Exclusively pumping moms - question

leelee1112 · November 2015

I've been EP'ing and giving my baby 4oz every 3 hours. We had our 4mo checkup yesterday and my son has only put on 14oz since his 2month visit. The doctor thinks he should've put on more weight. She said he's not getting enough to eat which is why he only poops once a week or sometimes longer.

So my question is how much & how often do you feed baby breastmilk in a bottle????

This feeding thing has been so confusing to me. At first, I overfed him, and his weight spiked 4lbs in one month. Now, he puts on less than a pound in two months.

gmk1784 · November 2015

I've been mostly pumping since I've been back at work and DS gets 6 oz bottles every three hours. He's a big baby though, 9 lb 12 oz at birth, and he's always liked to eat a lot. I've been told that you can't over feed a breastfed baby. I'd say try to increase the amount at each feeding and see how he does

lmnorman · November 2015

I agree that this whole thing is so confusing! I'm not EP, so I can't help there. But I'm just so surprised that the dr didn't give you an idea of how much to feed. Plus how many articles have we all read that say bf babies poop less often? Wonder why she said that was a problem? My Dr said it was bc babies use up everything from the breastmilk so there's no waste left for poop.

Lynzwebb · November 2015

I may not be the best to get advice from, I was really confused about feedings too. My daughters weight was all over the place the first two months. I think I found what works for us, but I have not yet had her 4 month appt.

With that in mind, here is what I am doing- I have never gotten enough milk in a day so I also supplment. Right now I am feeding DD 6 oz every 3 hours during the day (5 times) she sleeps through the night. She gets 4 bottles of bm and 1 formula. I try to stay under 30 oz in a day. She is pooping once a day, so I think that is a good sign.

Best of luck and know you are not alone!

hilarycarr1985 · November 2015

I have been exclusively breastfeeding since the beginning. My son is 4 months on the 21st. He sleeps 12 hours a night. When he's awake he eats every 2 to 4 hours. He eats 5 ounces per feeding. Totaling 30 to 32 ounces per day. He gained a whole bunch in the beginning and has only gained a pound this month. He went from 95th percentile to 80 percentile for his weight. They didn't seemed concerned at his last appointment since he's already so big. He's in the 98th percentile for height. My son poops 3 to 5 times a day. There isn't as many of exclusively pumping so I would love to talk to other mom's who do. :-)

massey25 · November 2015

I've EP'd pretty much since coming home from the hospital. LO's 4 month checkup is next Monday. I'm curious to see how much he's gained, because he certainly looks and feels more plump.

He gets 5-51/2 oz bottles every 3 hours during the day.. And he'll usually do a longer stretch of sleep at night. He ends up getting 6-7 bottles a day depending on how long his night sleep is( and sometimes he wants them sooner than 3 hours during the day)

If he's gaining weight and making appropriate number of diapers I would think they wouldn't be too concerned, but every doc is different. If you're worried, just try adding a 1/2oz to each bottle.. If he wants more, add another 1/2. He'll let you know if he's not done. Henry is quick to let me know if he hasn't had enough

boborders · November 2015

I EP and within the past month he's gone from 3 times a day poops to once a week explosion/blow outs. He's 15 weeks now. He gained a lot the first couple of months, but slowed down recently. He eats between 4-5 oz every 2-3 hours (except at night where he varies between 7-12 hour stretches), give or take, and is quick to let us know if he's hungry. If he's not crying and doesn't seem hungry, he probably isn't.

audi681 · November 2015

I was breastfeeding/pumping since birth. My baby was born small, 5.11, and was 9.2 at his 2 month. I just kept doing what I was doing for months 2&3, and at his 4 month check up he was very underweight at 11lb. I make about 4 oz when I pump, so I give him 2 ounces of supplement after I breastfeed to make it 6 ounces. Since I've been supplementing he has put on a good amount of weight. I go back at 5 months for a weight check.

I would aim for 6 ounces a feeding. Increase slowly. Your baby's stomach isn't stretched for more food yet, and you are going to get a lot of vomit if you gun it to 6 ounces right away!

cwstebbins · November 2015

I've been EPing since the beginning. Up until last week he was eating 5 times a day (6 oz per bottle). Now he has started wanting 6 bottles most days, but he often spreads one of those out between two feedings.

Leahauc · November 2015

I ebf'd for a month and have been ep-ing for the last three. LO drinks 5 oz every 3-4 hrs, sometimes 6 oz (usually first bottle in the morning) just bc of the amount I had pumped. Her 4 month appt is Thursday, we'll see what they say, but she poops every 1-2 days with plenty of wet diapers.

Ashelee13 · November 2015

I just stopped EP. Just became too much for me and my supply was lowering because of work. But I was EP since we came home from the hospital. She only pooped once a week but plenty of wet diapers. She would only take 4 ounce bottles up until about 2 weeks ago when we started 5 ounces. We use the rule that if she goes 2 straight days drinking the whole bottle of every bottle she gets then we start putting an extra half ounce in her bottles. That seems to be working for us.

rasmith23 · November 2015

My guy eats between 5-6 oz at least 6 times per day. I give him a big bottle before bed to keep him full longer. He only poops every 3-4 days and has plenty of wet diapers daily. Went for 4 mo. check up today and Dr said everything was fine. He gained 2.9 lbs in between 2 and 4 mo. check ups.

lschwahl · November 2015

I've exclusively pumped since she was born. For the first 2 weeks it was 1.5 oz every 3 hours. From 2 weeks until now, it's been 3 oz about every 3 hours give or take, she eats a little more at bedtime. It's about 24-30 oz a day, but usually on the lower end. Born at 7 pounds 2 ounces and now at 4 months she's 13.5 pounds. Doc says she's growing fine. I've been told many times that babies generally never need more breastmilk as they grow, unlike formula, where they get huge 8 ounce bottl later on. She usually just about finishes a 3 oz bottle, leaves the last sip.

lschwahl · November 2015

Also....She usually poops 1-3 times per day, but sometimes not at all.

mamaklemond · November 2015

I have been EP'ING since around week 8 and he is almost 17 weeks. We go for our 4 month appt next Tuesday but at the allergist last week he was just over 15 lbs, born at 7.12. He eats between 4 and 5 oz every 2 to 3 hours and is waking up at night every 3-5 hours to eat still. When I tell my ped he eats between 4 and 5 oz she always tells me 5 is too much and to stick to 4 oz every 3 hours but in my opinion since he's getting breastmilk I treat it like breastfeeding on demand. If he's acting hungry before the 3 hr mark I will feed him. It's ridiculous to me to make him wait if he's hungry.

aluapaniri · November 2015

I've been EP'ing from the beginning and she takes in about 28-30 ounces per day. She is not really on a schedule but seems to take between 4-5 ounce bottles every 2-3 hours, closer spaced together in the evening before sleeping most of the night. She was born 5 pounds 5 oz, and now at 4 month appt on Monday was 14 pounds 2 oz, 50th percentile. She has reflux so she throws up if gets too much at once so we haven't increased the size of her bottles yet.

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