Working Mamas Question Re: Pumping

margauxa1

I've got two weeks before I go back to work.  Lila will be 8 weeks old.  I was wondering how many bottles of milk she'll be drinking while I'm at work (8:30-5:30)?  I've been slacking in the pumping department and want to pump as much as possible in the next 14 days to get my stock up.  I'm just curious how long that stock is going to last (at this point not very long).

mrs.george2be04

Logan got 3 bottles at daycare.  I believe he was getting 4 oz when he started going at 12 weeks and maxed out at 6-7 oz.  But he always got 3 bottles.

sistrkate

Just remember, you should be pumping when you would normally be nursing when you are home with her.  That's how many bottles she will take (on a usual day).  For most working moms, that's 3 or 4 feedings, depending on how often your baby eats and how much she takes at a time.  My son was eating every 3 hours when I went back to work, so he had 3 bottles a day at daycare.  I would nurse him right before we left for work and I nursed him again as soon as I got home.

I think he took 4 oz bottles when he first started and worked up to 3 6-oz bottles.  He never took more than 6 oz in a feeding at daycare, even up to a year old.  Your little one will probably take between 3-4 oz to start.

Meg41208

When I first went back, I sent 4 4oz bottles just in case she got hungry, but she only ever drank 3 and she never finished them, so I started sending 3 3.5 ounce bottles once she was on a good schedule there.   The most I ever sent was 3 4 oz bottles but K was a reverse cycler and I was still nursing at night at 11 months.  

She didn't take her bottles well at daycare and refused them a lot and I would wager that probably a good 15-20% of the milk I pumped/bottles we sent (I couldn't always pump enough to fill 3 bottles so we made up the rest with formula) was dumped.  Makes me wonder if I actually had a supply problem or just a baby who didn't want to abide by the rigid every 3 hour feeding schedule.  But I digress...