Pumping for daycare questions... thanks!

TheAnalyticalMommy

Today's my first day back at work and I'm curious how you pump...

My LO takes a bottle about every 3 hours at daycare, so would you pump every three hours?

He takes 3-4oz bottles but I send him in with 4 bottles just in case  I have an extra long work today or he doesn't eat enough before I drop him off. Would you try to pump 4 bottles worth or just three since the 4th is a backup?

Anything general tips I should know?

Thank you!!

vvvvvfee

you're supposed to pump to replace each feeding that you would miss while away from LO. a lot of people start out pumping 3x a day, so that's about every 3 hours during an average workday. (you can also refer to this page- https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/ average intake is 1 oz/hour)

if your LO is not finishing that 4th bottle (which he probably won't), you could just send 3 but give your DCP a couple of bags of frozen milk in case of emergency.

make sure your DCP knows about how to bottle feed a breastfed baby- https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/ there is a tendency for BF babies to be overfed when fed by bottle.

if you're getting way more than baby needs while pumping, cut back on the sessions. if you're getting less, add in another one. it's a little confusing at first to figure out how much you're getting vs. how much baby needs. it'll all work out, though.

YummeeCookee

I pump every 3 hours. I usually end up with 2-3oz more than DD needs so I add that to my freezer stash.

htk1113

I agree with everyone above and wanted to add that when your LO starts daycare they may eat more or less than typical for the first week or so.  When my LO started daycare he ate more than usual for the first week.  I was super stressed because I wasn't able to pump enough during the day so added sessions at night too.  He settled down and started mirroring his pre-daycare nursing schedule of eating every three hours.  I think it just takes a little bit for baby to get comfortable at daycare and for daycare to learn your baby's hunger cues.  

TheAnalyticalMommy

Thanks everyone!

Thanks to my head cold I think i had a small supply drop earlier this week but it's back now and I'm pumping about 16-18 ounces a day. I do 3 15-20 minute sessions depending on whether I'm still flowing or not. 

He's steadily drinking 12 ounces a day at daycare so I'm just going to let my freezer stash grow in case I have a drop in the future! 

They let me store frozen milk there so I've also started to bring just 3 bottles and they have enough to make a 4th if he really needs it. His last bottle tends to be about an hour before pickup though so I doubt they'll ever give him a 4th. 

Thanks!