Need help from breastfeeding experts :)

[nikkiARNGwife]

We're doing great and I'm so proud of that b/c since Avery was a preemie we just had issues with b/f and had to supplement with formula. So I'm so relieved that Ella is doing so well with feedings and I'm not having any supply issues like I did with Avery. My question is about expressing milk for bottles to leave with my mom etc. when I go somewhere. At 3 wks how much expressed milk should she be getting? Like I know she nurses about 10 minutes per side and is full but I have no idea how much she's actually getting kwim?...so when I pump what's my goal as far as oz for a 3 wk old? I'd just like to store up some for when I need to leave her and I'm clueless as to how much she needs per feeding. Any advice?

[Neeny]

I'm not sure on ounces at that age because I didn't start giving bottles until about 2 to 3 months and then he was taking about 4 -5 ounces. I would suggest you save up as much as possible, because everyone I know that pumped when going back to work including myself had their milk supply start to slow down so just keep pumping away and store as much as possible. My little boy was taking about 4-5 ounces at about 5 months once he was in daycare about every 3 to 4 hours. I hope that helps.

[rochelle789]

Probably just a couple of ounces at this point. You could pump once and see how much you get. That's probably about the amount that she's getting. It might take you a few days to get a reliable letdown with the pump though.

[LenaGardner]

yep, just maybe a few ounces...2 to 3 perhaps? It can totally vary! Don't be too afraid to leave your mom a bit of formula either, if you are comfortable with it. From a few weeks on, I've allowed Parker to have a bit of formula if I'm not home and he's done ok. Good luck

[lovely1m]

I always left 4 ounces per bottle no matter how old he was and it was always good. He never needed any more and would only occasionally take in less. It is stressful not knowing if its enough, I know.

[kresta]

I always tried to leave around 4 ounces until my children were older and needed 8. But that was a long while later. You certainly shouldn't need any more than 4 right now. And your mom could give it to her in 2 oz. increments, so it would be easier to save the extra 2 if she didn't want it right away.

[Laura_A]

I'm guessing she's prolly only taking about 2-3 ounces per feeding, but to be safe, I would make sure you leave at least two 4 oz bottles. Breastmilk takes a while to go bad, so don't worry about it sitting out for a couple hours and if you don't use it, freeze it for a later time. It never hurts to have a bunch stored up.

These are the general time frames I learned in my BF class which I followed with no problems...

8 hours at room temp, 8 days in the refridgerator, 3 months in a top freezer and 6 months in a deep freezer

Good luck!

[Paula]

I agree with everyone else - four ounces is good to leave.

[lizzyfizzy]

at about 4-5 weeks, i could always express about 2 oz. per side.

HTH

[SeattleSheri]

There is definitely some variability between infants, but I agree that 4oz is pretty standard.

[rochelle789]

Originally Posted by lizzyfizzy

at about 4-5 weeks, i could always express about 2 oz. per side.

HTH

Really? My baby is 11 months, and I've never pumped more than 2.5 ounces per side. At daycare she's never eaten more than 5 ounces in her bottles. She's a bitty thing.

[heatherdumas]

Nikki, I breastfed my first 3 and pumped for the twins. It was too much work to nurse two at the same time. And they only took 2-3 oz for the first month or so. But a word of warning.... stay away from garlic. It makes babies crampy. And if you freeze or refridgerate you may forget that you had garlic, but baby won't. And no babysitter deserves a gassy baby.