At birth, the baby's stomach is the size of a cherry, holding only about 7 ml of milk. Over time, it increases with the size of the baby, managing to support between 80 and 150 ml at the end of the first month of life.
After this period, the stomach grows according to the baby's weight, with its capacity estimated at 20 ml / kg. Thus, a 5 kg baby has a stomach that holds about 100 ml of milk.
Another way to estimate the baby's gastric capacity is through the size of your hand, as the stomach is, on average, the size of the baby's closed fist. See everything the baby does at 1 month. / baby-with-1-month /
How breastfeeding should be
The ideal is for the baby to feed exclusively on breast milk until the sixth month of life, and breastfeeding can continue until the baby is 2 years old or even when mother and child want.
Thus, taking into account the small size of the baby's stomach, it is normal that at the beginning he needs 10 to 12 feedings a day, and that the mother produces only small amounts of milk.
The small size of the newborn's stomach is also the reason for frequent gulps and regurgitations at this age, as the stomach soon becomes full and milk reflux occurs. See the Breastfeeding Guide for Beginners.
When to start the baby food
Complementary feeding should start at the 6th month of life when the baby feeds exclusively on breast milk, but for babies who take infant formula, the beginning of the baby food should be done at the 4th month.
The first porridge must be of shaved or well-mashed fruit, such as apple, pear, banana and papaya, paying attention to the appearance of allergies in the baby. Then, it should be passed to the savory baby food, with rice, chicken, meat and vegetables well cooked and mashed, to prevent the baby from choking. See more details in Baby feeding from 0 to 12 months.
