Please Help

Shannon - posted on 07/13/2012

So I ended up not going away that weekend however I am for sure going out of town next weekend and my husband is staying home with the baby. I still have most of those bottles from before and they should be good for my husband to use. I'm going to by some storage bags so once all my bottles are full again I can keep pumping and have extra just in case.

I am going this weekend because it is for our Amway business and my husband has been able to go to the last 2 big conferences and I had to miss our Ladies Leadership so because only one of us can go he decided to stay home because of making me miss that.

Now I thought of another concern I don't know if I will be able to pump as often/at the same time as a feeding will my supply dry up if I don't pump 5 times a day? I am going to pump as often as I can once we get to the hotel but we have a 12 hour drive from Michigan to North Carolina I'll hopefully be able to pump when we stop for food but I don't know if that will be enough.

My son is eating every 4 hours now so I'm hoping that because of that change I'll be okay. If I'm worrying about nothing though please let me know I have a tendency to get worked up over nothing.

Amanda - posted on 06/05/2012

Try pumping before feeding. I am never able to pump as much as baby eats, but always make enough for baby. Your body recognizes baby and responds better to his demands than the pump. He may nurse longer, but you got the milk you needed for later.

Aimee - posted on 06/04/2012

Shannon, you should have plenty. I would measure the milk out into 4-4.5 oz bottles/bags. It's super easy to thaw frozen breastmilk under hot running water. Make sure hubby uses a slow flow bottle nipple and take a burp break after baby drinks half. That should be around 30 oz/day, which is perfect. He probably is drinking it faster than he nurses so his little body doesn't realize he's full when the bottle is empty. I would wait on the formula. If you have a hand pump slip it into your purse and do your best to pump every 4 hours. If you have to run to the ladies room and briefly pump and dump to keep that supply up.

Vivian - posted on 06/03/2012

My baby was exclusively breastmilk until 9 months when my supply dropped because of my work schedule. I had a bunch saved up in the freezer but eventually had to add formula. At first he didn't like the taste and would push it away. I ended up mixing the formula per the instructions and adding one once of that to my breastmilk (1oz mixed formula + 4oz breastmilk) so he could get used to the taste. I still do this now but it's mostly formula now since my supply is almost gone (it's like 4oz formula + 1oz breastmilk now). Also, make sure you're pumping for at least 10-20 min after each feeding, then right after you pump, hand-express until nothing else comes out. I've always found I get another 1/2 - 1 oz more with hand express after pumping. Good luck! Hope this helps!

Shannon - posted on 05/30/2012

I've only given him a bottle a couple times so this is based on maybe 5 total bottle feedings. He is 2 months old 13 pounds 4 ounces so he's a big kid which is why I'm not surprised that he's eating a lot and it is possible that we are over feeding with the bottle it's just that after 4 ounces he acts like he's still hungry. I can't take him with me. I'm going to business conference for our Amway business so I'm not even sure if I will be able to pump as often as I would feed him. I really do want to avoid using formula but at this point it's starting to look like my husband will have to.

As of right now I have 6 four ounce bottles 3 five ounce and 2 full eight ounce with one more eight ounce bottle that is almost full.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 05/30/2012

How old is your baby? It sounds like he's being overfed with the bottle, which is very easy to do. Here is some info on how much milk baby will need. http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumpi...

Even if he's taking the higher end of 30 oz/day and he eats 7 times, his bottles would need to be just over 4 oz. Breastfed babies take about the same amount of milk (not counting growth spurts) until they start eating solids, then the amount of milk gradually decreases. They don't need the amount of milk to keep increasing like formula fed babies do. Here's some info on how to bottle feed the breastfed baby:
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feedi...

If I were you, I'd keep pumping and leave as many 4.5 oz bottles that I could. i would only use the formula if absolutely necessary. Is it possible to take baby with you?

Shannon - posted on 05/29/2012

Thank you that is really helpful. Also what do I do if I don't have 21 bottles (7 bottles a day for 3 days) by the time I leave? Right now I have 11 and I don't know if I can get another 10 by the 8th, I"m still trying but I just don't know if it's possible.

Louise - posted on 05/28/2012

As long as your son is fed he really does not care what it is as long as it goes in his belly. Always start with your milk as that is what he is used to and then top up with formula. He may become constipated with formula milk so make sure hubby knows to offer him water between feeds.