Hello - second question for the day - I work outside the home and obviously need to pump to keep my milk supply up. I forgot to discuss this with my pediatrician, so I am putting this question to all you breastfeeding moms out there. Depending on when I pump (I try to do it every 3-4 hours, so two to three times at work daily), I get about 5-8 ounces of milk total per time more or less. Based on this, I am thinking this is about how much my baby should be eating per session, but I have also read that 5 ounces is about the right amount of milk he should have when he eats every 3-4 hours. I am wondering if I am in the ballpark and also if anyone knows the range of ounces PER DAY my child should be getting. By the way, my baby is growing very well (75% weight), does not seem hungry, so I have absolutely no concerns regarding that. I am just curious what other moms think. Thanks!
Thanks everyone for the advice and opinions - it has made me feel better about the amount of milk he is getting. I think all of us moms want to make sure that our kids are getting proper nutrition, hence the anxiety!
Since baby is doing well, growing and happy...who cares how much he is getting. Just keep doing what you are doing. Good job!!
I think you're just blessed with abundance in milk production! Even at that age I'd still only be able to pump 2-3 ounces at most. Your baby will eat what he needs.
I don't really know if there is any information out there regarding how many ounces because all babies are different. What you could try though is giving him 6 ounces and then seeing what he leaves or if he drinks it all, whether he wants more, thats the best way to gauge what he needs. Ask your daycare also to monitor if he is drinking all of it or leaving a certain amount each time. That's really the only way of knowing his individual needs.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html
hopefully the link above will work...
Kellymom.com is a great source of breastfeeding info..
check it out..
They say that breastfed babies take an average of 25 oz per day from 1 month to 6 months.
If you want to know how much per feeding.. divide 25 oz by the number of breastfeeding sessions and that will tell you how much the baby drinks each feeding.
If the baby seems happy with the amount of milk in his bottle than it is the right amount.. They say that he should leave just a tiny bit left in the bottle..so you know that he is full.
But dont worry.. if he doesnt get quite enough during hte day when you are gone he will make up for it at night by nursing longer..
I don't think there really is a good gage except your baby in what your baby should eat. It'll change too... I remember thinking I wasn't producing enough at one point and it was just cause baby was eating more.
Sounds like things are going well.. it may be that eventually you'll have to pump a bit more.. if your little one is needing more, but you can always freeze what you don't use for later.
Breastmilk is so easily absorbed, that my understanding is that there is probably MORE needed than formula, but again your baby will gage how much is needed.
when my daughter was 5 months old I think she was drinking about about 6 oz of expressed breast milk. She was only getting 1-2 bottles (of bm) a day at that time so it was hard for me to guess how much she was getting. I read somewhere that when you pump you don't get as much milk as the baby gets when they breastfeed. I don't remember where that was, a parenting magazine or something. Basically, I increased her bottles when she finished and was still hungry. So if your son seems satisfied with what you're feeding him I don't see any reason to change. You'll know if he's not getting enough to eat!!
First of all is your 5 month old eating baby cereal and or baby food? If so the amount of milk he needs would be less than normal. Secondly, one of the beautiful things of breast feeding is that your body automaticaly produceses the amount that your baby needs to thrive!!! Thirdly
, you already stated that your baby is in the 75 percentile for weight which means he's most deffinitly thriving. One way you would be able to tell that he's not getting enough breast milk is that he would be crying. 30 to 60 minutes after drinking because he's still hungry. Sometimes as Mothers we question ourselves too much and sometimes we compair ourselves
To other Moms that are formula feeding which is like compairing bananas to appels (its just not the same). I hope this is helpful. I'm a Mother of 3 beautiful children and I breast feed all three of them and worked full time. I know that breast feeding was the best start in their lives that I could have ever given them and I am so happy that I was able to give that to them! Lynn
Your body will produce just the amount of milk your baby needs...ah the beauty of breasteeding. One thing that I didn't see anyone mention, although I just quickly scanned the responses so I might have missed it, is that when you pump, you actually get out less than the baby would if he/she is at the breast. So, it isn't necessarily representative of the actual amount baby is getting. What is great, is that your baby is growing well, seems satisfied, and you are in tune to your babies needs. It's awesome that you are still nursing! I nursed all 3 of mine till 1 year and there are so many benefits to show for it! Keep it up!!!
I think your right on the money. My daughter did just about that. You should have no worries and be proud that you know what's right for your baby and that you are breastfeeding!!!!!
They may not eat all that you pump so take advantage and freeze it for later. I was able to pump an extra 8-10oz a day that I froze for when I stopped breastfeeding.
If your little one is gaining well, having plenty of wet and poopy diapers, and doesn't seem hungry between nursings, there's no reason to worry. Sounds like you're doing a great job. Also, babies are more efficient than a breastpump at getting milk out.
