Many new parents wonder how much breastmilk a typical baby drinks in 1 day, especially if they are planning to send their infant to daycare. According to the authors of this week’s research, several studies have been done world-wide on breastmilk volume intake, using different methods of measurement, but there has not been an updated systematic review on this topic since the World Health Organization’s research in 1998. This paper was commissioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
This systematic review and meta-analysis included 167 studies that measured breastmilk intake among 20,857 participants. The studies were well distributed internationally, with all continents represented. The majority of studies included healthy lactating individuals, while 61/167 studies didn’t specify health status. A few studies included lactating individuals with diabetes, thyroid disease, ovulatory disturbance, HIV, mastitis, nipple pain, and ankyloglossia. The methods used to determine milk intake included deuterium dilution and/or test weighing.
Deuterium oxide dilution is considered safe and involves giving the lactating parent a dose of deuterium-labeled water, which mixes in the body’s water pool. The amount of deuterium-labeled breastmilk consumed by the infant when directly feeding is then measured over time by monitoring the deuterium in the infant’s urine.
The meta-analysis and meta-regression of the data demonstrated that for healthy term exclusively breastfed infants, the average intake per body weight peaks at 1 month, at 135ml/kg/day. It gradually declines from there, with the average intake at 6 months being 107ml/kg/day, and 61ml/kg/day at 12 months. What else? See the question!
Jo
Thanks for this. I’m confused however how the answer D reflects the result of the study ie
D. The global average peak breastmilk intake is 724-755ml/day, or 24-25 ounces/day.
I can’t see these numbers in the study abstract.
Could you clarify please?
IABLE
The following is the results section of the abstract:
A total of 167 studies on breast milk intake were identified. The mean daily breast milk intake among all the studies included was 670 mL per day and 117 mL/kg per day. Breast milk intake was influenced by infant age, infant body weight, and breastfeeding practices. The deuterium dilution method tended to yield higher estimates than test-weighing methods. Breast milk intake over time was modeled with a nonlinear meta-regression: breast milk intake (mL/day) = 51–1.4 · days +180 · log(days). When restricting to studies involving healthy term infants exclusively breastfed up to 6 months, breast milk intake was 624 mL per day and 135 mL/kg per day at 1 month, 735 mL per day and 126 mL/kg per day at 3 months, 729 mL per day and 107 mL/kg per day at 6 months, and 593 mL per day and 61 mL/kg per day at 12 months.
Carrie Walker
Look through the actual article to find this, these numbers represent the peak intake which occurs at 5 months of age according to this review. I know because your question made me look harder to find it but you have to look at the article not just the abstract to see the data. Hope that helps!
Jo
Many thanks for taking the time to check and reply Carrie!
Jessica Clayton
This is so so helpful! I’m curious, for pumping moms, recommendations encourage pumping AT LEAST 24 ounces/day. I recently had a physician who said “if she’s only pumping 24 she’s not going to make it, she needs to be getting more.” With this meta-analysis pointing to 24-25ounce being the peak volume, would this be reason to have mom’s stick to “24 ounces in 24 hours” pumping wise? While I believe there is a consensus of pumped milk being a little lower in caloric quality, and often babies will take more from the bottle-I have found so many mothers who pump more than 24 ounces in a day suffer from hyperlactation issues. Double edge sword. Would love to hear what you and other subscribers think.
IABLE
This is an average peak, so some babies take more, and some take less. I see plenty of infants who take 30-32 oz a day whose parents are tall, and who are growing appropriately. I also see infants who take 20 oz a day who are also growing beautifully along the 5th percentile.
Jessica Clayton
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply!
Rachel
How do you know how much they are taking and how much to offer at feedings when mom isn’t home and they get the bottle?! So hard to know
IABLE
It is best to follow an infant’s feeding cues when bottle feeding, while pacing the bottles to avoid over feeding (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGPm5SpLxXY&t=11s). A typical infant who is past 4 weeks of age will take 90-120 ml in a bottle every 2-3 hours. A very petite baby will take less, and a very large baby will take slightly more. Generally breastfed babies take lower volumes and feed more often as compared to formula fed infants.
Thzuska Pico Mawyin
Decimos que el bebe toma a libre demanda, cuando es directo de pecho. Evaluamos a traves de curvas crecimiento . Podemos tomar este resultado del metaanálisis de aproximadamente 24 a 25 onzas al día, y la satisfacción del niño como parámetros iniciales de control y luego su curva de peso y longitud nos dirá si requiere cambios. Agregamos el control de su evaluación nutricional, que nos informara como su demanda ha sido satisfecha. Creo que, en principio, debemos seguir escuchando al niño. Él nos demandara más , de necesitarlo.
IABLE
Hi, thank you for your comments. I 100% take your approach, rather than calculating expected amounts per body weight.