How Much Breast Milk Does Baby Need?

- Julie Matheney

HOW MUCH BREAST MILK DOES MY BABY NEED IN A DAY?

How many ounces of breast milk should my exclusively breastfed baby be eating at a feeding? This is usually on the top five questions from families. The answer is: that depends.

  • Some babies are grazers. They like smaller, more frequent feedings to keep their tummy from being too full or uncomfortable. Their feedings can range from 1-3 ounces of breast milk and they may feed 10 or more times a day.
  • Other babies are bingers. They like a big, full tummy and may take 3-5 or even occasionally 6 ounces of breast milk but not as often. They may feed only 6-8 times a day and have longer sleep stretches. Their tummy doesn’t mind being stretched fuller and their bodies tell them it’s ok to go longer between feedings.
  • A helpful question to always be asking is: how many times a day is baby feeding? From one month to one year, babies take between 19-32 ounces of breast milk a day. The average is 25 ounces in 24 hours. There’s a range because, just like us as adults, some days we want to eat more than other days depending on the activities of the day, growth spurts, cravings, and even babies emotionally eat sometimes. Trust your baby to know their stomach better than you do. 
  • Babies get hungry frequently: 8-12 or more times a day. They drink so much breast milk because they grow so rapidly. They will double their birth weight by six months and triple their weight by a year. Imagine how much you would need to eat to double your weight in six months! You may feel like you feed your baby all the time, and you are. Every 1-3 hours in the first few months is normal!! Every feeding is different and breast milk volumes taken vary throughout the day. Sometimes you want a snack and sometimes you want a buffet. 
  • How is pumping going for you and can you keep up with his volume needs? Pumping is never an indication of your breast milk supply, it just indicates what your pump can empty from you. So many people have their breast milk supply sabotaged by baby being overfed from a quick flowing bottle, not enough time spent during the feeding, or interpreting baby’s cues wrong.
  • If your milk supply is keeping up with their demand there’s no problem. If you’re concerned about your baby’s feeding habits, definitely schedule a consultation with me.