The recent posts on how many wet and dirty diapers should be seen during the
early days after birth led me to look at what, if anything, is in the
literature. Most of what I found is old references put in the form of charts
and used in current neonatal manuals of care. Newborn infants can be oliguric
(without urine) during the first 24 hours following birth.

One reference, Goellner MH, et al: Urination during the first three years of
life. Nephron 1981; 28:174-178, gives urine output as follows:
voiding size: 19.3ml for infants 0-1 month

The Handbook of Neonatology 2nd ed, 1987 by Harper & Yoon states the
following:
The first voiding: 93% of normal neonates void within 24 hours of birth (23%
do this one voiding at the time of birth but if this is not recorded then it
may appear that the baby has not voided by the time discharge rolls around).
99.4% of babies void by 48 hours post birth.

Normal neonates void 2-6 times per day during the first 48 hours. On day one
the volume is urine is 20ml with a range of 0-68. Try to find 20 ml in a
disposable diaper!

Time of passage of first stool: 27.2% before 12 hours, 41% at 12 hours of
age, 25% at 12-24 hours, 5.8% at 24-48 hours

Using these numbers as guidelines leads us to the one wet diaper and one
stool by discharge at 24 hours. Babies have a range and some of those in the
outer range will not have had a wet diaper or stool if discharged at 12-18
hours. Giving these babies formula to make this happen is done to avoid
dehydration scares in the newspapers, numerous phone calls to the
pediatrician, and to keep the hospital off the hook of actually trying to
help with breastfeeding. It is much easier to use these numbers to justify a
quantifiable intervention like giving bottles of formula than it is to
justify the use of a lactation consultant with babies who have not voided or
stooled by 24 hours. Why should they? It is so much easier and cheaper to
enact a protocol that uses bottles as a backup than it is to adequately staff
a unit with knowledgable nurses and LCs. Many providers tell parents to
expect 6-8 wet diapers when they go home. A baby at 2 days of age will not
have this type of output, leading to the "insufficient milk" myth and
supplementation.

I use a chart which I made from this and some other data, including an
informal survey of hospital nursery nurses whom I asked how many diapers do
they change on each baby per day.
It is not 6-8!!!