How much should my 6wk old be eating

Hey gals,

First off here is some history. I am strictly pumping due to the fact that after my section my milk was very slow to come in and we had to supplement with formula..... so he got use to a bottle very quickly.   At best I can pump 3oz at a sitting. My first pump of the day I am lucky enough to get about 9 oz so this gives me a good jump start for the morning feedings.  (Side note I am also taking Fenugreek.

For about a month Cruz has been eating 3oz. For the last week he has been really cranky so we figured he is needing to eat more.  But the problem is I cannot make a 4oz bottle so I am having to add an ounce of formula to each bottle. This makes me disappointed because I did not want him taking this much formula.  

Okay now for my question.............sorry! How much should he be eating at one sitting??? All of those baby books seem to vary so much on the amount. My cousins baby is a few weeks older then Cruz and he is already eating 10 oz! This seems crazy to me!!! I do not want to starve my baby but I do not want to over feed him!!!

Any suggestions are comments would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Rachel

[AndiJ78]

I would look into getting a different pump, perhaps rent one of the hospital grade pumps to help draw out more milk.

On a side note, the one time I was able to pump, I was able to draw over 6 ounces in 15 minutes with a crummy pump, so imagine what my son was getting in an hour of nursing!!

Feed to satiation, do not worry as much about the number of ounces. Go an ounce or two at a time and burp. If still hungry, offer more.

Congrats!

[rdh1981]

Thanks! I have a great pump! I have a Medela "Pump in Style", you know the one that cost over $300 so the pump is not the problem it is me.  I guess I will have to keep trying different amounts until we find the winner!

[tiredbuthappy]

is your cousin's baby on formula or bm? babies take much more formula.

generally, a 6 week old would take 3-4 ounces. my dd took 4 ounces until she was about 4 months before bumping up to 5 oz. and she was a chunker. but she also ate frequently. if it was every 2 hours, it was less. if she went 3 hours, it was a little more. doesn't mean they won't take more during a growth spurt. and of course, all babies are different- some may need more. and all mommies have different milk compositions.

how often do you pump? the best way to boost supply is to pump more. you can also power pump, which mimics a baby's cluster feed. babies naturally do this when they hit a growth spurt, and you can try to mimic this with a pump. i never truly understood this until now when i have a baby who cluster feeds at the breast.

with a 9 ounce start, you shouldn't have to supplement. pump for each feed, and then add an extra ounce from those 9 ounces.

[jenkaye21]

Around 6 weeks Cooper went thru a few days where he wanted to nurse non-stop, i guess it was a growth spurt.  Shortly after that, when i returned to work, he started taking bottles almost exclusively.  Now he's 7+ weeks and taking 4-5 ounces of pumped breastmilk at a time, about every 3 hours.  

[jenkaye21]

Oh, i also have had to start supplementing with formula, about 50/50, because i just can't pump enough to meet his needs. = (
(Perhaps i could if i pumped 24/7, but w 3 other kids and a f/t teaching job, that's not gonna happen!)

[prevatt77]

I have been strictly pumping for the past 6 months.  Gavin has never taken formula, it's a lot of work but worth it.  I work in a hospital and they provide us with pumping rooms and with hospital grade pumps.  I feel I get more milk with my Medela then I do with the hospital grade pumps.  Here are my suggestions to increase your milk supply, if you feel you're not producing enough for him.  With the Medela pump it has a speed level and a suction level on the pump.  When you're having a let down you want your suction on max but the speed on 1, once your let down is done, increase the speed to 3 or 4, then when you have another let down put your speed back down to one.  You should be pumping about 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes and your last drop of milk you see, continue to pump another 2 minutes.  I would also recommend drinking "Mother's Milk Tea" along with your Fenugreek, drink at least 5 cups a day.  Also, the more times you pump a day the better it will build up your supply.  There is also a prescription drug you can take to boost your milk supply, but I would use that as a last resource.

When I go back down to the pumping room this afternoon, they have a sheet down there and it tells you how much your child should be drinking at a certain age.  I will check it out for you later.  Also, if you have anymore question, pm me and maybe I can help you out.  My BF in the hospital where I work is a lactation specialist so I get a lot of tips from her.  Let me know if I can help.

Debbie

[PamelaBee]

Hi honey!!  How's my son in law?  As Debbie mentioned I would take the Mothers Milk tea along with the Fenugreek...I do that too.  With Olivia, she lost some weight when she got out of the hospital, and she would spit up alot after most feedings.  My Ped wanted me to supplement with formula, but I pumped instead so I could actually see how many ounces she was taking...anyway, she is almost 8wks and weighs about 10lb 7oz.  I breast feed her on demand, plus give her 2 bottles breastmilk about 4oz everyday.  I know they go through a growth spurt around this time, but keep taking the fenugreek and tea, and pump alot, and your supply will flourish.  Another thing I heard is, your breasts actually never empty, in otherwards if baby is still hungry, or hungry soon after a feeding, your breasts will always supply what they need.  Aren't our boobies an amazing body part??  : )   Pam

[rdh1981]

Thanks everyone! I am pumping about every two/three hours. Just like if he would be nursing.  I was usually pump for about 20-30 minutes at a time on the highest level. I drink a ton of water but that is really not helping.  

Hopefully like you guys said this is a growth spurt and he will stay at 4 oz for a little while. He was at 3 oz for about a month!

The formula we are supplementing with his good (Similac Advanced Early Shield) but it still makes me feel sad.  Luckly I do have a few good pumps, so he can get strictly a few just breastmilk bottles.

Deb- Thanks for the advice! Let me know what you find out at work!!

jenkaye21- I already feel like I am pumping all day! Glad to know I am not alone in this!!

Tired- My cousins little boy is taking formula, that seems like a ton of formula to me. Thanks again for all your help!

[tiredbuthappy]

turn down the pump!!!
The highest setting is way too high. My LC told me it can damage the nipple and reduce production. She had me keep it at 1/4 to 1/3 strength. Play around with that. Stronger does not equal better.

also, make sure you are doing compressions while you pump.

[rdh1981]

Oh, wow! I thought higher was better! I am glad you told me that! Oh, believe I am doing compressions, that has helped me make an ounce in itself!

[PamelaBee]

What are compressions?  Squeezing your boobs while pumping?

[tiredbuthappy]

yes- play around with the most efficient way. i found that starting at the base and pressing firmly as i push my fingers towards the nipples gets a lot out that the pump doesn't draw out. Be sure to do the underside of the boob too. It helps completely drain the boob, which signals the need for more milk.

[prevatt77]

Totally forgot to look when I went to pump this afternoon.  I will look in the am and send you a message when I get back.  Sorry.

[NicMom]

Bella is 5 and a half weeks and she eats 3 to 5oz every 3 to 4 hours. I supplement with formula in the evenings so that she will sleep a little longer the first half of the night. I freeze the milk I pump for that feeding and have been building up a nice stock pile in the freezer. I can only produce about 4 or 5 oz each time I pump. I think I'll try some of that mothers milk tea to see if that helps.

[Super_sally888]

I also find that manually expressing milk gets more than just the pump for me.

My baby is nearly 8 months old.  She has some solids but is not terribly interested.

She still only drinks about 4 - 5 oz of breast milk per feed.  She is growing well and a little chubby.

My LC told me that just because baby will drink more milk doesn't mean they need it, and it should be given to them.  Average volume for a baby after the first few months is 24- 30 oz a day (even up to 6 months).

[rdh1981]

Wow, I was not expecting to get so many answers and suggestions! You ladies are great!!!!!

Cruz seems very comfortable with 4oz so I think that is where I will keep him for now. He is now weighing in at around 10lbs so I am sure that is why my "big boy" is wanting more food!!!!

I am still going to work at pumping. I would really love to pump enough to make 4 oz bottles! Right now I have 5, 4oz bottles in the fridge so at least for today he will get plenty of breastmilk!!!!!!  

Thanks again for all the help!

[pookie1121]

tiredbuthappy is definately right.  turn down the pump.  ihave the same pump and could never pump at the higest.  I get the most milk when i have the setting between about 1/3 of the way.

My twins came 8 weeks early and their milk intake and waight gain was carefully monitored.  Both babies had difficulties nursing, but eventually got the hang of it (for the most part - Isabella still has a little difficulty).  The hospital doctor told us that my twins should get 150ml of milk for every kg of weight per day - which for those of you who do not htink in metric, 5 oz for every 2.2lbs.  So if your baby weighs 10lbs, it should get at least 23oz of milk per day to sustain weight, with that divided among the meal times.  If he eats 6 times a day, then 4 oz each meal is just fine.