How many oz of milk should I get from pumping?

Rebekah - posted on 02/17/2010

Great points Jennifer. I was just coming back to add that it often takes your body some time to get used to pumping. And during that time, you'll likely not produce enough at each pumping session to equal the amount your child can get nursing. With my son, I never could get enough pumping to make it worth the time, but with my daughter I can get several ounces in a matter of minutes... not sure what made the difference.

Anyway, I have a single Medela Swing and I love it. It's great when my daughter only nurses on one side and I want to just increase my supply on the other side.

Jennifer - posted on 02/17/2010

for a fully breastfed baby, about 24 - 32 ounces per day. is he/she taking any solids?

most moms get about 1.5 - 2 ounces per breast per pumping session. the amount of breastmilk a baby takes in at 6 months is the same as at 6 weeks, about 4-3 ounces per feeding usually. keep in mind that pumping is a learned skill and it will take a bit for your body to get used to it and learn to respond to the pump. if you don't already own a breast pump, or own just a manual hand pump, and you think this is the only time you will need to pump for your baby, you might consider renting a hospital grade pump for creating your stash and keeping up your supply during your seperation. If you do purchase, a double electric would be a good choice if you can afford it ($250-300) Medela pump in style or ameda purely yours (or the lanisoh pump, they are the same) are good choices.

Andrea - posted on 02/17/2010

Honestly, whatever you get from a meal is what you should leave. Try pumping EARLY in the morning, about 2 hours before your baby's first normal meal, and see how much you get. Then you can feed that to her in a bottle if you need to - but it will give you an idea of what you need (probably slightly more than you need). My 3 month old takes 3-4 oz per meal, so 6-8 oz for a 6 mo old sounds about right.

Rebekah - posted on 02/17/2010

When I skip a feeding and pump for my 8 month old daughter I get about 4oz on each side. So my guess would be between 6-8oz per feeding too.

Rachelle, here is so more information about why your breastmilk might have been tasting bad after it had been frozen from http://workandpump.com/storage.htm.

"Is my milk spoiled? Sometimes milk that has been stored develops a soapy or metallic taste. This does not mean the milk is spoiled. It is because the enzymes that help digest breastmilk can sometimes break down some of the fats, resulting in what adults taste as an "off" flavor. If your baby drinks the milk, you don't need to do anything different. If your baby refuses this milk, scalding the milk before you store it will stop the activity of these enzymes. Breastmilk that is actually spoiled is pretty unmistakable - it will smell positively foul. Don't worry, you'll know."

Neither of my kids would ever drink my breastmilk after it had been frozen, so I highly recommend a good test run with at least a full day of bottle feeding before you go. Good luck!

Rachelle - posted on 02/17/2010

oh my....every woman is different as are the pumps that you can use. I think the best one you can get is the Madella (sp?)....the one I had was great, but rather spendy. Although, I heard from another mom about another one she liked. So maybe there are better ones now for less? I highly recommend that you do a trial run one night while you're still there. The whole thing...pump, freeze, thaw, feed. I was returning to work when my first son was 4 mos old and it didn't go well at all. But to answer your question, for me, I usually got about 3 ounces each side, which is probably about that or a little less than your baby gets at each feed. So, based on my own experience you should probably leave at least 4, preferrably 6 ounces per feed. If that doesnt' sound like much, remember that breast milk is more concentrated than formula. So, what went wrong for me.....my milk spoiled after 2 days. I'd been pumping and freezing like crazy for a month before I went back to work, then when I started to try to get my son to take it....he completely refused. It was awful. Then my midwife said I should taste it freshly pumped and then after thawing. I know, it might seem kind of odd....but we drink cow's milk. :) Turns out all of my milk was spoiled! And yes, my freezer was cold enough. There's a certain temp they recommend freezing/storing your milk. And yes, my bottles were sterile, etc... So that was my biggest problem....the next one of course was that he just wouldn't take the bottle...we tried many. But I think that was b/c he associated it with some awful stuff! My daycare lady ended up spoon feeding breastmilk thickened with rice cereal to him, which he never liked either....so he nursed all night to make up for what he didn't get during the day. I was such a guilty (and tired) mom and when I got pregnant with mysecond, I stayed home and haven't been back since. I share this story b/c you should be prepared.....but I hope you don't have the same problem. Baby #3 should work in your favor. Plus, he may be taking at least some solids, which should also help. I'm sure you'll get more posts on here. I hope they have better stories and tips than I do. Good Luck!