3 liters of breast milk per day, especially for large babies (born at more than 4 kg).
Why doesn’t a breastfed baby need the same amounts of milk as a bottle-fed baby?
These quantities may seem very small to breastfeeding mothers, especially since a baby fed with artificial milk consumes a little more volume. For example, the recommended volume of formula for an infant during the first month is 90 ml per bottle, six bottles per day, then six 120 ml bottles the second month, etc.
How can this difference be explained? It’s all a question of composition, as Carole Hervé reminds us: “breast milk contains specific proteins that are not found in artificial milk and that regulate appetite through the secretion of two key hormones: leptin and ghrelin. This also explains why a breastfed baby absorbs 15 to 20% less milk than a baby receiving formula, for the same caloric intake!”
How do you know what a breastfed baby is really drinking?
Beyond this indicative quantity of milk that a baby should drink daily, it is often the actual quantity drunk by the baby that questions, even worries, parents. And for good reason: when you give the bottle, it is extremely easy to know how much milk your baby is drinking. The artificial milk is measured with a pod and any remains are observed.
A quantity that is difficult to quantify
For breastfed babies, it is impossible to know precisely. Especially since unlike the bottle, the amount of milk drunk at the breast varies during the day: “In the morning, the baby needs to be quenched much more after the night. The quantities of milk that he absorbs are therefore greater. Then, as the day progresses, the milk is enriched with tryptophans and certain proteins that will meet its needs. At the end of the day, the milk is more concentrated. There is less so less volume than in the morning, but it is richer” .
Trust each other
As complex as breastfeeding is, the lactation consultant wants to be reassuring: “ What matters is that the baby has the right amount of milk for the day. When the baby is fed artificial milk, it is easy to know: all the parents have to do is follow what ‘fits in’. When the baby is breastfed, we will rather observe… what comes out,” she continues.
How to observe your baby’s diaper?
The method may seem uninviting, even a bit complicated, but for Carole Hervé, it’s all a matter of calculation and habit: “If the baby has taken 800 ml of milk and this milk is made up of 80% water , there must be the equivalent of 600 grams of liquid in the layers of the day. We can simplify by assuming that after the age of one week, if you observe at least six heavy layers of urine and three abundant stools , the baby has had enough to drink” .
There remains the thorny question of an infant who does not frequently have a bowel movement… While it is generally accepted that a baby must have at least one bowel movement a day, exclusively breastfed babies are sometimes an exception to the rule. But here again, there is no need to worry untimely: “When the baby is more than 10 days old, is exclusively breastfed (no artificial milk, no pacifier), has a soft abdomen, he has gas, that he has no pathology and that he has no fever, that he continues to gain weight according to the standards of his age and sex (see for this the curves of the WHO), there is no reason to worry. As long as he has his six heavy diapers a day, that’s a sign he’s drinking the right amount of milk,
What if the baby has not had enough milk?
If the baby fills less than 6 nappies a day, is grumpy or wakes up in an unusual way, you have to act… Without this generating stress. The procedure: double the feedings for 48 to 72 hours. If this is not enough, it may be good to give a supplement of breast milk by expressing her milk.
How can you predict how much milk your baby will drink?
In some situations, the mother may need to assess the amount of milk to give her baby before taking it. This is particularly the case when she returns to work, when she wishes to continue giving her milk beyond her maternity leave. Again, just take the fold and do a little math. Thus, a baby who weighed 3.7 kilos at birth can drink, beyond 15 days of breastfeeding, about 1 liter (or 1000 ml) of breast milk per day.
The quantity to calculate
To know how much milk to take, just follow the rule of three:
(1000 ml / 24 h) x separation time (10 hours for example),
either 420 ml in 10 hours, or the quantity that will have to be taken out and left with the nanny or the crèche.
Trust your baby
However, it is also essential to take into account the particularity of each baby. Thus, some infants will prefer to drink less during the separation period and favor breastfeeding during the following hours. Carole Hervé’s motto: stay calm, as long as the baby is not more grumpy than usual and fills his diapers, or even puts on weight, everything is fine!
