How can you insure the baby is getting a full feeding--so you can put them down and leave them down?

At the very beginning, this is the hardest thing to know. Especially if you are breastfeeding…but if you will pump each time after you feed the baby, you can document whether or not the baby is draining you at each feeding…then you would at least know that they are getting everything they are asking your body for…
I was not ever the best person about solely doing breastfeeding—I was a little too anal retentive about KNOWING they were full before I put them down so that I could check that off the list of things to worry about…but I did breastfeed and pump and could tell a difference in myself and my baby when they had drained me and were full and when they weren’t. When you are not breastfeeding—I have always been told the baby will spit up once they are too full, so if they want more—give it to them. BUT, I had a friend when Easton was little that would say that her daughter could drink a 10 oz bottle at 1 month old and still cry for more…that is crazy! So, my answer would be to feed them based on "TTOB" (their time on breast) and then have your playtime and then let them sleep—if you do that for a week and the baby does not appear to sleep, they may need more food…