So mad at daycare!

[Calif]

I've been pumping enough milk for the next day all except for a few days. But daycare already used 40 oz of my freezer stash in 2 weeks! I have no idea how. They should have used only 12 oz or so according to their sheets that tell me how much he ate that day. They claim they don't throw away or waste milk. At this rate I will deplete my freezer stash by next month. I can try to increase my daytime pumping but because baby is starting to sleep longer at night every time I try to pump more during the day I get plugged ducts at night. I already feed him twice at night and get up once to pump and save. I pump 11-12oz during the day and he takes only 9-12oz during the day. I don't know what else I can do. I'm going to cry!

 

[Rachel_C]

Perhaps its their policy not to waste breastmilk but maybe somebody has been over-zealously cleaning up and hasn't realised your LO's bottles have breastmilk in them rather than formula? Such a shame but I can sort of see why it might happen... and I'd rather some breastmilk was thrown away than some formula kept and reused, yuk!

I'm sure I've seen some stickers for bottles of breastmilk, could you get some of those for LO's bottles to make it really obvious what's inside? I know Lactivist in the UK used to do "100% Mummy Milk" ones but they're closing down Perhaps something like this - https://www.milkitkit.com/products/breastmilk-labels - at least they're distinctive and you can write "Do not throw away" on them. Or just use a Sharpie with some clear tape over the top

 

[Noo]

Surely once it has been heated it'd be thrown away if not used?

Are they feeding more regularly than you would at home? I think really the only solution is to pump more - Particularly during the night. Pump after each feed for a good 15 minutes both sides to get your supply up as if they continue the way they're going then you'll need to start sending in something to supplement with as you'll not be sending enough milk.

Are you not sending each day's supply in separately? I'd be rationing it out so each day has a set amount they need to split between feeds with perhaps only 1 feed in addition in case baby wants more. I don't think many unless mothers themselves who pumped/BF would understand how much EBM is like liquid gold and can't just be added to willy nilly.

I do think your only option really is to increase your fluids and pump more.

 

[ChimChims]

I am so out of touch. Is 12oz enough for a four month old? How long is lo there, and are you sure there isn't maybe a growth spurt? Perhaps they're not writing down the ounces correctly. Sorry you're going through this!

 

[Noo]

I am so out of touch. Is 12oz enough for a four month old? How long is lo there, and are you sure there isn't maybe a growth spurt? Perhaps they're not writing down the ounces correctly. Sorry you're going through this!

My LO will quite easily take 4-5oz EMB each feed though I tend to just nurse so to me 9-12oz doesn't seem a lot. I'd be looking at needing to send 15-20oz if sending 3-4 feeds at a month old as he feeds 3 hourly.

 

[seaweed eater]

12 oz is plenty. The guideline is 1-1.25 oz per hour and depending on your work day, 12 is probably more than that. So it's great that you are keeping up!

I don't know what to say about daycare. Throwing out leftovers seems the most likely to me. I would ask them and get to the bottom of it, though. But don't worry about pumping more if you are keeping up (even if your freezer stash is shrinking). You may have to send smaller bottles if you are ending up with a lot left over, but you should aim to pump as much as you are sending or just a little more. Much more, and you put yourself at risk for plugged ducts and such, as you said.

 

[noon_child]

I think it is 12oz on top of what she has been pumping for the next day. i.e she pumps, gives that to daycare the next day but has also given them some of her "stash" just in case they need more.

I agree a growth spurt could be behind it - especially if you haven't got the baby's sucking to stimulate production and you are just pumping the same amount you usually would.

 

[noon_child]

12 oz is plenty. The guideline is 1-1.25 oz per hour and depending on your work day, 12 is probably more than that.

It is 12oz in two weeks though, not per day.

 

[Calif]

Yea I pump into bags and they make the bottles. I usually pump around 12oz. But it seems what is happening is sometimes they make a 3oz bottle and he is still hungry after so they give him a 3oz bottle and he eats only 1oz and if he refuses for a certain time it needs to be thrown out. So they give him a 4oz bottle next time and sometimes he only takes 3oz! So unless he takes that last ounce in the next hour or so, it gets dumped.

I never realized before how much waste goes into bottle feeding. You can't make LO eat a specific amount.

I just have to pump more like suggested.

I'm starting to pump and bag into 4oz bags so they can make 4oz bottles, but I think to feed him 12oz per day, I need to pump 15oz to have enough.

I don't think it's their fault, they are learning and my baby is learning to have bottles. I wish he can always take 4oz no more no less per feeding, but that's the disadvantage of bottle vs breast.

 

[seaweed eater]

My understanding was that 12oz is both the quantity you pump per day, OP, and the quantity that was used from your stash over the course of 2 weeks?

Other people should share their experiences, but mine is in daycare and they actually waste very little milk. I sent 3-3.5 oz bottles and he almost always finished them. Maybe smaller bottles would help?

If you do have to pump extra, keep in mind that you will have to pump that much extra on the weekends too so that you and LO don't end up with oversupply-related problems.

 

[misspriss]

I would switch to making up the bottles yourself and sending them instead of letting them make them. FWIW, I make 2oz bottles. At one point, he had 4 per day, sometimes 5, sometimes 3. I would leave 5 bottles per day, and that was plenty. Sometimes, if it is how I pump, I make some of them 1-1.5 ounces! That way he can have a "top up" bottle, without having to start a whole new full bottle.

Obviously, they are not being as cautious about waste of BM as they should be.

Yes, I would definitely take control of the bottle making process. There is no reason he should take 4 oz at each feed, unless he is hungry enough. Making smaller bottles would allow them to just feed him a small one, then if he is hungry a second.

Also make sure the nipples aren't so fast flow he chokes down all the milk really fast, that can cause a BF baby to eat more than usual, because they kind of have to with some bottles.

 

[Dk1234]

I'd start making some bags with just an ounce in it. Maybe make up about 10 of those and that way they have an emergency stash. Then have them always offer 3 ounces. They can get more if they need it.

 

[Calif]

My understanding was that 12oz is both the quantity you pump per day, OP, and the quantity that was used from your stash over the course of 2 weeks?

Other people should share their experiences, but mine is in daycare and they actually waste very little milk. I sent 3-3.5 oz bottles and he almost always finished them. Maybe smaller bottles would help?

If you do have to pump extra, keep in mind that you will have to pump that much extra on the weekends too so that you and LO don't end up with oversupply-related problems.

I pump about 12oz a day and I had to leave work early a few times so by my calculation they should have used 12oz of my freezer stash in 2 weeks. Instead, they used 40oz of my freezer stash in 2 weeks on top of what I pump every day.


I can't make the bottles. The daycare policy is they will only take milk in bags. I am starting to make 4oz bags though. Before I would just pump twice at work and give 6oz bags. I won't make 2oz or smaller bags because they just combine them before warming.

I have the lansinoh momma slow flow nipples with dr brown 4oz wide bottles. The flow is very slow.

 

[misspriss]

My understanding was that 12oz is both the quantity you pump per day, OP, and the quantity that was used from your stash over the course of 2 weeks?

Other people should share their experiences, but mine is in daycare and they actually waste very little milk. I sent 3-3.5 oz bottles and he almost always finished them. Maybe smaller bottles would help?

If you do have to pump extra, keep in mind that you will have to pump that much extra on the weekends too so that you and LO don't end up with oversupply-related problems.

I pump about 12oz a day and I had to leave work early a few times so by my calculation they should have used 12oz of my freezer stash in 2 weeks. Instead, they used 40oz of my freezer stash in 2 weeks on top of what I pump every day.


I can't make the bottles. The daycare policy is they will only take milk in bags. I am starting to make 4oz bags though. Before I would just pump twice at work and give 6oz bags. I won't make 2oz or smaller bags because they just combine them before warming.

I have the lansinoh momma slow flow nipples with dr brown 4oz wide bottles. The flow is very slow.

Oh. That is frustrating. I dislike transferring milk often, because of the transfer loss. I would make 3 or 4 oz bags then, but expect some loss.

We tried the Lansinoh slow flow ones, used them for 2 days and they were really fast for us. Caused pretty bad nipple confusion when I first went back to work. I cried the whole first weekend after I went back because he wouldn't take the breast! Anyway.

There is not much else I can suggest to help, it's your milk and your baby though. I would TELL THEM to feed him 2 oz at a time, leave 2 oz bags, and leave 6 of them. There should be no reason they can't offer him 2 oz at once, he is YOUR child, you can say, within reason, how he is supposed to eat.

Do they not give you a log at the end of the day? My LO has never been to daycare, but my supervisor at work tells me all the time how he gets logs of when and how his daughter ate, how many dirty diapers she had at what time, etc. Then you would know how much they were offering him and when they did?

 

[Noo]

My understanding was that 12oz is both the quantity you pump per day, OP, and the quantity that was used from your stash over the course of 2 weeks?

Other people should share their experiences, but mine is in daycare and they actually waste very little milk. I sent 3-3.5 oz bottles and he almost always finished them. Maybe smaller bottles would help?

If you do have to pump extra, keep in mind that you will have to pump that much extra on the weekends too so that you and LO don't end up with oversupply-related problems.

I pump about 12oz a day and I had to leave work early a few times so by my calculation they should have used 12oz of my freezer stash in 2 weeks. Instead, they used 40oz of my freezer stash in 2 weeks on top of what I pump every day.


I can't make the bottles. The daycare policy is they will only take milk in bags. I am starting to make 4oz bags though. Before I would just pump twice at work and give 6oz bags. I won't make 2oz or smaller bags because they just combine them before warming.

I have the lansinoh momma slow flow nipples with dr brown 4oz wide bottles. The flow is very slow.

Make smaller bags and mark with "top up bag" plus normal size ones.

 

[seaweed eater]

I've never heard of a daycare that won't feed milk in the quantities you say. The bag policy is weird to me too but whatever...they should still be willing to feed only 4oz if you give them 4oz bags! I would be very surprised (and alarmed, frankly) if not.

 

[korndogger123]

I have to make the bottles before hand they don't take bags. But, I send four 5oz bottles. They throw "left-overs" out after and hour.

 

[Etoiles]

I'm so sorry to hear this! As someone who has problems with getting enough milk having so much wasted would drive me crazy and extremely angry to say the least.

Can you have a serious talk with them about the way they are treating your breastmilk? It sounds like they are treating it like formula, even though it is not. There is not an unlimited supply!

I would think they should be able to use smaller bags of milk and not waste so much or at least use top off bags as other suggested. If they couldn't follow my directions for that, I would wonder what else they could not follow directions for.

I hope you are able to get this resolved. Maybe not give them so much extra so they cannot waste as much. I would be hard pressed to trust them with much extra milk.

 

[Julesillini8]

I'd start making some bags with just an ounce in it. Maybe make up about 10 of those and that way they have an emergency stash. Then have them always offer 3 ounces. They can get more if they need it.

This! Stick with your 3 oz bags. Then have a few once ounce portions so they can just add an ounce here or there when needed. My friend used a freezer tray or homemade baby food cube tray, they are one ounce portions. Freeze milk in those then empty the cube once frozen into a little bag. Then they want be wasting a whole 3 oz bag when baby is still hungry and you won't be wasting ounces if your baby doesn't drink the whole 4 oz bottle....