One of the most common worries in the early days is whether your baby is getting enough milk — especially when everything feels new, your baby is sleepy, and you can’t see “ounces” the way you can with a bottle.

Here’s the good news: most of the time, you can tell your baby is getting enough milk by watching a few physical signs. No obsessing. No guessing. Just clear signals your baby’s body gives you — especially in the first two weeks.

This post will walk you through what to look for: diapers, weight trends, and feeding behavior. And if something looks off, you’ll know what to do next — without spiraling.

If you’re breastfeeding, one of the hardest parts is that you can’t see what your baby is taking in.

You can’t measure ounces the way you can with a bottle. You can’t look down and say, “Perfect — that was exactly 3 ounces.”

And because of that, it’s incredibly common for new parents to wonder:

“How do I know my baby is actually getting enough milk?”

Here’s the good news:

Your baby’s body gives you real, physical signs when feeding is going well.

Most of the time, we don’t have to guess. We can look at three categories that almost always tell the story:

• Diaper output (what’s coming out)
• Weight trends (the growth curve over time)
• Feeding behavior (what feeding looks like at the breast)

This post is going to walk you through each one — not to make you obsess, but to give you clarity.

Because when you know what signs actually matter, breastfeeding feels a lot less mysterious.

Diaper Output: What Matters (and What Doesn’t)

One of the most common pieces of advice you’ll hear is “count diapers.” And yes — diaper output matters.

But here’s the part people miss:

It’s not just about how many diapers you change. It’s about what’s in them, and whether the overall pattern matches your baby’s age.

Here’s what you should expect in the first week or two when feeding is going well:

• Meconium should be transitioning by day 3–4. That thick, tar-like first stool should start moving toward green/brown, then yellow as milk intake increases.
• Wet diapers should climb daily until day 6. A simple rule of thumb: wet diapers roughly match days of life (day 2 ≈ 2 wets, day 3 ≈ 3 wets), until day 6 when you want 6+ wet diapers per day.
• By day 4, most babies have multiple stools per day. A common benchmark is 4+ stools per day in those early weeks.

Now, here’s the nuance that matters:

A baby can have frequent stools and still have slow weight gain.

I’ve worked with plenty of families where baby had lots of tiny, frequent stools — and still wasn’t gaining the way we expected.

So don’t just count stools. Look at the size, too.

If stools are consistently small (think “quarter-sized” over and over), and weight gain is slow, that’s a clue that we should look closer at milk transfer.

Because diapers give us a piece of the picture… but they don’t give us the whole story.

Weight Trends and the Growth Curve

If diapers are one piece of the puzzle, weight trends are another — and this is where a lot of parents get scared for no reason.

So let me say this clearly:

We don’t use weight to “grade” you.

We use weight and the growth curve the way you’d use a map. It tells us whether your baby is generally headed in the right direction over time.

And in the beginning, weight can bounce around. Many babies lose weight after birth — especially in the first few days — and that alone doesn’t mean something is wrong.

But after discharge, we want to see the trend start moving in the right direction.

Here’s the benchmark most providers use:

• Most babies return to birth weight by about 10–14 days.

If your baby is slow to regain birth weight, it doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong with your milk.

It usually means we should look closer to see if there’s a feeding issue we have overlooked — like transfer, latch, stamina, or feeding frequency.

Because here’s what matters most:

One weigh-in is a snapshot. The growth curve tells the story.

If your baby is staying on their curve (or returning to their curve after those early newborn fluctuations), that’s reassurance.

If your baby’s trend is slipping, that’s not a reason to panic — it’s a reason to gather better information early, while we still have lots of options.

Weight isn’t a grade. It’s a clue.

And if your baby’s weight trend is slipping, the goal isn’t to blame your milk or panic over every feeding. The goal is to get the right support early, so you can build a plan that actually works for your baby.

Feeding Behavior: What “Effective” Looks Like

So now we’ve talked about output and weight trends.

But the third piece — and the one that gives you the most real-time feedback — is feeding behavior.

Because diapers and weight tell us what’s happening over days.

Feeding behavior helps us understand what’s happening right now.

When feeding is going well, you’ll usually see a pattern that looks like this:

• Rhythmic sucking with regular swallowing. (Not constant flutter-sucking the entire time.)
• Baby stays engaged at the breast. Some pauses are normal — but baby returns to active feeding on their own.
• Baby looks more relaxed after feeding. Hands soften, body relaxes, and they often come off the breast calmer.
• Your breast feels softer after a feed. Not “empty” (breasts are never truly empty), but noticeably softer than before.

Quick note: the first day or two can be sleepy — especially after a long birth, medications, or an epidural.

But by day 3–4, and definitely by the end of the first week, most babies are more alert and more effective at the breast.

If you want a deeper guide on what swallowing looks and sounds like (and how to tell the difference between “sucking” and “swallowing”), I have a full post on that here: [link].

When to Get Help (and What to Do Next)

If something feels off, you don’t have to wait until things get worse to ask for help.

It’s worth reaching out for support if you’re seeing patterns like:

• Wet diapers aren’t increasing as expected (especially after day 4–6)
• Stools aren’t transitioning out of meconium by day 3–4
• Baby is consistently too sleepy to feed effectively beyond the first couple days
• Weight trend is slipping or baby is slow to regain birth weight by 10–14 days
• Feeding is painful, stressful, or feels like you’re constantly “working” to keep baby eating

And here’s what I want you to hear clearly:

If your baby is two weeks old and weight gain is a concern, you don’t need more pressure.

You need a plan.

And the best way to get a plan is to get support from someone who can actually evaluate what’s happening during feeding.

That means working with a skilled lactation consultant (IBCLC) who can look at:

• Latch and positioning
• Milk transfer and swallowing patterns
• Supply and milk removal
• Baby’s stamina and oral function
• Whether supplementation is needed (and how to do it without wrecking breastfeeding)

Because “just keep feeding” is not always enough advice when weight gain is slipping.

You deserve someone who can help you figure out why the feeding isn’t working as smoothly as it should — and what to do next.

If you want to understand how lactation professionals estimate milk intake (without guessing), here's a full blog on what a weighted feed is and how it works. 

And if you want help understanding how much milk babies typically need in a day (so you can compare the “daily math” to what’s happening for your baby), that’s here: [link to daily intake post].

But if something feels off, don’t wait.

Early support protects breastfeeding.

And it protects your baby’s growth.

A final word: those first two weeks can feel intense.

They can feel like you’re feeding constantly, second-guessing everything, and still wondering if your baby is getting enough.

But once you know what signs matter — and what normal newborn variation looks like — feeding tends to feel less mysterious.

You’re not supposed to guess your way through this.

If you’re worried, it doesn’t mean you’re doing a bad job.

It means you’re paying attention.

And paying attention is how you get answers early — and protect your feeding goals.