How much EBM does your baby take per feeding when you are away and how ofte...

[Grace_underfire]

I have been back to work for a couple of weeks and I am not sure if I am pumping enough. My mom says that Jack does not seem to be satisfied with 4 oz. He will be 3 months on the 15th and weighs around 15 lbs.
I am trying to get 6 oz per pumping session but it can be tough. Any tips? What do your babies do? Also how often do they take a bottle of EBM when you are away?

[McCabe1_0]

Does your son nurse on both sides at each feeding of just one?

My son is 4 1/2 mo and rarely takes more than 2-3 oz of EBM from the bottle and he wants it every 1-2 hrs(just getting him to take the bottle at all has been a battle) but I know he gets more from the breast because when I pump I get 4-5 oz from each side.

Here are some tips that have helped me pump/produce more so my husband wouldn't go crazy when he is home alone: Make sure you drink LOTS of water/juice etc, I notice a HUGE (I can only get 2-3 oz from each side) difference in milk production if I am not well hydrated. Try pumping both sides at once - this produces a much stronger let down for me that one side at a time. Use a a good pump - I have the Medela Pump in Style and it is great, 8 oz in 5 min for me. Pump after you nurse, this makes your body think it needs to produce more and you may notice an increase in milk in the next 24-36 hrs. I have been pumping like mad since WB was 4 weeks so I now have a freezer full.

If all else fails and you just can get enough for him, ask you pediatrician what to supplement with.

Good Luck

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Logan started at the babysitter when she was 4 months old, and I started with 4 oz per bottle, but she soon wanted more than that, so I went to the bigger bottles. I think once we got into a routine, she realized that there would be no breasts during the day and she had better tuck in and eat from the bottle.

I send three bottles of 6 oz each and one bottle of 4 oz. Most days she only drinks the big bottles, but some days she wants another snack and drinks that fourth one. She is at the babysitter from 7:30 AM until 5:30 PM three days a week. (just started 4 days a week today)

She still drinks that amount now and she is 9 and a half months old.

I pump in the morning at 5:30 AM before she wakes up to eat and I get at least 6 oz, or more if she didn't wake up to eat that night. I pump twice at work, and get 6 oz each time. (the two bottles from work go in the freezer and I send two frozen bottles so we are rotating the stash by date) If I don't have a fresh bottle left over at the end of the week, I pump on the weekend to be ready for Monday.

I had a large stash in the freezer before I went back to work, so I don't have to worry if I have a low production one day. You might want to try pumping on the weekend to build up a surplus so you have extra in the freezer.

Edited to add some tips:
- when you pump, let the pump keep running after the milk stops coming out for a few minutes, this will help signal your body that you need more, and sometimes you will get another letdown for another ounce or so

- try breast compressions while pumping. I just sort of squeeze and massage my breasts while pumping, experiment and see what works for you. When the milk stops coming out, this will get some more.

- make sure your pump is in good working order and put together correctly. When my output is down, I replace the valves in my pump, and usually that was the problem. Or sometimes my husband doesn't screw the bottles in tightly when he puts it together and then there is not as much suction

- the best tip I got here from Lori - set the suction low and the speed high until the letdown happens, and then turn the suction up high and the speed low. That best mimics the way a baby eats, fast sucks to get the letdown and then slow draws to get the milk out.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[hez]

Karen,

Thanks for posting your tips & experience. I go back to work and DS goes to a sitter tomorrow, and I was starting to get a little worried. He went for a couple half days last week, and would only take 1-2 ounces over the 4-5 hours he was there each day. The sitter was starting to freak out a little-- the youngest she sits for now is 18 months old, and he was a formula fed baby who never had bottle issues. We did two bottle-only days this weekend (10 hours a piece, since that's how long he'd be there), and he ended up taking 9 1/2 and 11 1/2 ounces (in about 2 ounce increments). We're nursing today so that I don't get all screwed up for the rest of the week.

Anyway, it's comforting to know that Logan started to take more as time went on. We at least have gotten over the 'what the heck is this bottle' hump, and now it's on to the 'guess I've gotta eat this way' hump. I'm hoping we get the routine down quickly, too.

Thanks!