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Breastfeeding 101

Five signs your baby is getting enough to eat.

A common concern among new breastfeeding moms is that they aren’t producing enough milk for baby. Most moms shouldn’t worry; they provide all the milk their babies need. But here are signs your little bundle of joy is getting enough nourishment:

—Your breasts feel softer after you nurse. Your baby has emptied some of the milk that was making them firm.

—Your baby seems relaxed and satisfied after feeding.

—Your baby is gaining weight. In the first month, she should gain 5 to 10 ounces a week; in months two and three, she should gain 5 to 8 ounces a week. From months four to six, she should gain between 2.5 and 4.5 ounces a week; and from seven to 12 months, she should gain 1 to 3 ounces a week.

In the first few days, when your baby is getting colostrum, he may have only one or two wet diapers a day. After your milk comes in, he will wet six to eight cloth diapers a day or five or six disposables, which hold more liquid than cloth diapers.

During the first month, your baby has at least three stools a day. These will lighten to a mustard color by the fifth day after birth. Bowel movements may become less frequent once she’s a month old. Don’t panic if she occasionally skips a day; this is normal for breastfed babies. Once you introduce her to solid foods, at about six months, she’ll go back to having at least one bowel movement a day.

Read more about breastfeeding at BlackHealthMatters.Com.

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(Photo: KidStock/Getty Images)

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