Pumping Amount Question

[bh310]

I will be heading back to work in the next 3 weeks. I plan on pumping during the workday and will be bf my ds during my lunch hour. I'm hopeful that he really won't need but 2-3 bottles during the day.

Here's my question. Right now my ds is approx 6lbs 6oz (he was premature and is still pretty small), but during a breastfeeding he is eating about 1 1/2 oz - 2oz. I've been working with a LC so we weigh him before and after feeding. He is eating about 12 times a day right now too.

When I pump now I can't get more than 1 1/2 oz, when he was in the NICU I got 4 oz, I'm concerned that when I return to work he will want more than 2oz each feeding so how do I keep up?

I've been taking an herbal supplement for a week and I am planning on starting to pump after 4-5 feedings each day to build up.

How much does a breastfed baby generally eat by bottle? How long between feedings?

[Stephanie]

It is really hard to tell, but I would start sending a few 1.5-2oz bottles. If you feed him right when you get to dcp, at lunch, and right before you leave, he could probably get by with 2 bottles. He may decide he just wants to wait it out until you around, too.

It may take a few days of experimenting to figure out what he wants. I would also make sure you discuss with dcp feeding habits of breastfed babies. Many times they are used to formula fed babies, who eat more, less often.

[Mocosita]

There's a formula out there, I hope some of the ladies post it (I can't seem to find it right at this moment) that based on the babies weight you can figure out how many oz per day the baby should be eating. You can then divide that # by the # of feedings (or frequency per day) and have an estimate of how much oz to have for daycare. I added two feedings to my results just in case.
Eventually your baby will get on a schedule and you will know how much to plan for.

When I went back my ds was 12 weeks, he was having 3 (3 oz) bottles in an 8 hr shift. He was about 16 lbs at that time. Then he gradually increased to 4oz, and then dropped one feeding to now (at 7 1/2 months_)only having two 6 oz bottles in an 8 hr shift.

[bh310]

I'm hoping that he will only need 2oz at a time, I can't pump right now more than an ounce, maybe an ounce and a half in the morning. But he nurses ever 2 hours for 30-45 minutes each time so I'm hopeful that I wll be able to pump more when he actually misses a feeding.

I'm not sure if there is anything else I can do to get more milk to come out while pumping, but I really want him to be on just breastmilk for the first year, and longer if possible.

My mother will be keeping him and she is very understanding and supportive of bfing, so no worries on what she will offer him.

[momoffaith]

Your body will have to readjust to the pumping. Your output will increase. My DD was born 8lb 10 oz and when I returned to work at 8 weeks she only ate 3 times in my absense 2 oz bottles. Give your body time to adjust to the change and your babe will be fine.

Stephanie offered great advice.

[Mary_Mary]

If you are planning to pump several times a day until you go back to work, I would suggest pumping on one side while your son nurses on the other. The football hold works best for this. Experiment with pillows and prop him up to leave your hands free while nursing/pumping.

Once you're done pumping, switch your son to the side you pumped and let him empty that breast out completely. Even if you only get 1/2 to an ounce each time you do this it will add up over the course of the day. If you manage to pump 2 ounces over the course of one day then that means that your body has been stimulated to produce 2 more ounces by the next day.

This is what I do when I need to increase my supply. After each pumping session I put the milk in the fridge, usually about an ounce each time. By the time I pump the third time the first two bottles are equally chilled so I combine them. By the time I pump the next time the previous bottle is chilled so I combine it with the previously chilled milk and so on until I get the amount I want in the bottle (for me that's 3-4 ounces.) I usually label the first bottle with the information required by day care, which includes the date the milk was expressed.

If I end up combining milk from two days I always label it with the earliest date.

The only real issue with combining chilled milk is that the cream separates and tends to cling to the side of the bottle. If it hasn't been in there for long it generally swirls in fairly easily. If there's any still clinging I will warm the bottle slightly with my hands, which is usually enough to loosen the chillled cream.

By continuing to pump in this way even on days that I don't work it makes it easier to pump (due to a slight oversupply) on the days that I DO work. On Fridays I usually freeze any milk I have left. (Some people don't bother to freeze, they just save the milk for Monday. It'll still be fine...the only potential problem would be if you have a lipase imbalance. (I do, which causes my milk to smell 'soapy' after two days in the refrigerator, which is why I pastuerize and freeze on Fridays.)

I started pumping while nursing one weekend because I'd gotten lazy about pumping and had exhausted my freezer stash and needed the milk for when I worked on Monday. At the time I only needed two 3oz bottles for day care (I work part-time) and my daughter was nursing 3-4 times during the day. I figured that if I got an extra ounce at each session on both Saturday and Sunday then I'd be good for Monday and that's how it worked out.

[TayNRobbiesMom]

Yay! d/s went w/ MIL overnite which left me no choice but to pump (for someone thinking just a week ago about EPING I am lazy and would rather b/f him then pump ANY day) b/c of this DH has been pretty left out of feedings/giving tiny bit of form.

I've wanted to freeze some just in case to use as lil form. as possible ( i know many women dont use any at all...but..) and for DH so I can go out w/ our daughter sometimes for short outings! I'm so excited LOL. im a nut...

[oomaumau04]

My dd only ate an oz. or 2 at that age. In fact, at 6 months, she will still only take about 2-3 oz. from a bottle. I don't think she likes them much. Lol. I would just leave a couple 2 oz. bottles and take a little frozen milk to use as backup, just in case. You will get more when you're away from babe. I find I get more milk if I pump at the same time every day, and rest a bit beforehand. :)

[ScrapperMom]

With my last child, I pumped more to get more. It worked for me.