Amount of milk throughout the day

hollystutz · April 2014

My son is almost 6 months, EBF so far. I normally nurse around 5am, then pump (approx. 7-9 oz), then try to nurse again before work if he'll eat, then pump 3x at work from 8-5, then nurse the rest of the night which is normally 2-3x and he sleeps 7-9 hrs. My first pump session I get around 14-15 oz almost everytime, at noon I get another 5, and then afternoon it seems like the amt varies a lot. I worried my supply is starting to go down because I don't produce near what I do in the AM, in the PM. I know the most milk is always produced early in the morning. Even when I'm with baby on the weekends my afternoon supply doesn't seem very good as he eats very often. Any ideas on how to get afternoon production up other than pumping longer...which I'm doing and I believe might be working.

vvvvvfee · April 2014

that is a CRAZY amount to be pumping! when i was pumping 3x a day at work, i was getting maybe 4-5 ounces a session, so maybe 15 ounces or so for the entire day. how much is your LO taking in bottles when you're at work? and why are you pumping an extra time in the morning?

have you introduced solids? i definitely noticed a drop in my production once DS had been eating solids for a month or so.

in general, your supply tends to be highest in the morning, so people usually get more when they pump earlier in the day.

mrs.mastro · April 2014

Yeah, that's a ton of milk you are pumping! I pump 4 times a day for 30 oz. (no nursing). It's usually 14-16 oz. between 4 and 6 a.m., then 6-8 oz. at 10 a.m., 4-6 oz. at 2 p.m., 4-6 oz. at 6 p.m. It definitely decreases throughout the day, but I am reaching my needs, so it's not a problem. Do you need to be pumping more in the afternoon to reach your baby's needs? If not, it's not really a problem. Make sure you are staying very hydrated all day.

DahliaFlower · April 2014

The yield from your first pump session alone is very good. I have same questions as PP's. How much do you need to keep up w/ LO? That is my goal, plus maybe a bonus 5 oz per week in the freezer / rotate stash. But lately, I don't have much extra, need all I pump at work to keep up w/ LO's eating. Yes, supply varies a lot through the day. I def get more overnight or early am.

hollystutz · April 2014

Okay, thanks all! What I pump at work I take to daycare for next day which is normally around 20 oz. He normally eats around 15-20 oz...there were a couple days where he got to 25 but it was a growth spurt. I put what I pump at home in the morning into the freezer. I have a good freezer stash, just very determined to make sure my little man gets breastmilk up to a year if not longer!

hollystutz · April 2014

theresat858 said:
You have an oversupply and daycare is overfeeding your baby if he is getting more than 15 ounces in 8 hours.

It's normal to pump 3-4 ounces per pumping session.

I guess I think every baby is different so overfeeding can only be judged on what you know about your own child. He won't finish a bottle if he is full so I don't believe he is being overfed. He regularly gets 15-20 oz from 8-5. He eats once around 5-6am after sleeping for 8-9 hrs. I'm okay with what he eats as long as I can keep up...rather have an overfed baby than underfed. I might add that he is very active...plays and moves around a lot.

hollystutz · April 2014

theresat858 said:

hollystutz said:

theresat858 said:
You have an oversupply and daycare is overfeeding your baby if he is getting more than 15 ounces in 8 hours.

It's normal to pump 3-4 ounces per pumping session.
I guess I think every baby is different so overfeeding can only be judged on what you know about your own child. He won't finish a bottle if he is full so I don't believe he is being overfed. He regularly gets 15-20 oz from 8-5. He eats once around 5-6am after sleeping for 8-9 hrs. I'm okay with what he eats as long as I can keep up...rather have an overfed baby than underfed. I might add that he is very active...plays and moves around a lot.

Yup, because encouraging obesity in the infant years is definitely the way to go.

He might only be getting 30 ounces or so per day if you're only feeding him 2-3x from the breast when you are at home, though...that's within the normal range.

Whoa, I am in no way encouraging obesity. I happen to be a very healthy fit mom so that's the last thing I would do. And my son is extremely happy and in no way even close to a "fat" baby...not to mention I'm unsure why you are mentioning obesity when we are talking about a BABY.
I didn't post this to get negative feedback. I'm nursing and have plenty of milk to go around and I'm proud of it. Thank you.

DahliaFlower · May 2014

hollystutz said:

hollystutz said:

You have an oversupply and daycare is overfeeding your baby if he is getting more than 15 ounces in 8 hours.

It's normal to pump 3-4 ounces per pumping session.
I guess I think every baby is different so overfeeding can only be judged on what you know about your own child. He won't finish a bottle if he is full so I don't believe he is being overfed. He regularly gets 15-20 oz from 8-5. He eats once around 5-6am after sleeping for 8-9 hrs. I'm okay with what he eats as long as I can keep up...rather have an overfed baby than underfed. I might add that he is very active...plays and moves around a lot.

Yup, because encouraging obesity in the infant years is definitely the way to go.

He might only be getting 30 ounces or so per day if you're only feeding him 2-3x from the breast when you are at home, though...that's within the normal range.
Whoa, I am in no way encouraging obesity. I happen to be a very healthy fit mom so that's the last thing I would do. And my son is extremely happy and in no way even close to a "fat" baby...not to mention I'm unsure why you are mentioning obesity when we are talking about a BABY. I didn't post this to get negative feedback. I'm nursing and have plenty of milk to go around and I'm proud of it. Thank you.

I have to admit, I have always disliked these absolute statements like "a baby should take no more than X ounces in 8 hours / 10 hours." It really does depend on the individual baby and his or her metabolism to some degree. My baby is cared for by a very experienced provider and I do not believe he is being overfed, but there are days when he takes a very large volume of milk. I know how he behaves when he is hungry, and he is not going to be happy with rocking, he has never taken a pacifier. He is in the 95%ile for height, weight and head circ, so overall a big boy. I am 5'8" and 122 lbs now, and DH is 6' and very muscular. I most certainly would not encourage infant obesity, in fact, I am very careful about food choices. But I also won't deny my baby milk when he is clearly hungry because he has met his quota for the day according to some expert or another.

hollystutz · May 2014

DahliaFlower said:

hollystutz said:

theresat858 said:

hollystutz said:

theresat858 said:
You have an oversupply and daycare is overfeeding your baby if he is getting more than 15 ounces in 8 hours.

It's normal to pump 3-4 ounces per pumping session.
I guess I think every baby is different so overfeeding can only be judged on what you know about your own child. He won't finish a bottle if he is full so I don't believe he is being overfed. He regularly gets 15-20 oz from 8-5. He eats once around 5-6am after sleeping for 8-9 hrs. I'm okay with what he eats as long as I can keep up...rather have an overfed baby than underfed. I might add that he is very active...plays and moves around a lot.

Yup, because encouraging obesity in the infant years is definitely the way to go.

He might only be getting 30 ounces or so per day if you're only feeding him 2-3x from the breast when you are at home, though...that's within the normal range.
Whoa, I am in no way encouraging obesity. I happen to be a very healthy fit mom so that's the last thing I would do. And my son is extremely happy and in no way even close to a "fat" baby...not to mention I'm unsure why you are mentioning obesity when we are talking about a BABY.
I didn't post this to get negative feedback. I'm nursing and have plenty of milk to go around and I'm proud of it. Thank you.

I have to admit, I have always disliked these absolute statements like "a baby should take no more than X ounces in 8 hours / 10 hours." It really does depend on the individual baby and his or her metabolism to some degree. My baby is cared for by a very experienced provider and I do not believe he is being overfed, but there are days when he takes a very large volume of milk. I know how he behaves when he is hungry, and he is not going to be happy with rocking, he has never taken a pacifier. He is in the 95%ile for height, weight and head circ, so overall a big boy. I am 5'8" and 122 lbs now, and DH is 6' and very muscular. I most certainly would not encourage infant obesity, in fact, I am very careful about food choices. But I also won't deny my baby milk when he is clearly hungry because he has met his quota for the day according to some expert or another.

@DahliaFlower‌
YES!!!! Very well said! Thank you

trudytudy · May 2014

I have a similar situation as the OP. I just pumped 17oz for my first pump of the day. I cut out my mid day pump and just pump a second time in the afternoon. I nurse at home in evening and morning. My 7.5mo baby also eats approx 20 oz while I'm at work. He isn't being over fed. He is also a big active baby. To give my response to the question, even when I cut out 1 pump at work my supply only dropped by an oz or two. My breasts feel less full by the time my baby goes to bed. Sometimes I will offer both sides. I had the concern that I didn't have enough milk but that was just anxiety. In my case, there has always been milk there for my baby when he has needed it.

Cupcakes339 · May 2014

My supply is on the low side but it is steady throughout the day. So my first pump at work is about 4 oz and my last one may be 3.5 oz. My first morning pump is the only one where I would actually need 2 bottles, may be 6-9oz depending on whether or not DD needed a MOTN feeding. My friend is like OP, she can get 12-16 oz from just one pump and doesnt need to pump throughout the day like me and her supply remains steady. I wish I could get away with just one or two pumps a day like my friend

LO is 6mo and she eats about 24 oz per day. Her daytime intake varies. Somedays she only eats 10oz during the day, sometimes 16. But it doesnt really matter since at the end of the day she will eat until she gets to be 24 oz and then sleeps. On the days she only eats 10 during the day, I know that she will probably get up for a MOTN feeding to catch up so I can mentally prepare for it.

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