Question for b/f's and expressers

[Bec L]

Hi

I know when we b/f we have no way of knowing how much we give our LOs, but how do you know how much to give in an expressed bottle? At night my husband gives LO whatever I have expressed in the day (usually around 90mls/3oz) Sometimes she guzzles it down and other nights she seems to struggle and doesn't always finish. But whatever she does she will ALWAYS want more from me afterwards.

Tonight I have about 6oz that I could give her in a bottle but I am pretty sure she won't take all of it and I don't want to waste it so I will just give her half in her bottle.

But if I ever needed to only give her a bottle ie if I had had a drink or had to leave her with someone for some reason, how would I know how much milk she'd need??

Anyone got an advice?

 

[Mervs Mum]

I make expressed bottles according to how much FF babies take ie what it says on the formula cartons for their age. Tonight I've been out and left 5 oz bottles

 

[Bec L]

Thanks Mervs Mum. And does your LO always finish a 5oz feed?

 

[Mervs Mum]

she seems to. I think I'll leave her 6 oz from now though coz she generally drains 5.

 

[Lucy&Pard]

yeah I tend to leave a bit more than formula like an ounce more as its so quickly digested.

 

[Bec L]

How do you all manage to pump so much?!!

 

[Mervs Mum]

I pump over a few days

I pump in the morning and get between 3 and 5 oz now (I havent always - I started bearly getting 1oz!) and then I pump again in the afternoon. Once its all chilled to the same temp, I join the amounts together and freeze them!

 

[alice&bump]

i started by giving katie 2-3 oz when i expressed. she tended to go thru it dead quick and was quite often she needed more from the boob or a bit more in her bottle. she was having that as part of her monster feed in the evening, which lasts hours! she hasnt had a bottle in ages tho, cos i'm not finding it as tiring as i was now she's settled into a routine.

the last feed we gave her from a bottle, she just kept after more and more. she had about 5/6 oz (she was about 3 weeks at the time). it promptly came back up all down me, i got changed and even more came up!!

 

[bex]

Niamh is tube fed and is currently having 70mls every 3 hours. We were told this amount by a dietician, it was worked out by her weight (she was 8lb 11oz). I'm currently expressing for her.

 

[Bec L]

I pump over a few days

I pump in the morning and get between 3 and 5 oz now (I havent always - I started bearly getting 1oz!) and then I pump again in the afternoon. Once its all chilled to the same temp, I join the amounts together and freeze them!

Do you only express in order to give her a bottle when you are unable to feed her then? I am expressing twice a day in order for her to have a bottle from her Daddy at night and am not expressing enough for a full feed, let alone enough to freeze to stock up

 

[vicwick]

Bec L - I am in the same boat, i can only just manage about 1oz and it takes me ages!!!!!!

Does this increase with time??? Should i be expressing more than once a day??

 

[Sarah88]

I pump over a few days

I pump in the morning and get between 3 and 5 oz now (I havent always - I started bearly getting 1oz!) and then I pump again in the afternoon. Once its all chilled to the same temp, I join the amounts together and freeze them!

Do you only express in order to give her a bottle when you are unable to feed her then? I am expressing twice a day in order for her to have a bottle from her Daddy at night and am not expressing enough for a full feed, let alone enough to freeze to stock up

I found that if I need to get a whole heaps of milk stored up, i'll express whenever Savannah wakes up for a feed during the night and in the morning. Since your supply is highest at those times I find it helps heaps.

 

[Mervs Mum]

I pump over a few days

I pump in the morning and get between 3 and 5 oz now (I havent always - I started bearly getting 1oz!) and then I pump again in the afternoon. Once its all chilled to the same temp, I join the amounts together and freeze them!

Do you only express in order to give her a bottle when you are unable to feed her then? I am expressing twice a day in order for her to have a bottle from her Daddy at night and am not expressing enough for a full feed, let alone enough to freeze to stock up

Mainly yes - I've been pumping for specific reasons; I was going out saturday night and its her baptism on sunday and I want a couple of bottles just in case. You know you can express over a few days and add it together dont you?? BM keeps in your fridge for 5 days so you can gather a feed together. The more you pump the more you'll get - I spent a week pumping the opposite boob to the one I was feeding on to get a couple of bottles together.

 

[karenshaz]

Just wanted to say that the guidelines for EBM in fridge is 24 hours, there are lots of different storage containers out there to make freezing smaller quantities quite easy though.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Just wanted to say that the guidelines for EBM in fridge is 24 hours, there are lots of different storage containers out there to make freezing smaller quantities quite easy though.

Breast feeding network say longer...

https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/pdfs/BFNExpressing&Storing.pdf

 

[Shifter]

Just wanted to say that the guidelines for EBM in fridge is 24 hours, there are lots of different storage containers out there to make freezing smaller quantities quite easy though.

Breast feeding network say longer...

https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/pdfs/BFNExpressing&Storing.pdf

Yep. You can store breast milk at room temperature for 24 hours and, according to some sources, up to 8 days in the fridge.

 

[Bec L]

See I was told that if you want your baby to take a bottle at any stage you have to give them one every day or else futuristically they will refuse one if they're not used to it. I take it no one else works on this basis? If I was expressing for storage only I guess I could build up a bit of stock, but as it is I use it all up the same day.

Sarah - that's a good idea about expressing throughout the night too although it takes me long enough to feed and settle LO - if I expressed after that I think I'd get about 2 hours kip

xx

 

[Shifter]

See I was told that if you want your baby to take a bottle at any stage you have to give them one every day or else futuristically they will refuse one if they're not used to it. I take it no one else works on this basis?

I've never heard of this before. I know that if you introduce the bottle too soon babies can get nipple confusion and stop taking the breast altogether.

 

[Mervs Mum]

I've not heard of that either

 

[Bec L]

Hmm, my health visitor told me to introduce one by 6 weeks and to make sure she has it every night as if she doesn't have one for a couple of days she will 'forget' that she feeds from a bottle and won't take it again (which did actually happen to a friend of mine).