Bottle Issues - Oak Forest,IL

Hi Serena,
Congratulations on your little girl. I know the dedication it takes to pump (I pumped for my first son for 14 months - he's 3 1/2 now).

I know that each baby is different. My 9 month old is also breastfed, but 1 day a week my mom babysits and he takes a bottle on those days. He only takes 2 bottles from her and those are each 6 oz, so its only a total of 12oz. I always leave a 3rd bottle with her, but he doesn't always take it. I think too that when taking a bottle, they take in more air than with the breast, so they may feel fuller faster (that's my educated guess).

I don't have any advise, but it sounds like she is doing ok. My little guy is a chunky boy, so its not like he's missing any meals! :-)

I think I always worried if he was getting enough. If she's doing well with the bottle, let her determine how much she will take. If your breast is available at night, she will make up for anything that she didn't get during the day. As you know, breast feeding isn't just about nutrition, its about the closeness and bonding, so enjoy the time that she is at your breast at night.

I hope my babbling was helpful. All this to say, I wouldn't worry too much, it sounds like she's doing pretty well!
B. :-)

Hi Serena,
My son was breastfeed and went to daycare after 2 months. He NEVER took a bottle with more than 4 oz. Even when he was a year plus. I wouldn't worry about it. She will eat what she needs. She may be getting a lot when she nurses off of you. She will eat when she is hungry.
Good luck!! It will all work out!
N. B.

Serena:

Sounds very normal to me.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

This sounds like what my son did and still does... he does not take much breastmilk from a bottle. I work 2 days a week and he takes a bottle all day long. he only takes between 12-15oz all day and he is 8 months old. I find he nurses for a little longer the next day to make up for it. I did find using a latex nipple worked better for him.- maybe more similar to my breast? anyway- try not stress out too much, your baby will not starve herself

This sounds FINE to me. Figure that on average babies eat about 24 oz/day, or about 1 oz/hour. Does she nurse for a long time at night? It's possible that she's really filling up with another 10-12 oz when she nurses.

Honestly, though, if she doesn't much like the bottle I wouldn't go to the trouble of pumping all day for her. Just keep her taking 1 bottle per day so that she remembers them (and if possible have someone besides you feed her the bottle), and nurse her the rest of the time. It's much easier on you and her. Yes, she will need to take a bottle while you're at work unless you want to go completely insane.

My son when on a bottle strike when he was 7 months old and he never went back to the bottle. BUT at that point he was eating some solids, so while it was nerve wracking, it was OK. He did a similar thing, though, where he would basically "hold out" until I got home and then want to nurse nonstop all night and all weekend.

I guess what I'm trying to say is (a) relax, she'll eat what she needs (b) you probably don't need to pump for her all day whiel you're at home - it's overkill and more trouble than it's worth. One bottle/day should be sufficient to make sure she still takes them. (c) if you're worried about whether she's getting enough you can try throwing in another nursing session - maybe one before bed for her? then she'd have 3/day (bedtime, night, morning)

You'll want to nurse her as much as you feel comfortable because it will help you keep your milk supply up. I always found when I pumped at work that a weekend of full time nursing really recharged my supply.

Congrats! Sounds like you're doing great.