Your Baby has a Fuel Gauge!

In a previous blog we talked about BABY watching VS CLOCK watching to determine baby’s readiness to feed.   A full-term newborn will exhibit hunger cues by flexing her arms, tightening her little hands into fists, turning her head and pulling her fists to her mouth.  Her whole body becomes tense and she produces sweet short vocal “yaps” to alert us to the fact that she is ready to feed.  These are early signs of hunger and would be the best time to put her to breast.  Late signs of hunger include a scowled forehead, facial tension and crying or screaming in “alarm” of the fact that she is hungry.

 So, how do we know when baby has had enough milk?  As baby continues to feed at the breast and her tummy begins to fill, her body should become increasingly more relaxed.  Arms lose their flexion and release to extension.  Fists open.  Scowled forehead disappears and baby’s face and mouth become more relaxed.  She may, in fact, “fall” off the breast.  Now, here’s the trick.  If, when you raise then release her arm, she tenses it and wiggles or roots, she probably needs to feed a little more.  However, if her arm flops down to her body (as if she were a rag doll), and this is repeated two or three times, chances are good that her tank is full!  Now it’s time to rest.  I’ll bet you didn’t know your baby came with a fuel gauge!