It can be hard to know how much milk your baby is taking, especially when you’re breastfeeding and can’t measure each feed. Instead of relying on one sign, look at the overall picture: how your baby feeds, their nappies, and their growth over time. These clues change as your newborn grows, so your midwife or child health nurse can help you interpret them. Here’s what to watch for and when to reach out.
Notice how feeds are going
In the early weeks, newborns usually feed often, including overnight. Some feeds are brief and others take longer. Look for active feeding: after your baby latches, you may see or hear swallowing, with pauses as they drink. Your baby may release the breast or appear relaxed after a feed, though wanting to feed again soon can also be normal.
Pay attention to comfort as well as frequency. Feeding should not cause ongoing pain, and your baby should be able to latch and stay attached for at least part of the feed. Clicking sounds, repeated slipping off, or a baby who is too sleepy to feed effectively can be reasons to get the latch and feeding assessed. A single difficult feed does not tell the whole story.
Check nappies for clues
Nappy output offers useful clues, but expectations change during the first days. On day one, a newborn may have at least one wet nappy; the number generally increases each day. By about day five, many babies have around six or more wet nappies in 24 hours. Ask your care team what to expect for your baby, especially if they were born early or have health concerns.
Your baby’s first stools are dark and sticky, then usually become lighter and looser as milk intake increases. After the first few days, stools are often yellow in breastfed babies, though patterns vary. Keep a simple record of wet and dirty nappies if you’re unsure. Contact a health professional if output is lower than expected, urine looks unusually dark, or you see persistent brick-red staining after the early newborn days.
Follow weight over time
Babies commonly lose some weight in the first days after birth, then begin gaining as feeding becomes established. What matters is the pattern across repeated checks, not a single number. Your midwife, GP, or child health nurse can weigh your baby and plot the result on a growth chart, taking age and individual circumstances into account.
Attend recommended weight checks and bring any feeding or nappy notes. If weight is not increasing as expected, your care team can assess feeding, your baby’s health, and whether a feeding plan or additional follow-up is needed. Don’t start supplements or change a feeding plan based only on a growth-chart reading without discussing it with a qualified health professional.
Know when to get help
Seek prompt advice if your baby is difficult to wake for feeds, feeds weakly, has fewer wet nappies than expected, or is not gaining weight as advised. Contact your GP, midwife, child health nurse, or lactation professional to discuss what you’re seeing. If your baby seems seriously unwell, is unusually floppy, or has trouble breathing, seek urgent medical care.
You can also ask for help before a problem feels urgent. Painful feeds, concerns about latch, uncertainty about milk supply, or feeling overwhelmed are all valid reasons to talk with someone experienced in infant feeding. Canberra Milk & Bloom offers lactation support from midwives in Canberra; your usual maternity or child health service can also guide you to appropriate care.
Feeding behavior, nappy changes, and weight trends work best as a set of clues—not a test you have to solve alone. Keep notes if they help, attend recommended checks, and trust your concerns enough to ask for advice. If you’re unsure about your baby’s intake, contact your midwife, GP, child health nurse, or lactation professional for support.