No reason for concern

Nappies

Wet
Initially your baby may have 1-2 wet nappies during the 1st couple days following delivery. On average a baby will have 6-8 cloth or 5-6 disposable wet nappies a day after the first few days.

Dirty
Meconium, a dark green almost black substance, is passed in the 1st few days. This then becomes lighter as more milk is taken. A young baby will usually have 2 or more soft bowel movements a day for several weeks of breastfeeding. An older baby is likely to have fewer.

Weight gain

Newborns can lose between 5-10% of their birth weight which can then take approximately 2 weeks to regain.  Your baby can gain between 113 to 227 grams (4 to 8 ozs) per week for the first few weeks.

Growth

Increasing head circumference and length is as important as weight gain. Charts are available. Your health visitor will perform these measurements on your baby.

Appearance

Your baby will appear healthy with good colour and firm skin, which is not dry and wrinkled.

Contentment

Your baby will appear content and settled between feeds. 

Milestones

Milestones are stages in development which babies are expected to reach as they get older. There are many reasons why a baby does not meet its milestones - poor feeding could be a possible cause. Your health visitor checks your baby’s developmental progress for you.