How much expressed milk in a bottle?

[Sarah125]

I used the milk calculator on kellymom website to estimate how much milk to put in my baby's bottle. The high range was under 2 oz so put 2oz of milk in her bottle.

My OH fed her slowly but she was still screaming in hunger after her bottle and didn't seem satisfied at all.

Just wondered how much I should be putting in her bottle? I understand you can over feed a breastfed baby only if you do express milk into a bottle? I don't want to give her too much!

Thank you

 

[ThunderPearls]

I didn't think that you could overfeed a baby at all regardless of what the milk type is :/ maybe if the teat is flowing too fast then the baby may take in more than is needed up then it should sick up what it can't stomach...

When my LO was 3wks old he was able to drink 3oz every 2 hours or sovof formula milk on top of 10/15minutes breastfeeding.

If your baby is hungry I would feed it. There is never a 'correct amount' to feed a baby... If baby was nursing from you then you would have no idea how much she was drinking, she would just stop when she was full, it should be the same for bottle feeding.

The rule I go by is put an extra 1/2-1oz in the bottle than you expext the baby to drink. The baby should never conpletely drain the bottle as that shows she is still hungry and could have drank more.

Hth

 

[Sarah125]

Thanks for the advice.

That all makes sense!

Next time she has a bottle I will just fill it up and see how she goes with that amount!

 

[CatherineK]

I have to respectfully disagree with thunder pearls advice. You CAN overhead a breastfed baby when using a bottle. Bottle feeding an EBF baby is different than formula! BF babies normally don't take more than 4 or so oz at a time. And since the milk changes content as they need it, it usually does not increase as they age. Do not overfill bottles! The last thing you want to to is regularly waste pumped Milk you've worke hard for. I'd start by freezing milk in two oz bags, that way you can do a 2oz bottle, them another if needed, until you figure out why woks for your baby. Use slow flow, have him feed in the BFing position, and take breaks. Kellymom website had great advice on bottle feeds a breastfed baby.
I've breastfed three kids while working full time, and they never had formula. If I used the above posters advice, I would not have succeeded! Good luck!

 

[ThunderPearls]

Thankyou I would go on the above posters advice, I got mine from my health visitor but after all if the rubbish advice they have given about other things I am not going to insist what they say about bottle feeding breastmilk is the best advice... I hve only been doing ebm bottles for the past two weeks so trust the mama with more experience

Just to add my own question though, when I feed my baby a 5oz bottle of breastmilk yet he still cries for another half oz does this just mean he is a greedy chunk? he isnt fat or anything, he is just under the 75th centile and following the curve so I doubt I am overfeeding him and he never sicks any up at all. Should I try and offer to feed 4oz more often instead of 5 oz less often? I feed on demand but maybe I should change to make him have smaller amouts considerin that is likely how it is going to be if I get hin back to the boob?

 

[CatherineK]

Four ounces is avg- once in a while my LO would take 5 or so, that may be normal for yours. But in a total of almost over two and a half years if bottle feeding while I work, the average bottle sizes were 3-4 oz. Smaller amounts more often more closely mimic how your body works

 

[Sarah125]

Thanks both of you.

I know what you mean about rubbish advice from health visitors Thunderpearls. Mine told me today not to feed my baby any more than every 2 hours then to slowly increase the amount of time she goes without a feed (i.e. first every 2 hours, then 2.5 hours etc) until I get to sleep a decent amount during the night. That surely is bad advice? She already told me a few weeks ago that I'm overfeeding my baby. That was before I introduced a bottle

Thanks Catherine. I have been freezing in 2oz increments. The bottle I filled to try was only 4 oz full anyway. She had the entire bottle and then I think she settled and went to sleep pretty soon after. I was asleep by then Is there a maximum amount she should take? I feel like she would just take whatever was on offer.

I had to leave the room whilst my OH fed her though otherwise she just cried. I think she prefers my boobs!

 

[Julesillini8]

I agree with Catherine's info. My baby right now refuses a bottle.... But my first daughter I gave expressed milk to and went back to work part time, thank goodness I didn't have problems with a bottle with her! I digress. When my first was a month old, I think she would take on average about 3 oz.... I would fill it with 3 oz, sometimes she would leave a tiny bit, sometimes she would take it all down like a champ, but she didn't starve after. Anyhow, that is my experience with a baby taking a bottle at that age. As time went on, she really did average about 4 oz, sometimes a tiny more, sometimes a tiny less, but it did seem like that was a decent meal for her throughout the rest of the year I nursed. I had friends that were formula feeding like 7-8 oz and I was like holy crap! But my daughter was a very healthy weight and was getting plenty! I do think breastfed babies are diff than formula fed babies in terms of when it comes to taking a bottle.