I started work again on Monday and am trying to get a grasp on this whole pumping thing. LO wasn't taking bottle prior to leaving him with day care so we are trying to figure out how much he eats vs how much I pump. Unfortunately things have gone in the opposite direction where he is eating more than I am pumping. Two things worry me about this: first that daycare may be over feeding him and second that my supply is going down. I am away from him for approx ten hours (I am counting from morning feeding to first evening feeding) and he is eating 15oz or more during that time. When I get home all I do is feed him as well. He sleeps seven hours at night and it isn't unusual for him to eat 10-12 times a day but it does worry me a bit that daycare is sometimes breaking into my freezer stash to feed him more than 15oz in that time and that despite this I am still feeding him so much at night. It wouldn't be so worrisome if I was producing enough but my supply has gone down by an ounce a day and yesterday I only got 11oz total from my three pumping sessions Clearly I need to change something but I am not sure what. Do I talk to daycare and tell them 15oz is it for the day. Do I try to pump more at work, do I get up in the middle of the night? Really worried if something doesn't change I might not be able to sustain this!
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How often are they feeding him? LO takes 3 5 oz bottles, but I pump in the morning, at work, and evening to get 15+oz. her sitter feeds her every 3 hours. If I pick her up early, then we save that bottle for the next day. Are you taking any supplements? I'm drinking organic milkmaid tea and made some lactation cookies.
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@tillma: I'm gone for just under 10 hours and my LO has 4 bottles while I'm gone, each one 5-6 oz. that means she drinks 20-24 oz while I am gone, which is about right as she has just 1 more bottle before bed, and one overnight (but she's been drinking less and less overnight so that's only 3 oz maybe.)
I exclusively pump, so it's different... I know exactly what she's drinking when. My LO seems to be in a growth spurt now at 6 months. She used to average 25 oz a day, but now she's up to 32 oz or so a day.
I'm not concerned with daycare feeding her too much because she's also drinking 5-6 oz in the morning for Dh and 5-6 oz for me at night, so we've all noticed her increase in hunger. Also, my LO is 26% for weight and 88% for height.
All this to say.... The online calculators for how much your BF baby "should" be drinking are just for a guide. Your particular LO may need less or more than the standard amount, so keep that in mind. Also, you know your LOs percentiles better that us, so you know if he seems in danger if being over fed. (MANY EBF babies are super chunky and are probably drinking more that 30 oz a day).
Second issues: pumping output. Some ppl don't respond well to the pump. Use fenugreek and get a prescription for Domperidone if fenugreek doesn't work. An extra pump a day somewhere will help too.
And there's no shame in formula supplementation. Formula is better than a hungry baby in my opinion.
Good luck! You body may just be adjusting to pumping at work and may increase on it's own.
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I pumped one side while feeding on the other side in the morning. It is not uncommon to have issues pumping like you are experiencing. Find out why daycare is feeding more. Occasionally there will be a growth spurt and it is harder to catch up while pumping but when you are together you can catch up in a weekend. Do you nurse right before and after drop off/ pick up?
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@singingbee: I have been leaving 5 3oz bottles. Daycare just told me he is starting to drink more than 3oz at a time so I think I will up it to 4oz. He has bad reflux so if he eats too much at once it all comes back up. He has been spitting up a lot I know because he is always in a new outfit when I get home. Doesn't make me feel good when I am struggling to make it.
Haven't tried supplements because up until now I have never had a supply issue. -
I EP and my LO is 4 months...she usually takes:
9am-6oz
11am-2oz
1pm-6oz
5pm-6oz
8pm-4oz
10pm-2oz, bed for the nightSo in average I'd say she takes about 26oz a day, sometimes more and sometimes less.
I can't pump quite enough so she gets a bottle or two of formula per day. A prescription for domperidone has really helped my supply.
I tend to feed her whenever she is hungry, but then again I don't EBF and don't mind formula.
How old is your LO?
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@brownie: nursing at 6:30 usually, I leave house at 7:15 so it is kinda tough to fit another session in there. He eats right away when I get home then at 4:30
@char54: He is ten weeks
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@tillma: from your reflux comment I would say that yes they are feeding him too much. Daycares are often more used to formula fed babies than breastfed babies. You should talk to them about the differences (such as number of ounces usually doesn't go up the same way). My son at 3 oz bottles until I quite pumping at 1 year old.
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I would talk to your daycare. A lot of times daycare providers are used to formula fed babies, and those babies often drink more in one sitting than EBF babies. For example, my friend's son is FF and he drinks 8 oz bottles....there is no way my EBF baby could get 8 oz in one sitting from my boobs. If you are away for 10 hours then 15 oz should be enough.
I would talk to them to see if he is actually fussy/showing hunger cues, or if they're just feeing him more because they think it isn't enough. Another thing you could try doing is pumping one day on the weekend and feeding him as they would at daycare and see how he does. I know that would be a pain, but at least it might give you some insight.
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It's easier to eat more from a bottle than a breast. I would talk to your daycare about paced bottle feedings. They should be tipping the nipple out of his mouth every 20 seconds & watching his cues to see if he is still hungry. They should also burp after every ounce - especially if he has reflux! If he doesn't finish they can save the bottle for the next feeding. I know it might be hard to get a daycare to do this, though... Maybe google "paced bottle feeding daycare" for suggestions?
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I agree with the other comments. Kellymom recommends maximum 1.25 oz per hour of separation from mom and encourages paced feedings. My daughter will guzzle down her 3 oz bottle and act like she's still hungry, but if you burp her by the time you're done she realizes she's had enough and she's happy.
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I'm away from my LO for 8.5-9 hours. So I would try a little more but space out the feedings. I know that 5 oz is our sweet spot. We wake at 5:15. I pump, then nurse LO, nurse again before we leave around 6:45. She doesn't eat again until 9:30 and then from there out she is every 3 hours.
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I just weighed him (granted it is our scale, I am holding him and this is in no way perfectly accurate) but it says he has gains two pounds in the last two weeks. That is WAY too much for his age isn't it? LO is only in 32nd percentile for weight so he isn't a beefy baby either. Now REALLY starting to wonder.
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@tillma: My LO gained 2.5 lbs between her 2 and 4 month checkups, so that does seem like a lot (she's right around the 50th percentile for weight). But I guess too much is better than too little? I totally get not wanting to over feed him or have to unnecessarily supplement, though.
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