My almost 3-month old, 16 lb baby has been happily nursing on demand. He nurses about every hour and half or 2 hours. I'm going back to work soon and I am wondering how much pumped milk he should be getting? I tried to feed him the bottled breast milk but he can't seem to down more than 2 oz at a time. And then in an hour he'll want to eat more. Is this ok? Give him 2-3 oz every 2 hours or so?
That's exactly how much my little girl started out with! I sent her to daycare each day with 5 bottles filled about 2 oz each and she would feed every couple of hours (usually didn't get to the fifth bottle, but was an emergency bottle in case one spilled or she needed an extra feeding). It slowly increased. Your daycare provider will let you know when he needs more oz per bottle.
Congratulations!
Hi,
That describes my experience as well. I agree with the other mom's, baby knows best!
C.
I went through the same thing with my now 5 month old. I pumped a couple of times at work, which gave me a good 6-8 oz, give or take depending on the day. Just give her what you make from the day before. She also only took a couple of ounces at a time. It's amazing how they regulate themselves and get what they need. You'll be adding cereal to her diet in a month or so. Good luck.
Hi K.,
It's okay to have your breastfed baby fed pumped milk on demand just as he nurses on demand. He knows when he is hungry. If you are feeding him the bottle, he knows the breast is there and babies often don't take much when they know they can nurse - some babies won't take a bottle from mom at all (and it's really better if soeone else does the bottle feeding). He may take more when you are not there and it's someone else feeding the bottle. It's also common for a breastfed baby to "reverse cycle" when mom goes back to work - taking less milk during the day and eating more when mom is there and he can nurse
Good luck
BF babies tend to overeat when bottlefed because the bottle simply flows uncontrollably, and they are forced to swallow or choke. They cant control it like they can the breast. The rule of thumb is to take their weight and multiply it by 2.5. Then divide that by how many times they eat in a 24 hour cycle. That should give you the amount they should take per feeding, knowing it may vary, but it gives you a starting point. For him, that would be 16 lbs times 2.5 which is 40. Divide that by how many times a day he eats (if its every 2 hours on average) and get 3 oz or so. Hope that helps!
I breast and bottle fed both my kids because I worked. And when my kids got the bottle, treated it the same as I would if it was the breast. Feed on demand until their full. Don't force feed, so when they push the bottle away their done. Don't worry about how many oz he's eating. When he's full he's full and stop. I didn't treat the bottle any different. Feed him when he's hungry, don't worry about how many hours are between.
I was curious about that when I was nursing in the first time when he was 3 days old and had to bottle feed him while he was the hospital for phototherapy which I learned that sunlight could have taken care of it. Anyways, I was not sure how much to give him in the bottle, and the doctor told me that when they are that small their stomach is the size of a walnut, so they can't get much down. I am sure 3 month old's stomach is bigger, but not that much so if that is all he can take is 2-3 oz every 2 hours, then that is what he can take. You will see that eventually he needs more and he'll let you know. Every baby is different. Congrats!! You are a wonderul mom wondering and questioning for your boys' health and well-being. Hope this helps.
