Transcript

Title: Newborn baby's feeding needs

Narrator: Tip number 1, learn about your newborn baby's feeding needs, that is, how much breastmilk he takes and how frequent he has to be fed. In the first one to two days after birth, your baby needs only a small amount of milk, about 5 to 7 milliliters per feed (about one teaspoon). In general, a healthy full term baby is born with sufficient water and nutrients to meet his nutritional needs in the first two days after birth. Moreover, the amount of colostrum is very small; it's perfect for the little stomach of a newborn baby. The stomach is as small as a marble and is inelastic on the first day. By day 3, it will get bigger into the size of a ping pong ball. By day 10, it will be as big as a chicken egg and become more elastic. The amount of breastmilk he takes would be increased accordingly. Apart from this, you also need to know how frequent to feed your baby. Your baby needs to be breastfed at least 3 to 4 times on the first day. A healthy full term baby tends to be more alert in the first two hours after birth. After having early skin-to-skin contact with the mother and getting her first feed, she may become sleepy. Some babies would sleep longer and only wake up once or twice to be fed. From the second day onwards, she becomes more alert and needs more frequent feedings about 8 to 12 feeds a day. However, every baby has her own feeding pattern. The feeding intervals are also different. For example, some babies may need to be fed more frequently in a certain time of the day. Therefore, let your babies take the lead in feeding. There is no need to stick to a rigid feeding schedule.