OT-how many oz?

candlequeen · June 2013

Sadly, I am back at work already. Crying

I have been sending 3.5 oz. bottles of breast milk to daycare (I also work there). I nurse DD for her afternoon feeding. She always seems satisfied at home, however, DC teacher says that she sucks the milk down and doesn't seem satisfied. She is 6 weeks old and I guess it just seems like an awful lot of milk to me. The teacher wants me to send 5 oz. bottles next week. I'm just curious if this sounds like a lot or is DD just a little piggy? thanks ladies!

brevans02 · June 2013

DS is 5.5 weeks and routinely eats 4oz at a time (generally every 3-4 hrs during the day), but occasionally will eat as much as 6oz. So I guess that doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility to me.

CLLDLL · June 2013

Obviously every baby is different, but that does sound like a ton to me. DS2 took 3.5oz bottles every 2.5 to 3 hours from 10 weeks to around 15 weeks. Then he went up to 4 oz bottles every 3 hours. He just recently (7 months or so) went to 4.5oz bottles along with eating 4oz of solids and a snack while at daycare.

I know I've read somewhere (kellymom.com maybe?) that it's common for BF babies to over eat when using a bottle because it comes out so much easier than when BF'ing. Could the teacher be letting her drink it too fast?

sarenu1 · June 2013

CLLDLL:
Obviously every baby is different, but that does sound like a ton to me.nbsp; DS2 took 3.5oz bottles every 2.5 to 3 hours from 10 weeks to around 15 weeks.nbsp; Then he went up to 4 oz bottles every 3 hours.nbsp; He just recently 7 months or so went to 4.5oz bottles along with eating 4oz of solids and a snack while at daycare.
I know I've read somewhere kellymom.com maybe? that it's common for BF babies to over eat when using a bottle because it comes out so much easier than when BF'ing.nbsp; Could the teacher be letting her drink it too fast?

See if they will pause once or twice to burp her.

Also, how fast is the flow on the bottles? I stayed at slow for awhile, just so she would really have to work for the milk.

candlequeen · June 2013

I am using Playtex drop ins with a slow flow nipple. I also have Nuk but she chokes so bad on those. I am going to ask that they burp her half way through and I am going to make a full 4 oz. bottle for Monday. If she still doesn't seem satisfied I guess I will make bigger bottles *sigh* thanks for the input

hst · June 2013

That seems like a lot of milk to me, I remember reading on Kellymom.com that a baby only needs 24 oz or something like that in 24 hours. Anyway I recommend that website, all the lactation consultants I've spoken with suggest it.

Danni7535 · June 2013

Yeah, I wouldn't start bringing 5 ounces. It's a slippery slope. Babies will drink more from a bottle because of a sucking reflex they have, not necessarily because they're hungry. I would go on Kellymom and read about bottle feeding in a breastfeeding friendly matter. DC needs to pause after each ounce, burp frequently, etc. Again, you can check this on Kellymom, but I think 5 ounces sounds like a lot for a 6 week old. When I'm gone, my 6 month old only gets a 4 ounce bottle.

Also, he might be fussy because he's gassy from sucking down a bottle too quickly.

There's a lot of these posts on the breastfeeding board. DC often seem to push moms into bringing bigger bottles. Ladies over there typically say be strong and educate the DC provider on bottle feeding a breastfed baby.

kjsmith9 · June 2013

Danni7535:
Yeah, I wouldn't start bringing 5 ounces. It's a slippery slope. Babies will drink more from a bottle because of a sucking reflex they have, not necessarily because they're hungry. I would go on Kellymom and read about bottle feeding in a breastfeeding friendly matter. DC needs to pause after each ounce, burp frequently, etc. Again, you can check this on Kellymom, but I think 5 ounces sounds like a lot for a 6 week old. When I'm gone, my 6 month old only gets a 4 ounce bottle. Also, he might be fussy because he's gassy from sucking down a bottle too quickly. There's a lot of these posts on the breastfeeding board. DC often seem to push moms into bringing bigger bottles. Ladies over there typically say be strong and educate the DC provider on bottle feeding a breastfed baby.

All of this. I had to actually print the info off kellymom about "how to bottle feed a breastfed baby" and take it to daycare for them to read. DD started at 3oz after some adjustment days at 9 weeks old. We moved to 3.5oz at 16 weeks. And just moved to 4oz yesterday (she's just over 6 months now). I had to really encourage DC to do other things besides feed her. She's a very alert baby and is easily bored, but that doesn't mean she needs milk dumped down her throat! It helped a lot when we found a paci that she liked. Overall it's a big adjustment for LO... I wouldn't go up more than half an ounce per bottle every 3-5 days.

erika_sue · June 2013

Is there any way for you nurse all of the feedings? I imagine you would be if there were! Smile

I work at the day care where my kiddos go, and my director thought it would be more beneficial for me to nurse all the feedings that way they wouldn't have to find coverage for me to pump. I did leave the choice up to her though, as I was willing to pump. I was able to be in ratio in the infant room even though I was nursing and one of the infant teachers just swapped with me in my classroom.

crystaltastic · June 2013

My DS is a little piggy and was taking 4-5oz bottles by that time. I imagine I have been producing the same amount of milk since then, and if I EP, I get about 35-40oz/day. If we bottle feed DS all day, he usually gets 32-35 and he's still only in the 25% for weight. He has taken up to 7oz bottles before, so I guess every baby is different.

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