Hi I have a boy of 11 days old...though the milk flow is normal and I have been bf him I have also tried giving him bottle feed to ensure that hes satisfied and sleeps well at nite. I have been told that this is fine. Just wanted to know if it really is...Pls help if u can. Is there any earlier post on bottle feed that I can refer to. Thanks! mom replied. How do you know baby is getting enough breastmilk?

Some indicators i am giving below, but please also ask your paediatrician about the same when you visit/call him her time. The Ped knows your case, knows about baby's birthwt and will know baby's weight gain trend in future so he can suggest u when required.

1) A newborn baby loses weight initially (around first 10 days) and then starts regaining.

2) Yes 6-7 wet diapers in a day is ONE OF THE pointers that can say baby is getting full, not the only pointer (my baby used to pass much more than 6 but was not getting full milk from me in late evenings when i wd be tired from housechores).

3)When you feed the baby and put to sleep, and baby wakes up soon crying, and feeds again, then the feed that was given earlier was not sufficient.

3) At nights, when baby frequently wakes up .. or .. wakes up in less than 2 hours .. and cries for feed. It happens sometimes that day feeds go full, but night feeds fall less as mom gets tired
(i did not want to tell this point to you and out it in your mind ... anyways ... pls dont think this will be the case with you. If you start thinking negative, it might actually happen. Positive thinking, rest, healthy diet and being happy is imp to maintain good milk supply)

4) Weight gain : If baby's weight gain is less than expected. I dont have a link handy ... pls search for information on this site or baby sites on internet ... as to how much weight is expected for baby at different ages (also depends on birthwt).
Best person to ask is your baby's doctor.
Dont wait for weeks/month to assess weight gain. If you are worried, arrange for a daily check, or atleast 2-3 times/week ... after baby is 15 days old (i want u to take rest for 15 days and not run around arranging for baby's wt check, ideally, in india they say dont go out of house and take good rest for first 1.25months ... check previous indicators first to ensure baby is not getting full).

5) If baby feeds for a while and starts crying in middle of feed, then ONE POSSIBLE reason (there might be other reasons too) that milk supply is not adequate/has reduced.
Check with ur Dr in that case.

Now ... i am writing above points because you asked for them.
Please dont get biased by them, dont think too much ... negative thoughts will impact milk. Always feel confident u r getting enough milk, and just cautiously keep looking for above symptoms. If a baby wakes up in sleep and cries, there might be other reasons too (wet/colic/startle/many others). So whenever u see a symptom, dont start thinking milk is less.

Read a baby site/book to know different possible issues and symptoms and ways to cater to them.

Take rest, let housework go, eat healthy, be happy. Dont worry. You are just out of delivery, sometimes u might feel sad/depressed.
And this happens with almost everybody after delivery. U r not alone. Baby is new to world, will take 3 months to get set in this new life.

I am pasting some usful message links from this board, go thru them when u hv time :

How to increase quality of BM-

http://www.indiaparenting.com/boards/showmessage.cgi?messageid=1314&table_name=dis_breastfeeding

Bottle feeding Vs Breastfeeding-

http://www.indiaparenting.com/boards/showmessage.cgi?messageid=1305&table_name=dis_breastfeeding

Congrats for your new bundle of joy!
happy motherhood!
mom mom replied. If your breastfeeding is going fine, why give artificial things to baby?

If you want to b sure that baby is full, better first check if he is not full, and then give bottle if needed.

Infact, if u see ur milk is not suffifient,only then wd suggest u to give bottle and also try same time to increase bm and leave bottle as soon as supply is sufficient.

BM is incomparable dear. Amrit hai baby ke liye.

Feed the baby every 2 hrs or by demand till he is 2m. Even at night.