How to Tell Your Baby Is Full: Signs That Baby Is Finished Breastfeeding

Hey there, Mumma! You’re right in the middle of this beautiful, sometimes challenging, journey of breastfeeding. You’ve got those precious moments when you’re gazing lovingly at your little one, feeling like a superhero nourishing them with nature’s best. But have you ever wondered, “How can I tell if my baby has had enough?”. So many mums I see are unsure about how to tell when baby’s finished a breastfeed. Well, don’t worry, because I’m here to share some game changing info with you. In this post, I’ll cover the signs that baby is full and how you can read those cues like a pro. I’ll share how you can differentiate between nutritive and non-nutritive sucking and use these cues to determine if your baby is full.

Nutritive Sucking – The Gold Standard

When your baby latches onto your breast, their initial short, quick sucks stimulate the nerves in your nipple and trigger your milk to flow (the letdown reflex or the milk ejection reflex). The letdown gets your milk flowing from the storage areas in your breast down the ducts towards your nipple and baby’s waiting mouth.

While some mums may feel this as a tingling or prickling sensation in the breast, others might sense it as a sudden fullness. Some mums don’t feel the letdown at all, but even if you can’t feel it, you can watch for these signs:

Signs of nutritive sucking 

• Change in Baby’s Suck Pattern: Your baby’s quick, short sucks will transition into a longer and rhythmic suck/swallow pattern.
• Milk Leakage: You might notice milk leaking from your other breast, as the letdown affects both breasts at the same time.
• Jaw Movement: Watch for your baby’s jaw dropping lower during some sucks, indicating a swallow.
• Audible Swallowing: You may hear a soft “kah” or a gentle gulp-like sound. This usually happens every 1-2 sucks during a letdown.

These rhythmic swallows are called nutritive sucking and they are the key to breastfeeding! This is when your baby is actively receiving milk. If you don’t observe these swallows, your baby might only be getting small dribbles and drips of milk, which may not be enough milk for them to thrive and gain enough weight (if this is the case for you, it’s really important to see an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) to help you get baby breastfeeding effectively. You might also find this info helpful).

Most breastfeeding mums experience multiple letdowns during each feed (mums that feel the let down only usually feel the first one). This means the suck pattern may shift from the long rhythmic suck/swallow pattern to short, quick sucks for a while, and then back to another series of suck/swallows. You may even notice your baby taking a pause before resuming with more swallows. Some babies keep on swallowing the whole time, but the swallows just get further apart as the feed goes on.

Non-Nutritive Sucking – A Different Tune

On the other hand, non-nutritive sucking is when your baby latches onto your breast but doesn’t engage in the rhythmic suck/swallow pattern characteristic of nutritive feeding. They might use this time for comfort or self-soothing. While non-nutritive sucking is entirely natural and provides emotional nourishment, it doesn’t necessarily equate to obtaining much milk.

How to Tell When Your Baby Has Finished a Breastfeed

Some babies come off the breast on their own, and some like to hang out there as long as you let them (which is completely normal, and NOT a bad habit! Babies get a lot of connection and comfort from breastfeeding, not just food). The main thing to watch for is that the swallowing/nutritive sucking has actually happened – it should last for most of the breastfeed.

For babies who come off on their own:

As long as they have done the nutritive sucking for most of the feed, this is baby’s cue to tell you they’re done! You can offer the other breast.

For babies who don’t come off on their own:

Your baby might fall asleep at the breast, and that’s ok as long as the nutritive sucking has happened first (in fact it’s totally normal because of the sleepy hormones in breastmilk!). If your baby has done the nutritive sucking for most of the feed and then gone off to sleep, you can gently use your pinkie finger to break their suction and offer the other breast.

If they do the same on the second side, you can either sit and enjoy the snuggles while baby relaxes into non-nutritive or comfort sucking (especially if you’re comfortable and watching tv or something like that) or gently break the suction and finish the breastfeed (especially if you need to pee or eat!). Again, it’s important that the nutritive sucking has happened first. We don’t want to take baby off the breast before they’ve had the chance to get all the milk they need.

If you’re still not sure:

If you’re still not sure if baby is finished, you can try doing some breast compressions (read more about them here) and see how baby reacts. If they do more swallows with the compressions, let baby do that. They may come off the breast when the milk starts to flow, and that would be a sign that they’re finished. You could also take them off the second breast and offer the first one again. If baby doesn’t want it and is clamping their lips shut or turning away, that’s their cue to you that they’re finished.

So, there you have it, Mumma! By watching your baby’s sucking pattern, you can become a pro at distinguishing between nutritive and non-nutritive sucking. Remember, each baby is unique, and this learning process is a beautiful part of your journey together. If you’re uncertain about your baby’s feeding cues, especially if they’re not showing those essential rhythmic swallows, don’t hesitate to seek help from an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). You can book a home visit or online video call with me here. (Home visits available in the Gold Coast, Tamborine, Logan and Redlands areas in Australia only). Together, we’ll ensure your breastfeeding experience is filled with love and nourishment.

If you found this post helpful and want to share your own experiences or have any questions, don’t hesitate to DM me on Instagram. I’d love to connect with you and hear what you took away from this blog post. Keep up the fantastic work, and remember, you’re doing an incredible job nurturing your little one.