Pumping Milk for your Baby

Dr. Ruth Lawrence, professor, author and researcher, serves on Breastfeeding.com's medical advisory board.  Dr. Lawrence is a professor of pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester.  She is also director of the university's Breastfeeding and Human Lactation Study Center.  Dr. Lawrence has answered many of your questions on pumping and storing breastmilk.  Look for more of Dr. Lawrence's answers to your questions next week!

Dr. Lawrence is the author of "Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession," the standard medical reference book for breastfeeding.  She was one of eight doctors who helped the American Academy of Pediatrics draft its 1997 policy statement supporting breastfeeding.

Can I mix milk from different pumping sessions?

I returned to work last week and have been pumping and storing milk.  I have a couple of questions.  First, can I add milk from a current pumping session into an amount that was collected earlier and already cooled?

Second, I don't think Theo is eating enough while I am away. For example, last week he was with his caregiver for 7 hours and he would only take 6 oz of milk and 1/4 of a small avocado. When I arrived home he was starving and nursed on and off all evening.  This pattern continued all week.  How can I be sure he is getting enough to eat? 





To answer your first question, the important point here is the time interval. We are very concerned about what we call layering - collecting a little bit, then a little bit more, and opening the container multiple times.  Every time you open the container you introduce an opportunity for contamination. If, however, it is within the same day and the milk is well cooled, it should be OK.  We are more concerned when you add fresh milk to frozen milk.  This partially thaws the frozen milk and freezing and thawing does affect the quality of the milk. 

Regarding your second question...  I would presume you probably fed him just before leaving him with a caregiver.  It is helpful also to feed your baby right when you pick him up.  With respect to a small amount of avocado as solid food, what many mothers decide to do is have the solids given when the baby is with the caregiver, since only you can nurse your baby. Ultimately, it may be that your baby will take more solids when at the caregiver and then nurse more with you.  It is very normal for Theo not to take as many fluids when he is at daycare, but also remember that this may change over time.  Give it another week to see if he increases his fluid intake as he gets used to the bottle.  As long as you are convinced that your caregiver is making every reasonable effort to feed your baby, you shouldn't worry.  He may just decide to wait for you to nurse.  From a nutritional standpoint, as long as he makes up by nursing more when you are with him in the morning and evening, this is probably okay.

As babies get older in daycare they tend to do what other kids are doing.  When other kids are eating, he will probably learn to eat too.  So, the situation will likely improve over time.



 

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