Advice on pumping to introduce the occasional bottle

[Kanichen34]

Hi Ladies,

Looking for advice please - I have been exclusively breastfeeding for 5 weeks and Hubby would like us to start introducing the occasional bottle so that he can give me a break or so we could leave her with her grandparents for an hour or two. To do this I obviously need to build up a milk stock. How do I go about this? How much should I pump and when? Imogen feeds very regularly so my breasts rarely feel full but I know I have a good supply as sometimes it flows too fast for her and when I do pump I can get an ounce in a few minutes. Is my best bet to pump at night if she has only taken one breast? We normally average 3 hours between feeds over night. Also if hubby does give a bottle how much should we put in it to start with? Obviously I have no idea how many ounces she takes in a normal feed - her average feed is 10minutes and as I say I have a fast flow so I guess I could time how long it takes me to pump and ounce and estimate??

 

[Disneygrl]

Yes, I would pump for the same time she is usually on the breast. For me, it's ten minutes too. The only thing is my lo cant drink more than 2.5 to 3 ounces at a time or she gets sick, where i get 4-5oz when i pump (her sucking isnt as fast). I would start with what you pump out then adjust it. To introduce a bottle, I would just replace a feed with pumping. I pump both breasts at the same time, so I get two bottles worth, but if your lo drinks one, pump the other. I hope that helps.

 

[src]

I pumped one breast while feeding for awhile to build up a stock. I did it during the middle of the night feed or first morning, when I felt the fullest. After a couple weeks, we started giving a bottle and I pumped both while my husband fed our son in addition to the single pump. I have a nice stockpile now for when I go back to work. Our pediatrician said to start with what I got from a pumping (2-3 ounces) and if he still seemed hungry to add another ounce until we figure out how much he likes to get in one feeding. 3-3.5 seems to be where he is satisfied, at six weeks old.

 

[calliebaby]

My son also takes about 3oz...sometimes 4oz at 7 weeks.