Bottle portions for pumped milk?

[Deleted User] · December 2014

This is a question for pumping moms. I will be returning to work in a month and wondering if some of you could share how you prepare your bottles of breastmilk for LO's care providers. DS has gotten one 2 oz "practice" bottle a week since he was 4 weeks old (is now 7w), and he takes it just fine. However the bottle DH fed him yesterday didn't seem to satisfy him, so I nursed him shortly afterward (though I've suspected a growth spurt this week).

So far my freezer stash is all 2 oz portions, which I assumed would be good for a bottle each. Should I try for 3 oz bottles? When I pump I get 2 oz per breast so it just seemed natural to freeze in 2 oz portions.

For those who freeze in 4 oz portions and higher, do you just split the milk between 2 bottles? What if LO would need more, do you have 1 oz portions stocked or would you offer another 2 oz bottle? From a logistics standpoint I'm trying to figure out how to make this easy on LO's caretaker when that time comes (a friend will be watching him a few days a week, no daycare). TIA!

Unknown · December 2014

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[Deleted User] · December 2014

MonstoMommy said:
My LO is a porker and eats 3 1\2 to 4 oz each time she has a bottle. I freeze 3 or 4 oz portions, since I know that is what she will eat. If I were you, I would try to figure out how much it takes to fill LO up. The nice thing about doing two different amounts is that you can mix and match them. If LO has a 4 oz bottle and doesn't finish it, her daycare lady can just add 3 oz the next time.

Oh! We can do that? I didn't know the rules about leftover milk in a bottle. I thought I'd have to toss whatever LO didn't finish. Do you just pop it back in the fridge, then?

persephonerose · December 2014

deezidee04 said:

My LO is a porker and eats 3 1\2 to 4 oz each time she has a bottle. I freeze 3 or 4 oz portions, since I know that is what she will eat. If I were you, I would try to figure out how much it takes to fill LO up. The nice thing about doing two different amounts is that you can mix and match them. If LO has a 4 oz bottle and doesn't finish it, her daycare lady can just add 3 oz the next time.
Oh! We can do that? I didn't know the rules about leftover milk in a bottle. I thought I'd have to toss whatever LO didn't finish. Do you just pop it back in the fridge, then?

BM can sit out at room temp for 4-6 hours. So if there is left over it can be used for the next feeding.

Leysin97 · December 2014

On in

persephonerose said:

deezidee04 said:

MonstoMommy said:
My LO is a porker and eats 3 1\2 to 4 oz each time she has a bottle. I freeze 3 or 4 oz portions, since I know that is what she will eat. If I were you, I would try to figure out how much it takes to fill LO up. The nice thing about doing two different amounts is that you can mix and match them. If LO has a 4 oz bottle and doesn't finish it, her daycare lady can just add 3 oz the next time.
Oh! We can do that? I didn't know the rules about leftover milk in a bottle. I thought I'd have to toss whatever LO didn't finish. Do you just pop it back in the fridge, then?

BM can sit out at room temp for 4-6 hours. So if there is left over it can be used for the next feeding.

I thought if baby starts drinking out of the bottle it only can be used within the hour due to bacterial growth. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you can just add to the bottle for later.

bsquaredmsquared · December 2014

starla487 said:
We ...

Bottles of BM can be used again at the next feeding if it's not finished.

So the 1hr rule re bacteria/saliva /formula doesn't apply to BMilk?

persephonerose · December 2014

Leysin97 said:

On in
Oh! We can do that? I didn't know the rules about leftover milk in a bottle. I thought I'd have to toss whatever LO didn't finish. Do you just pop it back in the fridge, then?
BM can sit out at room temp for 4-6 hours. So if there is left over it can be used for the next feeding.
I thought if baby starts drinking out of the bottle it only can be used within the hour due to bacterial growth. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you can just add to the bottle for later.

I never add more to the bottle already in use but I have never ever thrown out or not finished using breast milk. I always finish using whatever BM is left at the next feeding. With DS1 I just left it out because I knew he would eat again within 1-2 hours, during the day. At night I would refrigerate the left over.

This was per the LC I used with DS1.

Leysin97 · December 2014

persephonerose said:

Leysin97 said:

On in
persephonerose said:
Oh! We can do that? I didn't know the rules about leftover milk in a bottle. I thought I'd have to toss whatever LO didn't finish. Do you just pop it back in the fridge, then?
BM can sit out at room temp for 4-6 hours. So if there is left over it can be used for the next feeding.
I thought if baby starts drinking out of the bottle it only can be used within the hour due to bacterial growth. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think you can just add to the bottle for later.

I never add more to the bottle already in use but I have never ever thrown out or not finished using breast milk. I always finish using whatever BM is left at the next feeding. With DS1 I just left it out because I knew he would eat again within 1-2 hours, during the day. At night I would refrigerate the left over.

This was per the LC I used with DS1.

Wow thanks. I have a low supply and it kills me to throw out the little LO does get. This is great news. So much wasted milk.

swise22 · December 2014

Wow I feel like my baby is a porker! He takes on average 5 ounces a feeding, and will occasionally go up to 7 ounces. He does go a long time between feeds though (4-5 hours during the day and he sleeps 11 hours straight at night). I pump about 6 ounces per breast per session so I usually give him 1 bottle from the breast and then store the milk from the second breast.

AmandaJean12 · December 2014

My LO has taken 3 is bottles from early on - sometimes 4, so 2 oz seems a little low. But she also only wants to eat every 3ish hours.

Make sure you talk to daycare about their reuse rules. States differ on what they allow in licensing regulations, so some centers stick to the on hour rule even if scientifically it isn't the same as formula.

Dani0329 · December 2014

I freeze in a range of 3-5 oz, but I really have no idea what I'm doing. I am trying to pump/freeze one bottle a day to build a stash

NeedMoreCowbell · December 2014

Disclaimer: I have no idea what I'm doing either!

That said, I've been freezing portions from 1-5 oz, with the majority in 3 oz portions since that's what DD has been eating for a while. She nurses once or twice a day and does pumped milk in bottles for the rest - she takes anywhere from 1.5 to 3 ounces at a time (if it's on the lower end, she usually wants the rest within an hour or two). She usually nurses during the night, and throughout the day I make 3-4 completely fresh bottles with pumped milk - between those, I add milk and/or refrigerate as necessary. I've been adding milk to whatever is left in her bottle - and refrigerating unused portions - since we came home from the hospital on 11/2, and haven't had any problems.

beachbumsc · December 2014

We did a weighed feeding with DD when she was about 4 weeks old and she ate 4 oz. If she gets a pumped bottle it's usually between 4.5-5 oz now that she is 7 weeks. She has taken as much as 6.5 oz in the morning after a long stretch of sleep. I freeze in 2 oz and 4-5 oz portions so if she isn't satisfied with her bottle, we can warm up 2 more oz for her.

MrsTinMKE · December 2014

I have portion stored anywhere from 2oz bags to 6oz bags. I really don't know what I will need!

Last night DD took her first 5oz bottle. Because my MIL watches her during the day, I will send what ever I pump in either 2/4oz bottles or 1 8oz. She gradually finishes it during the time it is allowed to sit out. Typically at this point she is eating 3.5 oz per feeding, but like last night could eat more, so I like to have some extra just in case.

I am not sure if this helps. We just try to adjust as we go, or pull more milk out of the fridge if needed. We have not yet had to touch frozen milk, so not sure how it will all work out.

savicke2009 · December 2014

In the past, I've left four three oz bottles in the fridge adjust from there. I started out freezing three oz portions and over the last month have been doing four oz freezer portions

TinyTRex321 · December 2014

My son is 9 weeks (need to update my ticker) and when he has a bottle it's 3 oz.

amandacaffrey · December 2014

Our little guy does a wopping 6 oz and that's what I freeze per bag. I'd say pump according to portion.

meggiev123 · December 2014

DS usually drinks 4oz, so that's generally what I end up freezing. I also do some 2, 3, and 5 oz bags occasionally so I have different options when I may need them. Also, by the time the frozen milk gets into rotation the serving size may have increased. Have you thought about doing a weighed feeding (weighing baby before and after eating) to get a better sense of how much he's eating per feed?

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