Newborn Feeding: How Many Ounces Should a Newborn Drink?

Having a new baby is an exciting thing, but how much should you feed your child? Newborn feeding can be tricky if you don't know where to start.

Feeding your baby too much can make the child feel uncomfortable. Feeding them too little will leave them hungry. Keep reading and learn more about creating a newborn feeding schedule.

What You Need to Know About Newborn Feeding

It is important to make sure your baby gets enough nutrients. Babies grow a lot between birth and 5 months of life. Your baby could be stunted if they do not get enough nutrition early on. 

They may also lose weight if they are not eating enough. This can be dangerous if you're not careful. It is also hard to tell how much milk your baby is getting when you breastfeed. 

Newborn breastfeeding is a great way to connect with your child. But some women are not able to produce much milk through regular breastfeeding. The child's suckling might not be stimulating enough for some women to produce enough milk. 

This makes it difficult to satisfy the baby's hunger. Women who produce plenty of milk may also experience some problems. You can solve most of these problems by using a breast pump.

A breast pump stimulates the breast and helps it produce more milk. It also collects the milk in a container. This makes it easy to measure how much milk you produce and how much you feed your baby. 

Feeding on demand is a good way to give your baby plenty of nutrition. The baby will start crying or fussing when it's hungry. This is a sign to start breastfeeding or using a breast pump.

The baby should continue sucking until they are full. Then they may turn away from the milk when they've had enough. Newborns should consume around 3 ounces of milk at every feeding for the first month.

Some may consume as little as two ounces. The baby will start drinking more after the first month. They will then drink around four ounces.

The Details

You can determine how much milk your baby needs based on their weight. Take your baby's weight and multiply it by 2.5. Suppose your baby weighs six pounds. 

Using this formula yields 15, which means your baby should consume 15 ounces of milk every day. This formula isn't always exact, but it can act as a good guideline. 

How often should you feed your baby? Every baby is different. Some babies may demand milk every few hours. 

Other babies may want to be fed a few times a day but in large quantities. It is normal if your baby feeds between 8 and 12 times every day. 

Feeding can be as short as 20 minutes or as long as an hour. The more your baby feeds, the easier it will be to produce more milk. It also helps you bond with your baby.

It is important to have patience when feeding your baby. If you don't have time to breastfeed all the time, using a breast pump is a good idea. This allows you to pump your milk ahead of time and save it for later in the day.

Your baby won't demand milk so often once they start to grow larger. This is because their stomachs will get larger and store more milk. This helps them stay full for a longer period.

It also shouldn't take as long to feed your child once they get larger. They can suck harder and more efficiently. This gets them full faster.

Other Tips for Feeding Your Newborn

Between 3 and 6 months of age, your baby should be drinking 6 to 8 ounces of milk. The baby can consume 7 to 8 ounces of milk between 6 and 12 months. 

This is also when you can start introducing soft, solid foods. This will help the baby gain weight and get the nutrition they need. You can tell that your baby is eating enough in a variety of ways. 

A clear sign is that your baby is gaining weight. All babies gain weight as they grow and get older. It is a bad sign if your baby starts losing weight. 

You need to feed them more often to make sure they grow and stay nourished. A well-fed baby should also be relaxed and content. Many babies will fall asleep after drinking enough milk.

What You Need to Know

There are a few signs you can look for to check if your baby is hungry. They may put their fingers in their mouth or start fussing. A very hungry baby will start crying or wake up in the middle of the night. 

When bottle-feeding your baby, don't worry about your baby draining the bottle. Most babies are unable to do this unless they are very hungry. If they are full before finishing the bottle, don't persuade them to drink more. 

Babies may have stomach issues if they eat more than they want. You can tell that your baby is full when they turn their head away from the milk. Combining breast milk with formula is also a good way to give your baby some extra nutrition. 

All about Newborn Feeding

Newborn feeding can be tricky to figure out at first. But you and your baby will get the hang of it over time. A new baby should drink a few ounces of milk and then drink larger amounts later on. You can measure your milk by using a breast pump.

Ready to buy a breast pump through insurance? set up an account today or call us at (888) 977-2229. If you have any questions along the way, we are happy to help. We'll verify your insurance benefits, work with your doctor to obtain a prescription, and file your breast pump claim.

About the Author

Cindy Puppos is 1 Natural Way's Customer Service Manager, so she has a good idea of all the different and wonderful questions that moms have for her team. Thankfully, as the mother of two boys (who are now grown!) and a veteran of the company and breastfeeding, Cindy is always knowledgeable about breastfeeding, pumping and all the latest and greatest pumps!