Information Station - Babies eat every 2-4 hours depending on how well they nursed previously.
- Babies eat different amounts at each feeding.
- A good guide for adequate intake is if baby is sleeping 2-3 hours between feeds, is stooling, and is having 4-6 wet diapers a day in the first few days of life. By the sixth day of life, your baby should have 6 or more wet diapers per day and the stool should become yellow and seedy.
- It is not unusual for breastfed babies to stool every diaper change.
- A healthy breastfed baby gains approximately one ounce per day after the first week of life.
- Breast milk can be pumped (using a manual or electric pump) and stored for later use.
- Be sure to label the breast milk storage container/bag with the date and time of pumping.
- Use the oldest milk first.
- Storage of breast milk:
- Fresh breast milk may be kept in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
- Thawed breast milk may be kept for 24 hours.
- Frozen breast milk can be stored in freezer for three months.
- In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), thawed milk is used within 24 hours and fresh milk is used within 48 hours.
- Thawed breast milk should never be refrozen.
- Never warm breast milk in the microwave. This can cause the milk to be very hot in some areas. Always warm milk by placing bottle in warm water. Then test the milk on the inner aspect of wrist to ensure temperature safety. Perfect temperature is when you are unable to feel hot or cold on inner aspect of wrist.
- Discard any unused milk one hour after feeding. Bacteria from baby’s saliva begin to rapidly multiply when left at room temperature.
