Working/Nursing Moms

sarapagan · February 2016

Violet will be 4 months old on Sunday. I am wondering what your feeding schedule is while you are away and how many ounces you provide the caregiver per feeding. I thought we had this whole thing figured out, but she's starting this weird phase and I feel like she's wanting to eat alot. I know I have posted this before but our feedings start at 5:30 with a nursing session, after which she goes back to sleep. I get ready for work and get my son ready for preschool and nurse her again around 7:15, then I leave for work. I leave two 4oz bottles for her that she eats roughly around 10:30 and 1:30 and I am home by 3:30 to nurse again. I then nurse her for the rest of the evening. I pump at work at 10 and 1 and freeze about 30 oz per week. My MIL and husband watch her while I'm working--H has her MW and MIL has her TTF. I picked Violet up on Friday from MIL and she was SCREAMING hungry and I was early to get her! I got there at like 245 and she had finished her bottle at 145. I'm new to BFing and working my son BF for only 2 months and then FF. Should I increase the amount in her bottles to keep her fuller? Or add a 4oz bottle at 3 before I get home? Any tips?

SweetnSassy23 · February 2016

Babies typically eat about an ounce for each hour away from mom. You can try to increase the bottles, maybe .5 or 1 ounce to start, or I would just make sure to leave some freezer bags for days when LO is hungrier.

sarapagan · February 2016

Thank you @SweetnSassy23 for the input! Maybe I will increase each bottle by .5 ounce. I am gone typically 8 hours--no more than 9 on a long day. Maybe she just needs that little extra!

ilikestars089 · February 2016

Not sure if this helps, but around 2.5 months my LO was crying after feedings and wasn't gaining as much weight as the pedi wanted him to. I'd been breastfeeding and pumping due to LO's lazy latch and clogged milk ducts, but I was still working with a lactation consultant to try to make sure LO got fed as best as I could. She said that around 4oz every 3 hours was all he needed based on his weight and age and whatever.

Our pedi, however, suggested bottle feeding as much as baby wants until he stops eating. I thought he would make himself sick (which happened only once) but after that he began drinking between 6-10oz at every single feeding! I was amazed and felt terrible that I'd only been giving him 4oz and he was hungry all the time. He is almost 5mo now and consistently eats 8oz every 3 hours (except for at night) and he is still only in the 12th percentile for weight. It's weird and seems like he eats wayyy to much, but he is a super happy baby and his hunger and sleep cues (not to mention his "I'm full" face - he just starts smiling

) are so much easier to read now that he's actually getting enough food at his feedings.

I know it's tough when leaving milk for others, but my suggestion would just be offering more at each feeding and if baby doesn't finish it all it can be saved for the next feeding as long as proper storage guidelines are followed! Personally, I'd offer more than just 4.5oz a feeding but you know your babe best and what she needs

Littlehummingbird · February 2016

I leave 4 4oz bottles at daycare for an 8 hour period. He usually only goes through 3, but I have the back up just in case. When he's with me he only eats once every 4-5 hours, but at daycare he eats about every 2-3 hours. I would say leave an extra bottle or like PP suggested add volume to the current ones. Good luck!

sarapagan · February 2016

@ilikestars089 WOW!! 8oz??? Now I'm really questioning what I'm doing. Today, I left her three 4.5 ounce bottles to see how she does. If she still seems hungry I will keep increasing. Thank you all!!

GoogleMD · February 2016

Lurking from N15.

My mom watches my LO. He is 15 weeks, and I leave 16oz a day. He usually only drinks 12 oz in 9 or 10 hrs I am gone. She freezes anything she has left since there have been a few days he has been extra hungry and drank 18 to 20 oz. She usually freezes about 15 to 20 oz a week.

I don't pre make the bottles, my mom will make him a 4oz bottle and offer him an additional oz if needed until he is done.

JennaEllen · February 2016

My day is very similar to yours! I nurse about 5:30 ish and then he falls back asleep while I get ready. I nurse again around 7:15 and then take him to the sitter. He eats about 4.5 oz at 10:30 and again at 2:00. I leave an extra bottle with 2oz just in case but he's never used it. I pick him up at 4 and usually nurse at 4:30, 6:00 and again around 7:45 for bedtime. He's still not sleeping through the night so I nurse again 1 sometimes 2 more times at night.
He just turned 4 months and is 15 pounds which is awesome for him...he was 5lbs 4 oz when he was born so he's tripled his birth weight. I thought he would eat more, but he makes up for it in the evening by eating more frequently

I pump more than I need for the next day at work. 12 oz so I'm usually able to add to the freezer stash I made while on maternity leave!

swcm · February 2016

I think the number of oz can vary a lot depending on lots of things... Kellymom says 1-1.25 oz per hr you're away. My LO eats more like 1.5-1.9 oz per hr I'm away. But he sleeps through the night from 11ish pm to about 7 am, so he seems to eat a lot during the day to make up for it. He is also super active. So I think it just depends on the baby. I like to leave some 4 oz bottles and some 2 oz bottles so nothing gets wasted.

sarapagan · February 2016

@JennaEllen wow! Thats awesome!

Violet is about 14 pounds now and was 6.14 at birth. Are you a teacher also?

Just as an update--she is doing GREAT with two 4.5 ounce bottles. She sleeps from around 930 after her last feeding up until 530am for the next. Thank you all for the support and input!!

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