return to work, amount of milk needed??

[bfmomworries]

How many ounces of bm should I intend on my daughter eating when I am at work (9 hours gone total)? She weighs 11 lbs currently and will be 3.5 months old when I start back to work (which is in 3 weeks).
I plan to nurse her as close to my leaving time as possible, and plan on nursing her as soon as I pick her up or get home to her.

Thanks!

[whitnessforhim]

Here's a link that will help you calculate how much you will need:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

Sometimes it just depends on the baby. Some babies take in the minimal amount and hold out till mommys home. It is also easy to over feed a baby on a bottle so be aware of that.

FWIW my DD (now 9mo.) eats around 8-10oz of EBM in my absence and uses the evening hours to make up for some missed nursing sessions.

[bfmomworries]

Thanks for the link. I figured kellymom had something, but I am not savvy to navigate the site yet. I need a tutorial, so much info, but I just don't get the layout yet!

I hope my baby does the same, I hate the thought of missing the nursing with her, but while I don't make a ton of money at my job, the insurance coverage can't be beat by my husbands:( so back to work I go!

[whitnessforhim]

Sounds like your doing what you gotta do to take care of your family! Nothing wrong with that.

I'm sure she will miss them too! Just be prepared for the possibility of nursing a little more at night. Once you get in a routine you'll feel much better about it all.

[bfmomworries]

Thanks for the heads up on nursing more at night possibility. Hadn't thought about that, but atleast that will save me from coming here asking if that's normal, LOL:)

Thanks again for the help!