Monitoring Your Baby’s Growth

If you have come this far, chances are you feel convinced. You

understand the need for routine feedings within a preset, flexible time
frame. You may be willing, if not determined, to breast-feed your baby
that most miraculous of foods: mother’s milk. Indeed, one of many
advantages of parent-directed feeding is the success mothers have with
breast-feeding. Knowing her baby’s nutritional needs are being met in an
orderly fashion gives any woman greater confidence in her role as
mother. In addition, establishing a routine gives mother the freedom to
maintain relationships outside of motherhood.
So, you have a contented baby and motherhood feels good. You are
rested and complete. The confidence is positive but guard against
carelessness. Be aware that routine alone won’t eliminate every potential
lactation problem. Other variables come into play. Factors affecting the
routine and attempts to breast-feed include the amount of sleep a mother
receives; her diet, nutrition, state of mind, and age; whether this is her
first child or her sixth; her desire and physical capacity to breast-feed;
her nursing techniques; and the baby’s ability to properly latch on.
If you’re breast-feeding, monitoring your baby’s growth is a vital
concern to us and should be to you. Your baby’s life depends on it. How
do you know if your baby is getting enough food to grow on? There are a
number of objective indicators to assist you in the evaluation process.
These indicators provide mom with guidance and feedback on how well
she and her baby are doing.
As a new mom and dad, knowing what to expect in the first week and
having objective markers can make all the difference in the world for
your sense of confidence and future direction. At the same time,