The Good Start Guide to Breastfeeding

While most women (95 to 98 percent) have no problem making enough milk for their baby, if you are curious about your baby's weight gain, you can use the "input/output" system to help check if your child is getting enough milk. A breastfed baby should have five or six wet disposable diapers per 24 hours (cloth will be wet more frequently, and it is much easier to tell when the diaper is actually wet), as well as two to five bowel movements. Although babies frequently lose some weight in the few days after birth, babies should be back to their birth weight by the end of their second week of life. A child from birth to four months old should gain four to eight ounces of weight per week, according to La Leche League. Your pediatrician's office will schedule more frequent weight-checks if there is concern over your baby's weight gain. Some baby stores have infant scales so that you can check your baby's weight on your own. The low-tech way, of course, if for you to get on your home scale while holding your baby, then to get on it alone. Subtract both figures to find out your baby's weight. (This doesn't work well when you're trying to be precise about ounces.)