Switching from breast to formula

apbauer0615

I'm going back to work in September. I plan on trying to pump while at work but since I have twins I'm unsure if I will beable to pump enough for both. So I plan on doing some formula bottles & some breastmilk bottles while I'm away. My question is how will I know how many ounces to put in their bottles? My twins will be 4 1/2 months when I go back to work & currently breastfeed them 6 times a day about 2-3 hr stretches dUring the day & a night they go about 8 hrs. Thanks!

devinsmommy31115

I left my son today to go back to work for the first time today. He is going to be 5 months old tomorrow. I left 4 bottles, each with 3 ounces. He ended up drinking 3 of the bottles while I was gone (6:45-4:30). Today at work I pumped 3 times (plus once in the car on the way to work) and pumped a total of 15 ounces.

TarHeelMomToBe

A good rule of thumb for breastmilk is approx. 1oz/hr or roughly 24oz in 24hrs (can vary +-6oz).  Since you feed 6 times, they are getting approx. 4oz per feed.  Some breastfed babies may never take more than 3-4oz at a time, but my DD drank 5oz every 3.5hrs at daycare.  

I'm not sure how much formula you would need at that age (it goes up as they get older), but hopefully that gives you a general idea of how much they will drink while you are away.