Various Signs of a Baby Not Breastfeeding

If you are not breastfeeding, you will usually see signs that your baby is not getting enough breast milk. In fact, breast milk plays an important role in the growth and development of newborns.

However, certain conditions can cause your baby to not get enough milk.

A baby’s lack of breast milk can be caused by several things, such as a lack of breastfeeding duration, not being able to suckle for long, the baby can’t suck well, or the baby has a condition that makes it difficult to drink breast milk.

Various signs of a baby not breastfeeding

Citing Healthy Children, there are problems that usually arise in the breastfeeding process. Of course, this can interfere with milk production and the baby may not get his nutritional needs.

If it lasts so long, it never hurts to seek professional help to prevent fussy newborns from lack of milk intake.

Signs of a baby lacking breast milk must be watched out for because this condition can greatly affect their health and growth and development. The following are signs that your baby is not getting enough breast milk:

Baby’s weight doesn’t go up

In the first few days, babies can lose 5-7% of their birth weight. In fact, there are also cases of babies losing 10% of their birth weight. However, you don’t need to worry because this condition is still normal and is not a sign that the baby is not getting enough milk.

After experiencing a decrease, the baby’s weight is expected to increase at least 20-30 grams per day and return to its birth weight on days 10 to 14 after birth.

If on the fifth to sixth day the baby’s weight has not increased, this condition can be a sign that the baby is not breastfeeding enough. Parents should consult a doctor to avoid various potential problems that can occur.

Reduced number of dirty diapers

Signs or characteristics of a baby lacking breast milk can also be seen from the number of dirty diapers each day.

Infrequent or frequent baby defecate or pee can indeed be different for each baby.

Usually, the more milk consumed, the more often the diaper gets dirty.

Generally, babies will defecate 3-4 times a day when they are 4 days old. On the fifth day of life, a baby’s diaper will be wet 6-8 times per day.

One of the signs of a baby’s lack of breast milk is the reduced number of dirty diapers because the intensity of defecation and urination also leads. If this happens, you should consult a doctor to avoid the consequences and also get the right treatment.

Dehydrated

Parents need to be alert if the baby has signs of a severe lack of breast milk, because as a result the child can become dehydrated. Symptoms of dehydration that can occur in babies include:

The baby’s urine is dark in color.
Dry mouth.
Jaundice (yellow eyes and skin).
Lethargic and reluctant to breastfeed.
Fever.
Diarrhea.
Throw up.
Overheated.

If the baby is reluctant to breastfeed and is accompanied by the above signs of dehydration, immediately take them to the hospital for further treatment.

Baby looks lethargic

Always lethargic, not excited, and sleepy can also be a sign of a baby lacking breast milk. Usually, babies often fall asleep from the start of the feeding session, so that as a result they are not getting enough milk.

Experiencing certain conditions

Breast milk contains foremilk (lower fat) and hindmilk (higher fat). The baby’s weight and health condition depend on the volume of milk he consumes.

However, there are some signs that can be seen if the baby lacks hindmilk intake, such as: