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Medical Video: Growing Healthy Babies - Stanford Children's Health
During your baby's first 3 months, breast milk or formula will provide all the nutrients he needs. However, as your baby grows, both physically and mentally, the breastfeeding process will also develop. Generally, babies will tend to consume more milk during meal times, so there is no need to feed him as often as he usually does and he, as well as you, will sleep longer at night.
The best way to monitor whether your baby is getting enough nutrition is to see the growth. Your doctor will measure your head weight, length, and size at each visit. Most babies during breastfeeding will continue to ask for breastfeeding throughout the day and night. The average amount he consumes during breastfeeding will increase gradually from around 4-5 ounces (120 to 150 ml) during the second month, 5 or 6 ounces (150-180 ml) in the fourth month, but this amount will vary from baby one with another baby and from one type of food and other food. Daily intake should be around 25-30 ounces (750-900 ml) in four months. Usually, this amount is enough to provide all nutritional needs at this age.
If your baby seems to still feel hungry after you give him enough milk, consult your pediatrician to ask for advice to overcome the condition of the child. When breastfeeding babies don't increase their weight, the amount of milk you produce may have decreased. This decrease in the amount of milk produced can be caused by the condition of the body of the mother who has returned to working conditions and does not produce enough milk, or also increased stress for the mother, longer sleep intervals in the baby, or various other factors. Some techniques can be used to increase the amount of milk produced for baby's intake. Try increasing the frequency of breastfeeding, and using a breast pump to increase milk production. If you continue to worry about the amount of milk you produce, consult your doctor, or check with a certified lactation consultant.
Generally, you should avoid giving solid food before the age of six months, and especially not giving it before four months. When you give it solid food, use a spoon. However, placing a spoon in the mouth of a baby not yet four months old will cause the baby to push his tongue, which is normal at this stage, even though your parents or baby nurse may think this behavior is rebellious or dislikes food. At the age of four to five months, the condition of pushing the tongue while eating using this spoon will disappear and at six months the baby will be able to move a small amount of solid food porridge from the front of the mouth to the back of the mouth and swallow it. But if your baby doesn't seem to like solid food, try not to offer the food for one to two weeks and try again. If the problem persists, talk to your pediatrician to make sure that the resistance is not a problem.
Even if you don't add food to your baby, you might see changes in defecation during these months. At present, the intestine can store more food and can absorb large amounts of nutrients from milk, so the stool may be more solid. The gastroscopic reflex is also reduced, so he no longer experiences bowel movements after eating. In fact, between two and three months, the frequency of defecation in both breastfeeding infants and formula-fed infants can decrease dramatically; some breastfed babies only have one bowel movement every three or four days, and some breastfed healthy babies sometimes defecate only once a week. As long as your baby eats well and gains weight, and stools that are not too hard or dry, there is no reason to worry about this decrease in the frequency of bowel movements.
