How many bottles per day will I need?

eewhite5 · December 2011

I am going to be BFing but I will be going back to work when LO is 8 weeks old. I am not sure how many bottles per day I will need to take to the babysitter's house. I don't want them to have to wash them after each use but I am not sure how many LO will take in a day. My mom and SO's mom will be watching the baby so I am sure they will be washed by the time I get there to pick her up anyway so it wouldn't be a huge deal if they did have to wash a couple to use again.

I am realizing I am pretty clueless about BFing as I am getting closer. Most of my family that is my age has not done it so I can't ask them questions about certain things. My mom did BF us but she also did not work so does not know much about pumping and storage and things like that. Does anyone have a suggestion on an easy to read book that I can pick up that seemed to help them a lot. I am most concerned about the storage and pumping when I go back to work.

TIA!

wigirl2007 · December 2011

I started sending DD to a sitter when she was three months old. At that time she was taking a bottle every 2.5 hours. I think I sent three bottles to the sitter every day.

Every night I washed them and filled them with the milk I had pumped that day.

Kristina052707 · December 2011

My mom and my aunt watched DD and my niece when I went back to work part time. She used between 1 or 2 bottles a day when I worked 8-130. I always nursed her as soon as I got to my moms or aunts though. Normally, she only drank 2-3 ounces at a time and that was it (even at 11 months old). I left 3 bottles there in case she needed extra milk (my mom and aunt kept extra bags of frozen BM there for this) and then filled the bottles she would use the night before and sent her with those in the morning when I dropped her off.

I would probably buy 3 or 4 different bottles to try with your baby BEFORE you go back to work to figure out which they will take. Once you know that I would probably buy 10-11 bottles of that kind. That way you will have extras in case you can't do dishes that night or the baby needs an extra feeding, etc.

I really liked and went to, the Nursing Mother's Companion book quite frequently when I was nursing her. There's tons of information in there. Also, kellymom.com is an awesome resource of information.

The best advice I can give you regarding pumping and storage at work is not to worry about washing the pump pieces every time. BM stays fine for 4-6 hours at room temperature. I would pump once at 9:30 and then again at 11:45-12 and would only wash my pieces at that time. They also make pump wipes (or you can use wipes made for pacifier or toys, etc) to clean with when you don't have enough time or can't get a to a sink in time to wash. At home, if I was pumping I would just place the pieces in a zip lock bag and place in the fridge and wash at the end of the day.

eewhite5 · December 2011

Thank you both very much! That is very helpful info. I am going to pick up that book too so I can have something to go to when I am not sure what to do.

emmasue18 · December 2011

As a former nanny, we always appreciate you packing an extra bottle. Never give us what you think we'll need based on an hourly feeding schedule. You never know when you'll get stuck at work, stuck in traffic, LO will have a growth spurt, etc. Better to be safe than sorry! And if it's leftover at the end of the day, you can always use it as LO's first bottle at home.

I would also recommend (on an emergency basis of course) that you leave some kind of formula with the sitter. Choose one that will keep for awhile since chances are it will just sit at the sitter's house. They have sample packs you can pick up if you don't want to buy a full tub.

Good luck! :-)

emmasue18 · December 2011

Kristina052707:

My mom and my aunt watched DD and my niece when I went back to work part time. She used between 1 or 2 bottles a day when I worked 8-130. I always nursed her as soon as I got to my moms or aunts though. Normally, she only drank 2-3 ounces at a time and that was it (even at 11 months old). I left 3 bottles there in case she needed extra milk (my mom and aunt kept extra bags of frozen BM there for this) and then filled the bottles she would use the night before and sent her with those in the morning when I dropped her off.

I would probably buy 3 or 4 different bottles to try with your baby BEFORE you go back to work to figure out which they will take. Once you know that I would probably buy 10-11 bottles of that kind. That way you will have extras in case you can't do dishes that night or the baby needs an extra feeding, etc.

I really liked and went to, the Nursing Mother's Companion book quite frequently when I was nursing her. There's tons of information in there. Also, kellymom.com is an awesome resource of information.

The best advice I can give you regarding pumping and storage at work is not to worry about washing the pump pieces every time. BM stays fine for 4-6 hours at room temperature. I would pump once at 9:30 and then again at 11:45-12 and would only wash my pieces at that time. They also make pump wipes (or you can use wipes made for pacifier or toys, etc) to clean with when you don't have enough time or can't get a to a sink in time to wash. At home, if I was pumping I would just place the pieces in a zip lock bag and place in the fridge and wash at the end of the day.

I have heard this a lot from women. I am a firm believer that if a baby is hungry, they will get used to whatever bottle you give them (unless they have acid reflux, are tounge tied, etc). This is JMO. I'd start with one brand and go from there. And I'd say you need six bottles, tops! 10-11 seems like a ton to me! I had eight with DS and I thought that was too many. We only have six this time.

Just my two cents! :-)

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