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How much pumped milk to leave when I'm at work

SouthRNComfortSouthRNComfort member
edited May 2014 in Breastfeeding
I have a question about how much pumped breast milk working moms leave their daycare providers. I work 10 hrs a day, so I'm gone from baby for about 11 (couple times a week). I nurse her right before I leave for work. I started off leaving five 2-oz bottles, following Kellymom guidelines for about an oz an hour. My daycare provider said she sucked those down quickly so all last week I left four to five 3 oz bottles. Some days she eats four, some five so 12-15 oz per workday. Meanwhile at work I pump about 18 oz per workday, so I'm freezing a bunch each day. But should I be? My daycare provider recently asked if I could up bottles to 4 oz. she says the baby finishes all bottles and is still sucking at the end. Should I increase all bottles to 4? Or try 3.5 first? Or up a few to 4 oz? FYI she is using medium flow nipples. Daycare said it took 45 min for her with a slow flow (of course this also could be a memory issue after a weekend of just breastfeeding and no bottles). She also says she is using the technique to bottle feed a breast fed baby. I'm not so sure though. Or, should I just leave everything I pumped the day before for the daycare provider? And see how much of that baby eats? My LO is 3 mos old and in 95th% for height and weight so I'm thinking she eats on the higher end of the volume range, but the thought of leaving 4-5 4-oz bottles and my baby drinking 16-20 oz in 11 hours concerns me. Thoughts? Sorry for the lack of paragraphs, I'm on the iPad.
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Re: How much pumped milk to leave when I'm at work

  • hollystutzhollystutz member
    My son is 6 months old and we are still using slow flow nipples...I heard its good to use them up to a year depending on the type of bottle you're using. This way they don't drink the milk too fast and not realize they're full. My little guy normally eats 4-5oz bottles, total of 15-20oz per day. I know that seems like a lot but he's an active baby...plays a lot and doesn't always nap as much as he maybe should. There were a couple days where he was nonstop hungry and ate 25oz. I can normally pump 22-25oz at work and daycare will take what she needs from that...if there is leftover she uses it the next day. Then I freeze anything she doesn't take. Nothing wrong with having extra and freezing it. My
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  • Lena122Lena122 member
    My 4 month old typically takes a 4 oz bottle every 3 hours.
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  • vvvvvfeevvvvvfee member
    definitely switch back to the lowest flow nipple, as PPs have said. i'm sure that that is a contributing factor. my DS was on newborn/lowest-flow nipples the entire time he drank out of a bottle. you want them to be on the lowest flow they will tolerate so they don't get frustrated when they go back to the breast.

    there's a printable from kellymom for care providers about bottle feeding BF babies (https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/)- maybe you want to share with your DCP just in case.

    when i went back to work, DS was 12 weeks. we started out with three, 4 oz bottles. later we upped it to 4 1/2 to 5 ounces per bottle. your LO should not need more than 12-15 ounces. you could leave your DCP with some frozen milk as a backup, but i would not routinely send 18 oz. will she take a pacifier? that might help as well if she is wanting to comfort suck.
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  • cnctfcnctf member
    DD is going to be 14 weeks this monday and takes 3x 4 oz bottles when Im at work. We use slow flow nipples also. 
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  • SouthRNComfortSouthRNComfort member
    edited May 2014
    Thanks for the advice. The reason we did medium flow was bc I think I have over active letdown, which used to overwhelm my LO in the beginning, but now I think she's used to the faster flow. But I think I'll switch back to the slower flow again and see how she does. It's just weird that my baby took in 16 oz in one day and now care provider wants more. Most days is 12-14. Could this increase be due to a 3 month growth spurt? I don't give my LO a pacifier, but my daycare provider does. She says it helps with naps. Should I just give my baby a bottle myself? To see how she does with each nipple? I haven't honestly bc I want her to associate that when mom is around she breastfeeds. I'm kinda sensitive about that, and maintaining supply; today my LO was fussy at the breast and I was concerned that she hadn't nursed for a while. Hubby suggested we just give her a bottle and I almost bit his head off. :(
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  • SouthRNComfortSouthRNComfort member
    Forgot to add: LO is sleeping through the night, for 5-6 hours. She usually wakes around 5 to nurse so I count from that time when I count hours away from her. At times she'll wake at 2 to nurse, so I make sure to offer nursing again at 5 before I leave, (mainly so she doesn't get hungry at 6 or 7 in the middle of hubby's morning) Nursing at 5 usually holds her off till 8 or 8:30.
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