a. Observe.

(1) Behavior (crying, content, short sleeper).

(2) Measure either fluid intake from bottle fed newborn or number of minutes at each breast.

(3) Watch for signs of dehydration.

(4) Daily weights (evaluate increases and decreases).

(5) Elimination pattern.

(a) Dark, concentrated urine means too little fluid intake.

(b) Hard stools mean too little fluid intake.

(c) Frequency of stools or urine.

(6) Low-grade temperatures and/or increasing, weak pulses.

b. Determine impact of your observations over a 24-hour period rather than at each feeding.