Ballpark of how much breastmilk to give?

[cileag]

I have to return to work and have started pumping and giving a bottle to my breastfed daughter--actually my husband gives the bottle. But I realized I have no idea how much he should feed her.

I get 2-5 oz of milk from each breast when I pump, but 10 oz max seems like way too much for one feeding for a 5 week old. I know every baby is different, but what are some ballpark figures for how much a baby should eat? I'm also trying to make sure I have enough milk to leave my husband with when I return to work--and I have to work 12 hour shifts, so at least 3-5 feedings.

[_betsy_]

Congrats on your new baby!

I usually get 4-5 ounces total each time I pump. I pump 3 times during an 8-hour shift, and that's keeping up with DD2's (and, previously DD1's when she was nursing) demand.

DD2 tends to nurse and bottle feed similarly, wanting relatively small amounts (like 2-3 ounces) every couple of hours. She's 11 months old now and takes between 12 and 14 ounces (usually more like 12) when I'm gone for 8 hours. Even now at 11 months, getting solids 2 times a day or so, she's still taking the same amount of milk.

The first few shifts, if you can spare it leave way more milk than you think she'll need. You'll soon figure out how much she'll take while you're gone. Freeze any excess. You can get double-locking bags that you can freeze flat. I just pop them into a gallon sized Ziplock bag by date after they're frozen.

With DD1, we burned through my freezer stash when I first went back. With DD2, I wasn't going to do that again, so I had a larger freezer stash, which she barely touched in the first few months. So, you just never know, each baby is different.

[OperaDiva]

My 11 week old generally eats 3-4 ounces at a feeding and has since 5 weeks, but it really depends on the day. Lately he's decided he really dislikes bottles, so he only ate 2-3 ounces in the entire 7 hours I was gone last time (I only work 1 day a week). In general, I would say plan 3 ounces per bottle, 5-6 bottles, and adjust if he doesn't eat that much, which he most likely won't.

[Bokonon]

There is some good info about this here.

[Llyra]

I exclusively pumped for DD1, starting at about 6 weeks. At that age, she would take anywhere between 1 and 4 ounces at a time, depending on the time of day and how long it'd been since she last was fed. I think it ran anywhere from 20 to 24 ounces in 24 hours. She did gradually increase that over the months, so that it was about 30 ounces in 24 hours by the time she started solids.

I would make little two to three ounce bottles, and let your DH feed baby as much as baby seems to want. An ounce an hour is a good estimate, I'd say.

If you make small bottles, it's easy for DH to go get another one if needed, but if baby doesn't finish one, there's not that much milk going to waste. Make sure he's feeding her in a semi-upright position, so that it's easier for her to turn her head away to show she's done, and that he understands not to urge her to take more than she wants. Sometimes babies will take a LOT from a bottle because the flow is hard to control, and then they take too much during the time you're away and won't nurse when you're home with them. That happened with DD2 when I started working again. Start with two ounces, burp baby and see if baby seems content. Then offer more if baby seems to want it. That's what I would do.

[bubbamummy]

I exclusively pumped for my son from 10 days old to 11.5 months old. At 5 weeks he would take 3oz every 3 hours. At around 3 months it went up to 4oz every 3 hrs and stayed that way for months and months. It was only around 8 months that he began (occasionally) wanting 5oz (still, every 3-4hrs) He was a big boy too, 17lbs 10oz at 4 months.

[mama24-7]

I had emailed w/ a woman a while back who had an in home day care of largely breastfed babies. She said on average they'd take 1-1.5 oz per hour they were separated from mom. Storing in small amounts avoids waste - 2 oz or so. She also said that some moms encourage their babies to reverse cycle - to sleep more while away from mom & eat more while w/ her. It's not much different than a baby who sleeps a long stretch at night.

Good luck!
Sus

[cileag]

Thanks wise mothers! That's exactly the kind of info I needed---and thanks for the Kellymom.com page, I hadn't even thought to look there.

[haydn'smommy]

I went back to work when my newbie was almost 8 wks. I sent 3oz bottles and they tried feeding him every 2 hrs. But he wouldn't take all of it being fed that close together. Now, 5 wks later, I send 3-4oz bottles and they feed him around 2.5-3hrs depending on his mood. I am gone from him for 9 hrs and he takes anywhere from 9-12 oz while I'm gone (and this also depends on who's working in his room that day).
Be sure that you are very specific with what you want. For instance, I am going to have to sit down and have a talk with one of his "teachers" this week and try to convince her that she needs to stop feeding him a 3 oz bottle at 4:30p when I will be there in less than 15min and can feed him myself.