How much breast milk is enough for babies?

My baby has not started eating solid food yet and is exclusively breastfed. How much breast milk does he need per feeding to be enough and healthy? (Kim Ngan, Ho Chi Minh City)

Reply:

The milk needs of children under 6 months of age vary greatly, increasing or decreasing depending on the age of the month or the needs of each child. Since you did not provide the specific age of your child, you can refer to the general information below.

On the first day after birth, the baby's stomach is very small, about the size of a pea or a marble, and can only accommodate 5-7 ml of milk (about 1-2 teaspoons). From the second to the seventh day after birth, the amount of milk can gradually increase to 15 ml per feeding. From the seventh to the fourteenth day, the baby can supplement 15-30 ml at a time. From the fourteenth to the twenty-eighth day after birth, the baby needs about 30 ml of milk at a time.

At 1-2 months old, the baby's stomach has stabilized and gradually grown, the amount of milk for the baby is at least 60 ml per feeding, the baby can drink more up to 90 ml. At 2-4 months old, the baby can consume 60-90 ml per feeding.

At 4-6 months old, babies start to move more. The energy they need to consume is also significantly more. The amount of milk a baby drinks needs to reach an average of at least 90-120 ml per feeding, some babies drink more than about 150 ml.

However, babies with slower metabolisms only need to drink 90 ml at a time to gain weight better than babies who drink a lot of milk but have a fast metabolism. In addition, the exact amount of milk for each child is different and needs to change from day to day, due to each child's weight, age, development ability and other factors.

Parents should not force their children to drink too much milk. If children drink more than they can absorb, they are at risk of gastric reflux, vomiting and respiratory infections. On the contrary, children who do not breastfeed enough are at risk of being underweight, malnourished, stunted and slower to develop than their peers.

You can refer to the general milestones according to the standard amount of milk for children at each stage mentioned above. However, it is best to take your child to see a nutritionist for specific advice for each case.

Master, Doctor Nguyen Anh Duy Tung
Nutrihome Nutrition Clinic System

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