Nutrition: Foundations for Life

Answer:

3.4 kg X 120 kcal/kg/day = 408 kcal per day

408 kcal ÷ 20 kcal/ounce = 20.4 ounces.

20.4 ounces/day ÷ 6 feeds per day = 3.4 ounces per feeding.

Fortunately breastfeeding is much less complicated.  Simply monitoring an infant's weight will confirm adequacy of intake.

Instead of washing bottles and preparing formula, the mother need only offer the breast upon demand.  A minimum of 8 nursing sessions per 24 hours is usually needed to sustain lactation at this age.  Once lactation is well established, the baby's natural appetite and satiety are usually sufficient to result in adequate weight gain. 

Balance studies (carefully weighing baby before and after nursing) show that  infants do, indeed, ingest approximately 180 cc/kg per day, providing an average of 120 kcal/kg/day.

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