Working moms/mums - come and share tips and support!

[jbepko]

I just discovered Super Suppers (not a plug for this company- there are several like companies and I have no financial connection). But 1 1/2 hours of my time and I went home with 6 meals (each serving 4-6 adults--- which means 12 meals for me, DH, LO) for the freezer! It satisifies my need for "homecooked healthy" meals and saves me TIME! Well worth the money!
Bethann- Definitely check out the milk calculators. Remembers babies instinctively "suck" when bottle inserted- so most will 'overfeed". I agree with PP that 7.5 oz is a large feeding. For awhile I knew the bottles were too large (almost 7 oz) and I slowly backed off and was able to get the bottles to 5 oz and he was never hungry/fussy/sleep changes by my account or daycare. Good Luck!

[tisdallmcphee]

Hi,
I'm just wondering how many bottles I should have stocked in the freezer.  I currently have 9, 6oz bottles.  I will miss 3 feedings/day and will be pumping at work these times.  I am worried that I may not be able to get 6 oz when I'm pumping during the day, as usually my supply is lower then.  If this happens, I worry that I may not have enough bmilk for my dd when I am away.

Also, I will be leaving at 6:30am.  This means if I want to bf in the morning I will have to wake her before 6am.  I am thinking that I will let her sleep and pump (my supply is always good first thing in the morning).  That way she can keep her schedule of waking at 7am..activity, naps, etc.  Do you think this is a good idea, or should I wake her?  If I do wake her, should I treat it as a night feed?

[LyndaManus]

Bethann, I think that you could really cut back.  My lo did this too and the lactation consultant I went to said that he was over-eating to compensate for the lost suckling time at the breast.  There are some tips on kellymom for over-eating, but below are the things I do and have recommended to daycare and they work for me.

1.  Slowest flow nipple possible (stage 1 if he will take it - longer the feed, the more suckling time with less milk)
2.  The bottle needs to be horizontal when feeding.  This is important for a bf baby.  She is use to being able to regulate flow which she cannot do from the bottle.  The horizontal bottle makes it easier for him.  This does mean that she will get more air, but she will burp it up.
3.  After she is done with what the chart says she should have, have them offer alternative means of soothing.  Have them hold her tight to their body, offer a paci and rocking are all suggestions I have seen work.
4.  Never encourage a bf baby to finish a bottle.  Once the baby indicates they are done - they are done (given they have had at least 3 ounces - doesn't sound like that is a problem for us though)

I am also going to start trying to use a sippy as soon as possible.  Tracy says that sippys are good for bf babies that over-eat b/c they can regulate the flow so over-eating is not an issue.  She says that they can start using one as early as 6 months.

My ds is fine with 5 to 6 ounces at a feeding during the day.  I think he gets more from me at night, but that is how it should be.  My husband thought I was nuts for going over all this stuff with daycare b/c the are "professionals" but I think that a lot of daycares are not familiar with bf babies and need to be told how you want things done.  Maybe dh could give her a bottle this weekend with onely 5 or 6 ounces in it and see how she reacts.  I have no doubt that my ds would guzzle down double this if I provided it, but at 5mths and 19lbs it is clear that he certainly isn't missing any meals 

[bethann]

Alright, so yesterday I gave her two 6.5 oz bottles, and today, two 6 oz. I'm just gonna keep dwindling it until she's @ 5 oz bottles.  It sure makes it easier.  And I think I just got my first period since who know's when, and doesn't that make you drop your supply?  which would explain my only getting 6.5 oz total yesterday!  (i was able to pump 5 this morning so she's all set for today at the sitters.)  I also changed her nipple to a slower flow. she was using a fast flow nipple so she was just chugging her bottles!

anyway, thanks!

I'm just wondering how many bottles I should have stocked in the freezer.  I currently have 9, 6oz bottles.  I will miss 3 feedings/day and will be pumping at work these times.  I am worried that I may not be able to get 6 oz when I'm pumping during the day, as usually my supply is lower then.  If this happens, I worry that I may not have enough bmilk for my dd when I am away.

Also, I will be leaving at 6:30am.  This means if I want to bf in the morning I will have to wake her before 6am.  I am thinking that I will let her sleep and pump (my supply is always good first thing in the morning).  That way she can keep her schedule of waking at 7am..activity, naps, etc.  Do you think this is a good idea, or should I wake her?  If I do wake her, should I treat it as a night feed?

how old is your lo? is she on a 3 hr or 4 hr easy? - because if she's over 4 months, you could drop one of her daytime feeds and would only need 2 5-6 oz bottles for her during the day.  this is what I do, and as you can see from the pp, it can be a bit of a struggle- but there are ways of making it work. 

I always like to bf my lo whenever I'm with her- I'm only with her 2 days a week so any special time I can get with her is important to me- but your situation is a little different.  if you did wake her @ 6- would she go back to sleep?  it may be easier for you to just pump before you leave.

[LyndaManus]

tisdallmcphee,
You have pretty much the same schedule as me.  I have to leave at 6:30/6:45ish.  I treat the feed right before I leave as a night feed.  This puts me off easy a little bit.  Below is my schedule:

6:15  Feed, put back to sleep
7:30 DH takes DS to daycare (consider this activity time)
    He normally takes another nap in here
10:15 Eat (expressed bottle)
Activity
Sleep
2:15 Eat
Activity
Sleep (cat nap)  DH picks up from daycare around 5:00 so he wakes up for a while after his nap
6:15 Eat
8:00 cluster feed put to bed
10:00 df and cross our fingers until morning.

This is 4-hour easy.  When we were on three hour it was the same thing but he ate at 6:15, 9:15, 12:15, 3:15, 6:15 - it is perfect because I got the 6am and 6pm feeds.

As for the freezer stash.  I pump as much as I can at each session and don't throw anything away.  I have a lot stored and figure that it is always better to have too much than to little.  Here is the problem.  You want to avoid supplimenting with your freezer stash as much as possible - it is downward slope.  The stash should be used for if you have to miss a feeding you didn't intend to miss.  If you suppliment with the stash then your LO will not be able to tell your body that it needs to produce more milk and you will keep under producing.  I haven't really had a problem in this area, but I would say if you are within an ounce of what your lo would normally eat then just give that amount. 

With the above schedule my ds has adapted and seems to take less during the day.  The 6pm feeding is the longest of the day.  I think mainly because of the missed suckling time.  When we started daycare, the only word I could use to discribe this feeding was "ravenous" - I felt like I was starving him during the day.  Within a week he totally calmed down - this is how I realized it was a suckling issue and not a hunger issue.  Once he was comfortable with the change in his lifestyle all was good.

Good luck!

[mchoong]

So what is considered normal amounts for various ages. I've been checking all over the place for information and haven't found any.  I returned to work about 3 weeks ago and my LO is just over 2 mos. She eats every three hours and I miss the 9, 12, 3 feedings so she gets bottled BM. She usually eats 4 oz easily. My care provider says that if she doesn't want more, she is definate about it so there are times she won't finish the 4 oz but that is very rare. There are also times she'll eat more (usually in the AM because she's missed a night feeding - I feed her when she wakes at 4 AM and try to wake her to eat at 6 but she only nibbles and I don't think she gets much - too eager to go back to sleep and it's too soon since her last feeding)

Is 4 oz too much for her age? Are there any references I can find on this?

[LyndaManus]

I have been using this link:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html#calculator

I have heard some people say that the amounts are a little conservative, but it serves as a great guideline.

[tisdallmcphee]

Hi Lynda,

Thanks for posting your schedule and for the feedback.  I was just wondering a few things.  When you feed your DS at 6:15, is it like a DF?  Do you do this on your days off as well or do you just let him wake up and go 4 hour EASY from there?

Thanks!

Cindy

[LyndaManus]

the 6:15am feed is like a df.  I will often change his diaper before feeding though so dh will not have to change him before leaving for daycare (I go to work earlier for dh).  It is also nice because ds will stay asleep while dh is getting ready for work.

I do it on off days as a df too just for consistency (I just set the alarm, feed him and then go back to bed for some extra sleep).  He will then wake around 7:30 or 8:00 and will start showing signs he is tired again around 9:00.  Then, we can get on easy.  It really works great for us and allows me to maximize the number of times I feed him per day.

[mgillard]

I am going out of town next month for 2 days and am wondering how I can make this work. I am not worried about having enough for her as my freezer is pretty full, but I am worried about pumping/keeping up my supply. I believe there is a fridge in the hotel, so I can actually save what I pump, but it's a conference, so I can't exactly leave when I want. My LO is 5 mo old and has 6 feedings/day, including a DF and her night feeding. I know I won't pump in the middle of the night, so that's down to 5 times. Should I be trying to pump more? I know that when I pump at work (2x) I get a decent amnt (8-9 oz) in one sitting, but the 2nd time I get maybe 5 oz. She eats 5-6 oz for her 2 feedings I miss and then I BF the other times, so I'm not sure how much she's taking. Since it will only be 2 days should I just not worry and assume it'll pick up when I return? Should I aim to pump more frequently while I'm gone? Thanks!

[jbepko]

Ideally you want to mimic what your LO will be doing, but its not always possible. If you have freezer packs adn can keep the milk cool enough, you might be able to cool milk. Are you flying? or driving? Anyhow...for the pumping. I would defnitely suggest pumping in the morning before leaving for the conference, at lunch, at the end of the day (before dinner) and before bedtime- that is four times. Depending on your engorgement/supply/access to privacy you could add a session mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Drink lots, lots, lots of water and plan on lots of "reconnect" time when you come down. Good luck! I am currently on a trip away from LO....I appreciate the "me" time, but miss my LO's!!

[mgillard]

I'm driving, it's only 2 hrs away. My LO eats, typically around 7,1030,230,630,930(DF). Nights are chaotic, but typically 1x, between 3-4. I should be able to get in the am, lunch,pm, DF times. I am hoping to get another one during the day, but it depends on the workshops. Yes, I am looking forward to the time away, but I know I will be missing them terribly. I'm hoping it will be enough of a vacation to at least return somewhat refreshed!!

[LyndaManus]

Question for those of you who have introduced solids.  We will be introducing rice cereal for the first time this Friday   DS will be 6 mths on 10/12/06.  When you send you lo's to daycare do you have the provider make the cereal with breastmilk???  If so, do you premix it and send it in a container, or do they prepare it?  If not, do you use formula or water?  DS has never had formula so I would probably opt for water.  Wondering if the people at daycare would be wierded out dealing with my breastmilk so much.  Thanks!

[clh]

Lynda--Folks at my daycare would mix with either water or breastmilk.  I just sent in the box of cereal & they made what they needed. 

[bethann]

I've tried all three- h20, formula, and BM.  Baby doesn't like any, so I guess whatever your lo ends up liking.  They shouldn't be wierded out by BM.