Breastfeeding

Increasing Oz. at 5 months?

I have a 21 lb 5 month old.  He is a BIG boy.  This past week when my husband went to pick him up from daycare they asked if we could increase his bottles from 4 to 5 oz.  It seems he has become increasingly fussy after he finishes a bottle and it takes him some time to calm down.  My mother in law who watches him a couple of days a week agreed when we told her this yesterday. 

I feel as though my supply has dipped somewhat as he is going longer stretches at night and while I can pump enough for 20 oz a day (5 - 4 oz bottles), I'm worried about where the extra oz. are going to come from if I have to go to 5 - 5 oz bottles a day.  

I guess my question is this - by upping thr ounces per bottle, does that mean he will take fewer bottles throughout the day because he is getting more per bottle than he is now? I thought about going up .5 oz, but honestly, I really don't think my son would notice that slight difference.  I'm worried I just won't be able to produce enough to keep him EBF.

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BFP 1/24/2012 - DS Born 9/22/2012 (11 days early!)
BFP 2/15/2014 - CP 2/19/2014
BFP 11/4/2014 - Due 7/14/2015

Re: Increasing Oz. at 5 months?

  • He is at daycare from 8:30 - 4:30.  I usually nurse him sometime between 6-7 in the morning depending on if he woke up the night before for a late night (4 am) feeding.  He then usually gets a bottle right around 9.  The rest of the day he can either go from having only 3 bottles at daycare to up to 4.  He varies.  Then when my husband picks him up he has another bottle when they get home, which could be either his 4th or 5th for the day.  My last pump at work is usually 4-4:30, so I can't nurse him when I get home at 5:15.  I nurse him to bed each night and throughout the weekend.
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    BFP 1/24/2012 - DS Born 9/22/2012 (11 days early!)
    BFP 2/15/2014 - CP 2/19/2014
    BFP 11/4/2014 - Due 7/14/2015
  • I agree with pp - try sending 4 bottles of 5 ounces and spacing out the bottles.  My LO also eats 20 ounces while at daycare.   The daycare ladies started giving him larger bottles, but fewer of them, and that helps him nap and play better. 

     I am impressed you can easily keep up with the 20 ounces/day.  I have a hard time and am frequently dipping into my freezer stash.  

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  • Is he fussy immediately after? IMO no matter what they do a baby will always drink a bottle faster thsn BF. our sitter mentioned that DS cries right after a bottle and she thought he needed more. However if she gives him his paci he settles within a few minutes. I told her if he is fussing that he is hungry within an hour to an hour and a half of getting a bottle then we would discuss it. Your LO may just want to suck longer...
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  • I would really suggest talking to your pedi (if they are very educated on BFing) or an LC about this. My pedi constantly warns me that daycares will always start asking for more milk, like PP mentioned. She offered to write a letter to my daycare explaining why I won't be sending extra milk for them to use. You are right, you would have a hard time keeping up, and this could lead to switching to formula sooner than you were hoping. Also, my pedi's breastmilk math explains that most BF babies need between 27-30oz in a day. She said that "in theory" he should get just about 1oz per hour I am away from him. Maybe a tiny bit more, but sending 25oz to daycare, when you still nurse at least 2 other times a day seems a bit high. That would be very hard to keep up in the long run. Your other option may be to start to introduce solids, but again, I would discuss with your pedi and/or LC before making that change.

     

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  • Thanks everyone. I am responding via mobile so excuse any typos.

    I definitely need to keep my 3rd pump at 4 in order to keep up with him. I usually pump 30 mins after he nurses in the morning, then again at 10, 1, and 4. I also know my husband enjoys that time alone with him, so I am okay with giving him a bottle at 4:30 or 5.

    He was okay with just sticking the paci in his mouth once he finished, but that doesn't seem to be working. He is generally pretty fussy and still hungry.

    I am hoping by just giving him larger bottles more spaced out during the day will help curb his hunger.
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    BFP 1/24/2012 - DS Born 9/22/2012 (11 days early!)
    BFP 2/15/2014 - CP 2/19/2014
    BFP 11/4/2014 - Due 7/14/2015
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