My 12 week old started daycare last week, she goes 3 days a week. I breastfeed her and have been pumping while at work, so I send the pumped milk with her the next day. I am usually pumping 4 bottles with about 3-4oz in them each day while at work (I work 8 hours and do 2 pumping sessions). But baby is only eating 3 bottles while at daycare. she does nurse in evenings and at night a few times, she is not sleeping through the night yet. It seems weird that I am pumping more than she is eating. So by wednesday I have like 3 extra bottles of milk. So my question is, does 3 bottles per day at daycare sound about right at 2.5 - 4oz per bottle? I worry she isn't drinking enough.
She was in the 50th percentile for weight so she is not underweight, but we have a month until her next appointment when we get to weigh her. I think I worry more about her eating enough when I can SEE how much she is eating, as opposed to breastfeeding all the time.
thanks!
Both of my babies I had in daycare had 3 bottles everyday with about 4 oz. in them. My boy was really big and my girl was in the 50th percentile. It sounds like she is doing perfect to me!
Sounds about right to me. I am a daycare provider who has had ALOT of breastfed babies thru here. For many, the mommies will freeze pumped milk (freeze it nice and flat!) and bring me a few days or once a stickpile is acquired, a weeks worth.
With a new one starting at about 10-12 weeks, I usually am given 4 oz frozens..and enough for 3 in a day (every 3 hours)..plus having extra on hand is important in case one spills or a freezer bags has a hole in it as it thaws (I thaw them in a cup of warm water, so if I leave it there while doing other tasks, of which there are MANY, then the milk is mixed with that cup of water, so ruined). Sometimes they don't eat all of each 4 oz feeding..sometimes they wolf it down! Each child is different and each feeding is as well. Once we get into a good pattern, that 4 oz/every 3 hours is a normal pattern for a long time.
Start freezing the extra so you have a stockpile..and be glad of it! I know as a provider, it is my chosen method for having the milk here. Mom brings me a litlte plastic Target/etc bag with 10-20 frozen flat bags of however many ounces little one is doing, labeled with their name and the date it was expressed. My freezer has these little, almost useless slots on the door (side-by-side unit), that are the exact perfect size to fit several flat bags! I just take them out a little before I know a feeding will occur, and put it in warm tap water to thaw.
Good Luck!
I agree with the other posters. Your baby is probably eating more with you. That is what my last baby did. She only would take at most 4 oz, usually 3 oz, twice a day. She would nurse in the morning before work, when I got home from work, and before bed and then at night. As long as she has wet and BM diapers she is getting enough. Start saving your extra milk you can freeze in a deep freeze for up to a year. My now 14 month old is still on breastmilk during the day and at meal times because I have such a large stash.
When I was pumping for my 2nd son, in the beginning I pumped way more than he could ever eat. But then when he got older, my pumping output dropped significantly, so it was nice to have that stash I froze in the beginning so I didn't have to supplement later. I think that's normal, or at least it was for me!
History shows babies are excellent at managing their intake. And, it is not unsual for you to produce more milk then she demands especially at this stage. Generally babies have growth spirts around 3 months and so it is possible your milk was increased to assist her get through a growth spirt. It is also possible that your baby prefers to drink from you. Now that you are back to work, it is important that you continue to offer her the bottle and she will get used to it. In either case, continue offering her what you think she'll need and freeze the rest for a later date. Breast milk can last frozen in a refrig/freezer for 3 months. If you have a deep freeze, it can last for even longer! Good luck.
Neither of my kids took as many bottles at daycare as I thought they would. Neither of them cared much for the bottle, but they made up for it once we got home and they could nurse. I would always send three 6-8 oz bottles and would bring one home. They usually dumped a little from each bottle at the end of the feedings too. I was also freezing 4-6 oz almost every day. The 50th percentile is OK for weight. Our doctor always tells us that is always one area where it is OK for your child to be average. As long as she is making wet diapers and gaining weight she is getting enough to eat.
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Totally normal-- my only advice is to freeze that milk and to pump and freeze on your days off too. I hit a BIG pumping slump at a bout 6 months that caught me by surprise. If I had had more milk in the freezer life would have been easier.....
She might be reverse cycling (eating more off you at home in the evening and night and less from the bottles at daycare) -- some babies do that. Mine didn't -- they would take 3 4-5 oz bottles of my pumped breastmilk at daycare at that age. As long as baby isn't overly fussy (which she probably isn't or they would be shoving another bottle at her) and is still gaining weight, it should be AOK. I would freeze the extra and maybe ask if you can keep a frozen package of breastmilk in their freezer and an extra empty bottle there as "back-up" in case she does start to eat more. Freeze the other extras at home. Best wishes!
This is totally normal. Both of my kids were different on the amount they ate at daycare and every baby is different. They will eat what they need to. Likely, you have a good supply of breastmilk right now since you just are going back to work. I would pump extra milk for several months (sometimes 10 oz extra) but then my supply would drop a bit since pumping is not as effective as nursing. If you can, try to freeze some of the extra milk (as soon as possible. I would often bring breast milk bags with me to work, toward the end of the week when I knew I had extra in the fridge I would just put one bottle in a bag. I would keep it chilled all day (of course) and then freeze immediately once I got home.)
Also, if you notice your supply dropping, you may need to add an extra pumping session at work if you can. Otherwise, once baby starts sleeping more at night make sure you pump right before bed or even once during the night. Helps a ton. Extra pumping on your days off will also help you to build a milk supply.
Good luck!
Hello. I provide childcare to a breastfed baby who is now 7 months old. This particular baby really prefers her mommy over the bottle. Over the 4 month span that she has been in my care she has taken anywhere between 5 - 12 oz of breastmilk from a bottle in an 8 hour period. She is growing and developing very well. She is sleeping well and she is a very happy baby! I think that most breastfed babies will do just fine and most just prefer mommy over the bottle. Your baby will probably not seem to eat very much while at daycare, but then might power-feed while with you. What you pump and what baby gets from you is never the same thing. The only way to know how much your baby is getting is to weigh baby before you feed and then immediately after. I think that if you are concerned about how much your baby is getting some signs to look for would be a drop in weight gain and I would ask the daycare provider if your baby seems hungry all the time or satisfied and ask what your provider thinks so that they know it is a concern for you. The baby's mother also comes to visit her baby once in awhile and nurses over her lunch time. This may or may not be an option for you, but I know I really enjoy the adult interaction when she visits and I think it's great for her baby! I'm sure your baby is just trying to find what works! Take care!
I had about that same exact situation -- worked 3 days a week, pumped about that much. I nursed both kids, and the first would have taken more and the second always had 3 - 4 ounces left at the end of the day. With my second, I would nurse him when I got home, and give him the bottle if he still seemed hungry. If he seemed fine, I would freeze it for later. We used up the frozen later when my supply decreased in the later months of the first year, or for mixing with cow's milk when we were weaning him to cow's milk. It was nice to have:) We still have some frozen (he's 18 mos. now) but I can't throw it away, even though it's probably bad!
It's definitely hard to figure the bottle thing out when you're used to not having to worry about it! Good luck and go with your gut!
I started out with 2-2.5 ounces per bottle, but more bottles per day. I was told a good rule of thumb is baby's weight in lbs, times 2.6 divided by total feeds per day. Remember that as baby grows, your milk will change, so she should never need more than about 5 oz per feed and that's more like 6 mo. old or older. Don't worry as much about what you can't see going in. Worry about output. Output tells you about input. She might not sleep through the night for a long time. Some babies just don't.
If you pump 4 bottles, keep one and label it as first for the next day. If she's not taking all that milk, then she likely doesn't need it. Just keep it in the fridge for the next day. It'll be fine.
I have a friend who can pump so much she donates. Some women just respond well to the pump so consider yourself fortunate. You can also freeze some but measure outside of the bag and then label the bag before you freeze or you'll not really know how much it is. I used to leave 1 frozen meal at daycare for DD and rotate it periodically. Unless it won't be used up in about 5-7 days, you don't need to freeze.
Kellymom.com was a great resource for me.
