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FTM Breastfeeding

NLewis1NLewis1 member
in Breastfeeding

Hey ladies! My name is Nicole and I am a first time mom. I have been EBF my little man who is now 3 months old. I have been back to work FT since he was 6 weeks so i have been pumping. I have a pretty good supply, but I just have a quick question!

Everyone in my family has FF their babies. My one oldest sister EBF, but never pumped because she was a SAHM.

I've heard that breastmilk is not like formula in that you have to increase ounces as they get older, because your BM changes to meet their nutritional needs.

My son has been eating 4 3-ounce bottles with the nanny pretty consistantly while Im away (8 hour period). I feed him right before I leave for work and typically pretty soon after I come home he is ready to eat again. He's been getting up 2-3 times a night to eat as well - he will go for roughly a 6-7 hour stretch, then is up every two hours to eat.

So here's my question (finally! lol) - do any of you have any experiences with upping ounces during the day to hopefully stave off too many night feedings? I know that baby will STTN when they are developmentally ready (or so I've read/heard). But my mom keeps telling me I need to increase his ounces as he grows (she FF).

Do I need to increase his ounces as he grows? he's a chunky little fella and on the top end of the growth charts already....

 

thanks!

Mrs. H
Crohn's Dx: August 2008
Endometriosis Dx: May 2010
Married: 05/19/2012
TTC #1: June 2013
BFP: December 2013
DS: Born 08/29/2014
TTC #2: July 2015

BFP #2: September 25, 2015

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Re: FTM Breastfeeding

  • vvvvvfeevvvvvfee member
    yes, that is absolutely right about BM changing to meet your baby's needs. EBF babies generally take in around 25 ounces a day total, until their milk intake decreases gradually once solids are introduced. my DS started out taking around 12 oz/day at about 12 weeks, and he started taking a little more when he was a bit older, but never more than a max of 15 oz in a workday. (more info: https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/)

    also correct that your LO will STTN when they are developmentally ready. some people do "dream feeds" (where you wake your LO for an extra nursing session right before you yourself go to sleep) in order to maximize their own sleep, but it's kind of a crapshoot. it will likely be at least a few months (or longer) before your LO can go for a full night without needing to wake to eat.

    fortunately or unfortunately, some babies prefer to nurse directly from mom and therefore wake more at night to nurse if they are away from you during the day. my DS was like this- sometimes he would skip his last bottle of the day altogether and just wait for me to come home to nurse. he also did a fair amount of night waking to nurse. this was mostly okay with me, since we coslept and i always found it easier to nurse than to add in extra pumping sessions during the day.

    more info on night nursing: https://kellymom.com/parenting/nighttime/sleep/
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  • NLewis1NLewis1 member

    Thanks @vvvvvfee! Thats great info! I'll have to keep kellymom.com in my back pocket it looks like...

    Currently I do a mix of baby in his crib in his room (the first long stretch) then he gets up and eats, and I put him back in his crib and then after the second time he wakes I just bring him into bed with me (which I actually do like, since Im away from him 40 hours a week).

    Mostly I guess I was needing someone who has BTDT to back me up, so the next time my mom tries to tell me he isn't actually hungry the second time he wakes (even though I've told her, he MUST be hungry because I pick him up and he sucks on my jaw until I can get a boob out for him, and then subsequently goes to town....). I think I will show her those links you provided.

    Mrs. H
    Crohn's Dx: August 2008
    Endometriosis Dx: May 2010
    Married: 05/19/2012
    TTC #1: June 2013
    BFP: December 2013
    DS: Born 08/29/2014
    TTC #2: July 2015

    BFP #2: September 25, 2015

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  • clwheelclwheel member
    edited December 2014

    I've been back to work since 7 weeks and DD will be 6 months on the 21st. I started with 3 ounce bottles then when daycare told me she seemed hungry still I upped them to 4 and just upped them to 4 1/2 last week.

    Edited to include: It hasn't really helped for sleeping but on the weekends when she is nursing we can go longer than 2 hours which is nice. She usually eats every 3 - 4 now on the weekends.

    Engaged: 7/19/09 Married: 9/19/10
    BFP: 10/14/13 EDD: 6/16/14 DD Arrived: 6/21/14
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  • jenn43jenn43 member
    At 3 months old my LO was taking 3-4oz bottles.  And now at 7 months old he's still taking 3-4oz bottles.

    And my LO still gets up 2-3 times a night to eat.  If he seems like he's comfort nursing then I put him back down, but it is perfectly normal to still need night feeds. Sounds like you've got a good handle on things!
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  • becominggoldbecominggold member
    My little piggy had to go up to 5 oz to be satisfied, but he has stayed there for almost 2 mo. The upside was that he didn't increase total oz per day, but this helped him go longer between feedings!
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  • surpriseadditionsurpriseaddition member
    Max my BF babies ever ate was three 5 oz bottles at daycare, up to a year in age. Lots of good info in this thread. It's very different from formula.


    **DD1 - 7/9/98**

    **DS - 11/9/00**

    **DD2 - 4/30/13**

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  • Peanutz21Peanutz21 member
    at 3 months LO was getting 4 ounce bottles at DC. sometimes she would eat it all, sometimes only 3/3.5, i upped it gradually to 5 ounces at around 5.5/6m mark and same thing - some days all gone some days she only eats 3-4.


    TTC#2
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  • mshukhmshukh member
    My LO never went above 15 ounces in 10 hours I was gone. More often he would eat closer to 8 and then make up for it at night. He definitely had a preference. Also it is important to remember that if you ever worry about milk supply, night feedings are much better at keeping it. I would just follow your LO's lead and not worry about the rest. 
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