Your new infant's stomach is a lot smaller than you may think!!

Overfeeding your infant can cause her to spit up or can cause her to have painful belly aches. All infants may do a little spitting up, but lots of vomiting means your infant is getting too much milk. Be aware of how much your infant's little belly can hold - this will help you to better understand her feeding patterns and needs.

On the first day of life, your infant's stomach will only hold ~1 to 2 teaspoons, which is about the size of a regular marble:

By the third day of life, your infant's stomach will hold more like 1/2 to 1 ounce, which is about the size of a shooter marble:

By the tenth day of life, your infant's stomach holds approximately 2 ounces, which is about the size of a ping-pong ball:

By the third or fourth day, you can expect to feed your infant every 1.5 to 3 hours, or 8 to 12 times per day. But be flexible! Let your infant determine when and how long she wants to feed - she is the best judge of her hunger and stomach fullness.

For more information about this topic, download this Little Baby Bellies Handout from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.