Pumping/Bottle Question

2-3 oz is perfectly fine. Breastfed babies often take less volume more often than formula fed babies and she is still very young. Congrats on the new baby girl, and for committing to pumping.

Hi Serena,
My son never took more than 4 oz and this was from 8 weeks to 1 year. He also never advanced past the newborn nipple in the Advent Bottles. Your daughter will eat as much as she is hungry and she will tell you or the day care provider when she needs more.
Good luck!!
N. B.

If she's only taking 2-3 oz that's all I would put into a single bottle for her. You don't want to end up wasting your milk. It's easier for your sitter/daycare to give her more than it is to save half-eaten bottles. I would plan on packing her about 1 oz per hour you're gone for starters. You'll get a sense of how much she's eating in a day after a week or two. Good luck! It's so hard going back to work :(

Hi Serena,

This is about right. I returned to work when my daughter was just 10 weeks old. She drank 4 oz for a while. If she needed more, she let me know. I found that when pumping throughout the day while at work, to store milk 2oz at a time. You will use allot of bags, but you will waste less milk. It's always easier to add than to have too much.

Enjoy breastfeeding and the time you have alone with her at night. I miss being up with her when everyone else is asleep and the house is so quiet. She sleeps through the night for the most part and doesn't need a night time feeding anymore.

Congratulations on your little baby girl.

When I returned to work my daughter wouldn't eat much from the bottle either. However, as soon as I got home we'd sit down and she'd nurse for an hour or more. This was wonderful because it forced me to both sit down and relax and to rebond with my daughter after a long day of work. She may just be holding out for the real thing ;)

For a 9 week old. That's alot of milk. My 4 month old is taking that much now,and she's a good eater. Make sure you're not making her finish the bottle, if she doesn't want it. And that she is eating every 2 to 3 hours at her age and not any longer gaps.

Hi,
I had to look in my baby book for my daughter, but she was taking 4 oz while I was at work for 12 hours at that age, so it sounds about right. She would also nurse A LOT while I was at home, so I think she made up for it when she was getting it straight from the source!

If you're worried, you can count diapers to make sure she is not getting dehydrated.

Congrats on your little one and kudos for giving her the best food on earth! :)

Amanda
-aspirinng IBCLC

Serena:

2-3 ounces is fine/ she should take only how much she wants. Children are wonderful about knowing how much they want and when to stop.

Trust her. She knows what she needs.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

Congrats on your baby girl!!
You are right, every baby is different. But, that sounds about right as to how much my little guy was taking at that time.

Ask your child care provider if she seems full afterwards . . .is she fussy? If she is taking 2-3 oz every couple of hours, then that's probably enough.
B.