I spoke on infant stomach capacity at the ILCA conference this past summer and had shown that the stomach capacity at term is about 9-10ml. The capacity was calculated from ultrasound measurements of the fetus at term. This increases rapidly over the first few days following birth. The new belly balls from Ameda are much closer to actual capacity, although we all know that babies can be compelled to consume more than their physiologic capacity when they are incorrectly supplemented with bottles of formula during the early days. In terms of visual aids for stomach capacity, I calculated the capacity of a marble at 2.1ml, a shooter marble at 8.2ml?(a?possible day 1 feed volume), a ping pong ball at 26.ml (a typical day 2 feed volume), and a walnut at 9-11ml (a day 1 feed volume). The feed volumes are also dependent on the size of the baby. Another visual aid for stomach capacity is the size of the baby's fist. I see many nurses in the hospital trying to stuff a day two volume of formula down a day one size stomach. Some hospitals are up to a 50% supplementation rate for breastfed babies because of a lack of understanding of the perfect match between colostrum availability and infant stomach capacity.

Visual aids could be a walnut for day 1,?a ping pong ball for day 2.

Below are a few of the references that talk of feed and stomach?volumes. I have a large chart on this in "Breastfeeding Management for the Clinician: Using the Evidence."




Casey C, et al. Nutrient intake by breastfed infants during the first five days after birth. Am J Dis Child 1986; 140:933-936

Chapman DJ, et al. Impact of breast pumping on lactogenesis stage II after cesarean delivery: a randomized clinical trial. Pediatr 2001; 107(6)

Evans KC, et al. Effect of cesarean section on breast milk transfer to the normal term newborn over the first week of life. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2003; 88:F380-F382

Nagata S, et al. Change in the three-dimensional shape of the stomach in the developing human fetus. Early Hum Dev 1994; 37:27-38

?

Sase M, et al. Gastric emptying cycles in the human fetus. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2005; 193:1000-1004


Scammom RE, Doyle LO. Observations on the capacity of the stomach in the first ten days of postnatal life. Am J Dis Child 1920; 20:516-538



Widstrom A-M, et al. Gastric aspirates of newborn infants: pH, volume and levels of gastrin- and somatostatin-line immunoreactivity. Acta Paediatr Scand 1988; 77:502-508

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA





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