Pumping when giving a bottle question

Juliebird8307

I just started back to work and plan to pump twice a day during work to replace the two bottles that she will get. If she is taking 5oz bottles, should I only pump until I get 5oz? I pump after her first feeding in the morning and usually get 5oz then. I let her babysitter use those 5oz for her first bottle and then use 5oz from the day before for her second bottle.

I'm asking because if this keeps up, I will be pumping and extra 5oz every day so I will have enough. I don't want to cause an over supply by pumping more than 5oz if I don't need it. What do you think? I used to pump until nothing was coming out, but I'm wondering if that's not a good thing to do.

ncbelle

A few things…5 oz is really a pretty big bottle for a BF baby.  Most take about 3-4 ounces at a feeding.  Second, how long will you be at work?  Pumping every 3 hours or so is ideal as that's closest to a baby's nursing pattern.

In any case, I would pump until your breasts are "empty" (not that they are truly ever empty but the flow will slow to drips).

Juliebird8307

ncbelle said:

A few things…5 oz is really a pretty big bottle for a BF baby.  Most take about 3-4 ounces at a feeding.  Second, how long will you be at work?  Pumping every 3 hours or so is ideal as that's closest to a baby's nursing pattern.

In any case, I would pump until your breasts are "empty" (not that they are truly ever empty but the flow will slow to drips).

I feed DD around 7am. She gets bottles around 10:30 and 2 and then I'm home in time to feed her around 5 or 5:30. She only eats 5 times a day (plus a dream feed which is usually smaller), so going by the 25-30oz a day recommendation, I thought 5oz was a good amount for a bottle.

Juliebird8307

Why is 5oz too much? Even when I only BF, those were the times she ate. If she is gaining well and having enough wet diapers, shouldn't it be ok?

Juliebird8307

Well now I'm even more confused. When I read Kellymom, it said to divide the number of feedings per day by 25oz. When I do that, it comes to 5 oz. I don't count the dream feed because she doesn't usually take much, and the couple of times my husband gave her a bottle for the dream feed, she only took 1.5-2oz.

lilies&orchids

Juliebird8307 said:

Well now I'm even more confused. When I read Kellymom, it said to divide the number of feedings per day by 25oz. When I do that, it comes to 5 oz. I don't count the dream feed because she doesn't usually take much, and the couple of times my husband gave her a bottle for the dream feed, she only took 1.5-2oz.

I'm with you... DS is 5mo and he STTN so he usually eats around 7a, 10, 1, 4, and 7p so I also do 5 oz per the kellymom calculator for the 1-2 bottles he has each day. Like you mentioned earlier, he is healthy and has plenty of wet/poopy diapers so I'm not concerned.