Every mother wants to provide the best nutrition for her baby. One of the ways you can do this is by breastfeeding or giving breast milk to your little one.
Breast milk is essential for the optimal growth and development of babies. I'm sure you already know the numerous benefits that breast milk provides to your little one when you breastfeed, right?
It is crucial to understand the benefits of breast milk for your baby. Think of it as a boost of motivation for you to persevere in providing exclusive breastfeeding for your baby's health.
Benefits of Breast Milk for Newborns
Well, here are some reasons why you should provide breast milk to your little one. Let's take a look!
Breast milk provides the best nutrition for newborns. Its content of vitamins, proteins, and fats is specifically designed to support healthy growth.
Breast milk contains antibodies that help newborns fight off viral and bacterial infections.
Babies who are breastfed have a lower risk of developing asthma or allergies.
Exclusive breastfeeding without the addition of formula milk reduces the risk of ear infections, respiratory problems, and diarrhea.
Breastfeeding is also associated with higher intelligence in children.
The bond between your baby and you becomes stronger during breastfeeding. This is because there is intense skin-to-skin contact between you and your baby.
Breastfed babies tend to have an ideal weight and are less likely to be overweight.
The risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes, and certain types of cancer is reduced when babies are breastfed.
Wow, there are so many benefits of breastfeeding for your little one, right? It must give you even more motivation to continue breastfeeding. Next, it's important to know how much breast milk a newborn baby needs to ensure their needs are met.
How Much Breast Milk Does a Newborn Baby Need?
However, it's undeniable that breastfeeding can come with its challenges. Every mother faces various breastfeeding difficulties that can make them anxious and confused about providing breast milk for their little ones.
One of the most common concerns among breastfeeding mothers is worrying if their baby is getting enough breast milk. So, how much breast milk does a newborn baby actually need?
When breastfeeding directly, it may be difficult to measure the exact amount of milk consumed by the baby during each feeding. It's a different story when you're expressing breast milk (using a breast pump) for your baby when you have to go to work or be away for a while.
It's important for you to understand the baby's breast milk needs to ensure they are not overfed. So, let's learn a bit about how to calculate the baby's breast milk needs. Keep reading to find out the explanation.
Calculating the breast milk needs of a newborn baby according to their weight is actually very important. This is to ensure that your little one receives an adequate amount of breast milk, neither too much nor too little, so that their nutritional needs are met.
Here's how you can calculate the breast milk needs of your newborn baby based on their weight:
Convert the baby's weight to ounces First, you can convert the weight of your baby to ounces. 1 kilogram is equal to 35.274 ounces. To make it easier, you can use online converters that are widely available. For example, if your baby's weight is 3.74 kg, when converted, it would be 132 ounces.
Divide by 6 Once you have the baby's weight in ounces, you can divide it by 6. The result will indicate how many ounces of breast milk the baby needs in a day. So, if the baby's weight is 132 ounces, divide that number by 6 (132/6), and the result is 22. This means that the baby should be given approximately 22 ounces of breast milk in a day.
Divide by 8 The final step is to divide the total ounces of breast milk needed by the baby in a day by the frequency of feedings in a day. Newborn babies usually feed every 3 hours, which is about 8 times a day. So, you can divide 22 by 8. The result is 2.75 ounces. If your baby's bottle uses milliliter measurements, you can convert it directly. 1 ounce is equal to 30 ml. That means the breast milk needs of a newborn baby weighing 3.74 kg per feeding is approximately 2.75 ounces or 82.5 ml. You can give a slightly larger amount, for example, 3 ounces or 90 milliliters, for easier measurement.
Baby Age | Baby Needs Every Feed |
1 day (0-24 hours) | 7 ml (about 1 teaspoon) |
2 days (24-48 hours) | 14 ml (less than 3 teaspoons) |
3 days (48-72 hours) | 38 ml |
4 days (72-96 hours) | 58 ml |
7 days (144-168 hours) | 65 ml |