Pumping Enough for LO

Mom32712

 I went back to work about 3 months ago and I pump 3 times a day.  I pump exactly 4 oz - eaxctly 2 oz from each side - each time.  I also pump in the morning and get about 6-8 ounces.  This was fine...my LO was eating 5 oz bottles 3x's a day so I would have little extra milk to freeze.  The past few weeks she is eating 3 - 6 oz. bottles and sometimes 7 oz at one feed (Daycare has to pull from the freezer). This means some days I pump less then she eats.   I thought as they eat more your body will produce more but I am still pumping the exact same at work.  I do nurse once in the morning and 2x in the evening so I am assuming she is eating more at those times as well.  Any ideas?  How is your body supposed to know they are eating more if they are drinking pumped milk?

moriaspencer

If she is eating more pumped milk, you need to signal this to your body by pumping more. I'm not sure if that means longer sessions and/or more sessions. Hopefully someone else will have that info. Are you sure DC isn't overfeeding her? 7 oz is a lot for 1 bottle. If she really does ever need that much, I would assume it should just be for a short period of time, like during a growth spurt. You should ask her DCP how long they wait to give additional oz and what they do to attempt to comfort her before giving it to her.

blu-eyedwife

I would talk to your daycare providers.  That's A LOT of milk for your daughter to eat. And chances are, she's not eating that much when she's with you which is why you're not producing more.

We had this problem when my son started daycare.  He never had more than 4oz in a bottle and nursed every 3 hours.  So I assumed he'd have 3 4oz bottles when he was at daycare. At daycare, he was eating 4-5 4oz bottles and they were complaining he needed more. 

In general, the average breastfed baby never drinks more than 4oz.  Never.  My son will be 11 months old on Sunday and he still only drinks 4oz.  But if they're feeding from a bottle improperly, they're not giving your daughter time to realize she's full.  So when she's clamoring for more, it's an indication they're feeding her too fast - not that she's hungry. 

The problem is, by consistently feeding her such large quantities, they are literally stretching out her stomach, and she will need more milk.  And your body will not be able to keep up with that which could definitely jeopardize your breastfeeding relationship.  I would talk to her daycare provider ASAP and see what's going on.

Mom32712

blu-eyedwife:

I would talk to your daycare providers.  That's A LOT of milk for your daughter to eat. And chances are, she's not eating that much when she's with you which is why you're not producing more.

We had this problem when my son started daycare.  He never had more than 4oz in a bottle and nursed every 3 hours.  So I assumed he'd have 3 4oz bottles when he was at daycare. At daycare, he was eating 4-5 4oz bottles and they were complaining he needed more. 

In general, the average breastfed baby never drinks more than 4oz.  Never.  My son will be 11 months old on Sunday and he still only drinks 4oz.  But if they're feeding from a bottle improperly, they're not giving your daughter time to realize she's full.  So when she's clamoring for more, it's an indication they're feeding her too fast - not that she's hungry. 

The problem is, by consistently feeding her such large quantities, they are literally stretching out her stomach, and she will need more milk.  And your body will not be able to keep up with that which could definitely jeopardize your breastfeeding relationship.  I would talk to her daycare provider ASAP and see what's going on.

She was eating 3x4 oz bottles and then 5 and now it's 6....  I know on the weekend sometimes if I bottle feed her she will be ok with 4-5 but my husband thinks she needs 6 oz b/c that's what she eats at daycare.  It ends up being a disagreement but if we do give her a 6 oz bottle she does eat it all!  So I am just not sure...  Any tips I can give daycare?  I feel like they would know what they were doing and I'd hate to not send enough milk and she be hungry.