Expressing milk - how much makes a feed?

[appledumpling]

I used my breast pump for the first time the other day. As it was very much a trial run I just expressed 50mls and tried DS with the bottle which worked well although he obviously needed a top up straight from the breast as well.

Which made me think...how much milk do I need to express to make a feed? Was thinking DH could bottle-feed expressed milk last thing at night when I'm getting some much needed shut-eye but there won't be much point if DS then needs some more from me as well.

Any help much appreciated.

[Cazee]

How old is your DS?

[appledumpling]

Just coming up 4 weeks.

[LIZS]

up to 4oz/120ml

[appledumpling]

That's a relief - I was looking at the small and large bottles that came with the pump and was thinking that filling the large bottle would mean me being clamped to the pump all day!

[Cazee]

One of the super things aboyr breast milk is that it keeps for a good while in the fridge, between 3 and 8 days (I usually stick to 3 to be safe), so you can keep topping it up to make a feed if you need to.

[BaffledByBabyTights]

I was given a rough rule of thumb by one HV - 2 and a half oz x lb of baby wieght divided by number of feeds per day. So if bubs is 10 lbs, for ease of maths, that's 25 oz divided by say, 6 feeds a day, is 4 and a bit oz (too tired to do the final maths there). seemed to work with mine.

[moondog]

Blimey,you've lost me already Baffled.

I used to give as much as I could get out to replace a feed which was about 4 oz.

[BaffledByBabyTights]

sorry !

[Cazee]

My DD had 4oz at that age too

[Cazee]

...and if I experessed all 4 oz in one go I would parade round the house showing anyone I could find my wonderful achievement "Just LOOK at that, all my own work you know"

[BaffledByBabyTights]

yes, me too, then I would trip over the dog/lego/Dh and lose the chuffing lot.........

[moondog]

God yes!
I've done that.
Bloody devastating.
My best was washing paraphernalia out while wearing vanilla scented plastic gloves (I didn't know they were scented when i bought them.)
I didn't twig for days and was tellin everyone that i had vanilla flavoured milk.

[kiskidee]

think you should rename yourself moonorchid.
[vanilla scented milk lol]

[chocolatechipmonkey]

yep, no use crying over spilled milk unless you've just spent 20min expressing it.
For exact amount take baby's weight in kilos
For each kilo, allow 150ml of milk. This is the daily amount,
Divide by number of feeds per day.

Or you could just do what moondog did!

[ib]

I tried to go by this

but ds has never taken more than 60 ml in one feed (and he is 4 months!)

very of all these babies drinking 4 oz...

[appledumpling]

Thanks for all the tips.

Baffled - I'll try to take care not to trip over anything and spill the lot (would be just the sort of thing I would do though... )