Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Qn of the Month: How Can I Tell My Baby Is Full?

A: An age old question is, “How can I tell my baby is full?” Just as important as the previous post (How Can I Tell My Baby is Hungry?) is being able to tell when your baby is full, so that baby gets just the amount of intake he/she needs for optimum growth and development.

Some signs to watch out for in the infant include:

  • Falling asleep after emptying or softening at least one breast
  • Infant pushing away from the breast or fussing with back arching
  • Reduced sucking
  • Infant drawing head away from the nipple
  • Infant’s body relaxes with extended and relaxed hands/arms

Young babies under 3 months of age may not give clear signs of hunger and fullness, but these cues are usually clear by 3 to 6 months of age. For optimal health and growth, parents should check to see if their baby is still hungry after a pause in feeding by looking for satiety cues. This is important before continuing forward in the feeding, especially in babies that are bottle fed. Parents are often eager to have a baby finish an entire bottle of expressed breast milk or formula, simply because they see the contents in the bottle, instead of letting the baby decide when or how much to take at a feeding.



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article sponsered by Northern Michigan certified lactation consulting and Mother Hubbards Country Cupboard

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