"I hate wearing this hat, but when it is -40 outside my mommy says I have to have it on. At least I still look really adorable in it!"
James gets his FIRST breastmilk bottle from daddy! He drank it like a pro - but I had only pumped 2 ozs. for this first attempt, and it wasn't enough. Does anybody know approximately how much I should pump?
12 comments :
Well, ever Mom & baby are different. There are average recommendations, but you can't know for sure until you've done it a few times. I know some people who can pump 5oz each side, whereas I would always struggle to get 4 oz out of both sides. A pump can't get the milk out like your baby can, so it's safe to assume James eats more than 2oz each feeding.
It may be that the pump is not strong enough, too (though you don't want one too strong or it can damage your nipples). Usually once you have letdown, you'll find it easier to get a few more ounces out (if you don't get letdown easily by pumping, you may have to stimulate your nipples).
Anyway, it takes some practice, but I would say at James' age, it may be anywhere from 2-6oz per feeding. But every baby is different. Hope you can work it out - having a baby familiar with a bottle is a real lifesaver!
I always liked having more milk then less pumped so that I didn't feel that Rhys was going hungry. The funny thing is also that as James gets bigger, the amount he drinks at each feeding will increase. Rhys would all of a sudden want more than he had eaten for the last little bit, so I found that more was better. At James' age, he tended to eat about 4 oz. at a feeding.
If James is mostly nursing then you will have less to pump as well. I also found if I ever missed a feeding with him and could pump, I would and tried to freeze it because then I had some to spare.
Oh,
I also meant to mention that the bundled up picture of James is certainly different from the Buddha picture of Hawaii. You poor people, what a shock gettin g back to Canada must've been!
Also, Ryan looks like he's enjoying being able to feed James. Michael loved giving Rhys his bottle when he could as well.
Thats odd you only got 2 oz since youve been breastfeeding so long. WHat pump are you using? I used the medela hospital grade pump. I would pump both sides for 15 minutes. I was getting 2 1\2 oz. easy every 3 hrs but thats only because I didnt breastfeed Taite long on the breast so I wasnt producing a lot. Plus this was only a week after he was born. So I think thats a good amt.
Sometimes if I didnt get enough I'd add some that I had stored from another pumping time. Helped to have backup.
Hes a cutie in his outfit :-)
one word for you Heather now that James is eating from the bottle - FREEDOM!!!
I would agree with Janelle and say freedom, but I also say lose of intimate touch...I was sad when I had to stop breastfeeding Preston (my milk dried up because my doc gave me birth control). Anyway back to your question! lol I stopped breastfeeding when Preston was 2 months old...and I was pumping (previously the odd time we would have a date or something, and I'd pump) about 6oz. That's how much he would eat anyway! Sometimes he was more hungry, but that's what I tried to get was between 5-6oz. But again, every baby is different...Preston has always been a tank from day 1!!
super cute pics. That little guy is beautiful!
James is getting cuter by the day!!
As for pumping - I can get about 3 oz out right now when I pump, but your milk supply will increase as Baby grows and drinks more - and it's also true that your baby can empty your breast much better than any pump. The other day I gave Keziah 4 oz in a bottle and I was shocked that she drank the whole thing! I was wondering how much she actually drinks from me since I have no way of measuring, but now I'm guessing she's probably taking 3-4 oz at a time which I think is pretty normal for babies this age. My advice - keep up with the bottle a few times a week. I took too long of a break recently and suddenly Keziah wouldn't take it. After a lot of persistence she finally latched on, but I definitely won't wait that long again (I remember how stressed I was when I had to wean Micah suddenly and he wouldn't take the bottle so I'm trying to avoid that scenario again!)
I had pumped right after feeding James, so that is probably why I got so little. I also only pumped for 20 minutes. The pump I have is the Avent ISIS. It's great. I guess I just have to find a better time to pump, when I have more milk. Maybe at night??? Who knows!
Hi again Heather! I read your response and thought I'd leave another comment :) (hope that's OK!)
I pumped a lot when my milk first came in and froze that milk so I had a bit of a stash. Everytime I used one of those bottles I would pump the breast I would've normally fed from at that time to keep up my stash. It's hard to pump extra now since our bodies are producing pretty much just what our babies need, but I find a good time to pump is in the morning after I feed her. My breasts are ready to burst at that time since she sleeps so long at night! I don't totally empty them, but I save up a couple ounces here and there to be a full feed for another time. Does that make sense?
i can relate about not being able to pump a lot, but as a few others have mentioned, i would combine a few pumps from that day and then freeze or use.. i was also told that the best time to pump was not quite halfway in between feedings, so if he normally eats every 3 hrs, pump one hour after you fed him last, that way your body still has enough time to produce more before it's time to feed again.. what works for some may not work for others :) good luck - it sure is a life saver!
pump first thing in the morning. When my kids would have a long strech at night and I would wake up about to burst, i would put a kid on one boob and a pump on the other. IT sounds funny but I would get like 6 ounced of milk. The baby nursing allowed for the milk to let down alot faster for the pump
Erin (Jamies sister)
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