The Crunchy-Ish Midwife

03/17/2026

Most parents think newborns need several ounces of milk at each feeding.

But on day one…

Your baby’s stomach only holds about a teaspoon.

About 5–7 mL.

That’s exactly why your body produces small amounts of colostrum in the first few days of life perfectly matched to your baby’s tiny stomach.

As your baby grows, their stomach capacity grows too:

Day 1 → 5–7 mL
Day 3 → 20–30 mL
1 Week → 40–60 mL
1 Month → 80–150 mL

According to current IBCLC guidelines, most breastfed babies take in about 25–30 oz of milk over a 24-hour period once milk supply is established.

Social media loves to show us pitchers of milk and huge freezer drawers over flowing with bags of frozen milk. These images coupled with the fact that you feel like you JUST FED THEM & now they’re hungry AGAIN can make you feel like your body isn’t making enough.

Since their stomachs are so small, and they are growing SO MUCH in the first few weeks they se to empty almost as fast as they fill.

THIS IS SO NORMAL

The reality is newborn babies thrive with:
• frequent feeds
• a responsive milk supply
• a mother who trusts the process

Your baby’s stomach is sooo small.
Your milk is perfectly designed for it.

And most of the time…
Their little body + your body is doing exactly what it was all made to do.

A rhythm of feeding .. emptying and feeding again .

In month 1 if you feel like all you do is nurse them, this is SO NORMAL!!

Follow for education from the mind of a midwife + the heart of a mama 🤍

newborn stomach size | newborn feeding amounts | colostrum benefits | breastfeeding education | newborn feeding schedule | how much milk newborn needs | breastfeeding support | lactation education | breastfeeding tips for new moms | IBCLC guidance | newborn feeding expectations | breastfeeding myths | cluster feeding newborn | newborn stomach

03/13/2026

Most parents think newborns need several ounces of milk at each feeding.

But on day one…

Your baby’s stomach only holds about a teaspoon.

About 5–7 mL.

That’s exactly why your body produces small amounts of colostrum in the first few days of life perfectly matched to your baby’s tiny stomach.

As your baby grows, their stomach capacity grows too:

Day 1 → 5–7 mL
Day 3 → 20–30 mL
1 Week → 40–60 mL
1 Month → 80–150 mL

According to IBCLC guidelines, most breastfed babies take in about 25–30 oz of milk over a 24-hour period once milk supply is established.

Social media loves to show us pitchers of milk and huge freezer drawers over flowing with bags of frozen milk. These images can make you feel like your body isn’t making enough milk .

The reality is most babies thrive with:
• frequent feeds
• responsive milk supply
• a mother who trusts the process

Your baby’s stomach is small.
Your milk is perfectly designed for it.

And most of the time…
your body is doing exactly what it was made to do.

Follow for education from the mind of a midwife + the heart of a mama 🤍

newborn stomach size | newborn feeding amounts | colostrum benefits | breastfeeding education | newborn feeding schedule | how much milk newborn needs | breastfeeding support | lactation education | breastfeeding tips for new moms | IBCLC guidance | newborn feeding expectations | breastfeeding myths | cluster feeding newborn | newborn stomach

03/12/2026

03/10/2026

One year of breastfeeding.

Let’s actually talk about what that means for a second.
Your body produced over 70 gallons of milk (approximately 😉)

Burned 180,000+ calories.
Logged nearly 1,800 hours feeding your baby.
And the whole time .. automatically, without you even asking it was transferring millions of antibodies, lowering your risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, your baby’s risk of diabetes,
and building a foundation for your baby’s immune system that nothing else can replicate.

We talk about birth like the miracle it is.
But somehow we skip right over THIS part.

So if you’ve made it to a week, a month, 6 months ..or you’re in it right now and it’s HARD
I want to remind to remind you of the magnitude of what your body is doing.

And if you tried your best and it didn’t work out for you or you didn’t have the support you needed - I see you too mama ❤️

follow for education & encouragement from the mind of a midwife + ❤️ of a mama .

breastfeeding benefits | breastfeeding for one year | extended breastfeeding | breastfeeding statistics | breastfeeding immune support | breastmilk antibodies | breastfeeding and baby immunity | benefits of breastmilk | breastfeeding education | holistic motherhood | midwife advice for moms | breastfeeding journey

03/09/2026

A surprising number of pregnancy symptoms are actually just dehydration in disguise.

Research suggests up to 1 in 3 pregnant women may be walking around dehydrated — and nearly two-thirds aren’t drinking enough fluids for pregnancy.

Which is wild when you consider what your body is doing right now.

Growing a baby.
Building a placenta.
Producing amniotic fluid.
Increasing blood volume by almost 50%.

That’s a LOT of fluid demand.

And when your body doesn’t get enough?

It can show up as:

• headaches
• dizziness
• constipation
• UTIs
• muscle cramps
• restless legs
• even preterm contractions

In fact, hydration is one of the first things providers check when someone comes in with preterm contractions.

Your body body needs:
💧 water
💧 minerals
💧 electrolytes

Not fancy powders filled with sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Just real hydration.

Your body is doing incredible work right now.

Give it the hydration it needs to do the job well.

Here’s My Recipe 🍊🍋

Makes 2 Quarts
✨ 2 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar (adds potassium)
🌊 2 Tablespoons Celtic Sea Salt
🍋 Juice of 1 fresh lemon
🥥 2 Cups coconut water (a natural hydrator)
🍍 2 Cups pineapple juice
💦 Top off with filtered water in a 2-quart mason jar

This makes a hydration “concentrate.” Add 1 cup to a quart jar and fill the rest with water. Drink as needed throughout the day!

03/03/2026

Did you know that dehydration is a leading cause of preterm contractions during pregnancy?

With all the incredible work your body is doing building a whole new human and sustaining your own well-being staying properly hydrated is sooo important. You can avoid so many prenatal complications by keeping all your cells properly hydrated, from preterm labor to muscle cramping (hello restless legs) to utis and migraines.. optimal hydration is one of the basic pillars of a healthy pregnancy.

You probably seen several different hydration sticks, and powder powders on the market .. many of which are filled with of cheap salt (hello not good for your kidneys or blood pressure) sugars … or even worse artificial sweeteners.. which is kind of crazy when you can just whip up a simple batch of my favorite electrolyte boost for less than five dollars a gallon !

Here’s My Recipe 🍊🍋

Makes 2 Quarts
✨ 2 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar (adds potassium)
🌊 2 Tablespoons Celtic Sea Salt
🍋 Juice of 1 fresh lemon
🥥 2 Cups coconut water (a natural hydrator)
🍍 2 Cups pineapple juice
💦 Top off with filtered water in a 2-quart mason jar

This makes a hydration “concentrate.” Add 1 cup to a quart jar and fill the rest with water. Drink as needed throughout the day!

Moms, I want to hear from you!

Did you find it difficult to stay hydrated during pregnancy? What were your go-to solutions? Try this recipe and let me know how it works for you!

follow for more pregnancy education from a midwife + mom of 4

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