How much milk does a newborn need? A guide to newborn feeding amounts

4 min. read

Like every new mother, you’re now probably wondering ‘how much breast milk should a newborn drink?’ and ‘how often should a newborn feed on formula?’ Your body has been designed to give your baby all the nutrients they need, but we all need a little practical guidance and reassurance when it comes to learning how much milk should a newborn drink.

Whether you opt for breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or a combination of the two, here you’ll find all the essential information you need to know about getting the right newborn feeding amount for healthy growth and development of your infant.

How often should a newborn feed on formula or breastmilk: Signs that your baby is hungry

Mothers have wonderful instincts, but we’re not all mind readers at the beginning! You’ll gradually become very familiar with your baby’s unique gestures and signs of hunger. In the meantime, here are a few of the most common signs your baby is telling you they’re hungry before we explore answers to the main question on your mind: how much do newborns eat.

• Moving head towards your breast or bottle
  
• Clenching hands
  
• Putting hands to mouth
  
• Puckering, smacking, or licking lips

If your baby shows any of these signs, he or she may be trying to tell you that it’s time to eat. Ideally, your baby should be feeding on demand when he or she is hungry. If you are breastfeeding, this is a healthy way to help maintain your milk supply, as your body will naturally respond to your baby’s needs and continue to produce the right amount of milk. Bottle feeding on demand can be also beneficial for the infant as they are able to self-regulate their feeding needs.

How much milk does a newborn drink?

So how much do newborns eat? The wonderful thing about babies is that everyone is unique, and because of that, no baby will ever feed by the book. Here are a few feeding facts to help you answer the question, how much milk does a newborn need:

• In general, newborns drink every two to three hours.
  
• This means they will usually have a total of eight to twelve feeds every 24 hours.
  
• At first, you will only produce small amounts of breast milk called colostrum, a yellowish, thick milk.
  
• Colostrum is the perfect source of nutrients that your newborn needs with many immunologic properties.¹
  
• Babies only ingest about 30ml to 60ml per feeding, an amount that will increase to about two to three ounces at two weeks of age. So don’t worry if it seems that you aren’t producing much milk in these first few days after birth!
  
• The feeding sessions will also change in terms of duration, starting between 10 to 30 minutes and gradually increasing as your newborn grows.