It is helpful to have a guide to refer to during the very first few days and few weeks of feeding your newborn. It is also helpful to visualize how small their stomachs are to know they really do not need to be consuming very much milk. During the first few days, mammas will only be producing small amounts of colostrum until the milk starts to come in around days 3 through 5.
I also included what output of diapers to expect so you have a marker on how much the baby is consuming. Your pediatrician will also measure the baby’s weight to make sure the baby is at least their birth weight by two weeks of age (since they typically loose weight the first few days after birth).
1 Day Old:
- Size: Your baby’s stomach is the size of a cherry.
- Capacity: Your baby will be consuming ½ -1 teaspoon (5-7 ml) per feeding; 8-12 feedings daily.
- Output: Your baby will have 1 urine diaper and 1 stool diaper.
3 Days Old:
- Size: Your baby’s stomach is the size of a walnut.
- Capacity: Your baby will be consuming 4 teaspoons (5-7 ml) per feeding; 8-12 feedings daily.
- Output: Your baby will have 3-4 urine diapers and at least 3 stool diapers.
One Week Old:
- Size: Your baby’s stomach is the size of an apricot.
- Capacity: Your baby will be consuming 1.5-2 oz. (45-60 ml) per feeding. Your baby’s milk intake will increase to 9-20 oz. (280-576 ml) a day; 8-12 feedings daily.
- Output: Your baby will have 6+ urine diapers and at least 4 stool diapers
2-3 Weeks Old:
- Size: Your baby’s stomach is the size of an apricot .
- Capacity: Your baby will be consuming 2-3 oz (60–90 ml) per feeding. Your baby milk intake will increase to 29-25 oz. ( 590-750 ml) per day by the end of the third week; 8-12 feedings daily.
- Output: Your baby will have 6+ urine diapers and at least 4 stool diapers.
One Month Old:
- Size: Your baby’s stomach is the size of a an egg.
- Capacity: Your baby will be consuming 3-5 oz (80-150 ml) per feeding. Your baby’s milk intake will be in the range from 20-35 oz (750 – 1035 ml) per day; 6-8 feedings daily.
- Output: Your baby will have 6+ urine diapers and 1 stool every day or 1 every few days.