How much ebm does an average 14 week old take?

[barbamama]

Mine is exclusively bf during the day and I am managing to express up to 5 oz per evening once he is asleep (sleeps through) so that he can have the odd bottle. I thought this was ok but it seems from reading other threads that expressing only 5 oz per day is not that great - do others get much more? Also a 5 oz bottle doesn't really seem to satisfy hime anymore. How much ebm do other babies take at a feed? Just interested what others take.

I am trying to build up a supply in the freezer but can't seem to get on top of it - whatever I express he takes at the next bottle.

[FirstAtForty]

I'm not an expert but 5oz a day sounds pretty good to me, I could only ever manage about 3oz if I remember correctly, but did exclusively bf till about 9 months, and bf with supplement till 14 months.

My only suggestion would be to not give him any ebm for a few days a week when you really need to, to give your ebm supply and your own breastmilk supply a chance to build up. Just take it slowly and you should get there, sounds like you're doing brilliantly

[FirstAtForty]

oops that should be 'not give him any ebm for a few days a week - only when you really need to'

[barbamama]

thanks, I thought it was going well but recently with mastitis, stress etc I am feeling a bit disheartened and like my supply is dropping - have finally given in and hired a symphony pump so will see if that helps, thanks for your reply, was feeling a bit crap last night when posted this.

[IwansMam]

I can only express 5oz in one session, and then only if I'm pumping a missed feed, so you're doing really well. It has started to get more difficult to pump (longer sessions and less out) as DS gets older and I've been told this is normal.

Since DS was 10 weeks if I go out, I always try and leave 9oz of EBM ... sometimes he has 3oz and sometimes the whole lot.

[loler]

my 14wk ds is rubbish at taking a bottle but takes about 4oz max. Takes ages to get him to have that much

[barbamama]

thanks all that is really helpful - maybe we are not doing too badly after all. Today was a bit better. I supppose it is normal for the supply to calm down a bit as they feed less often than when they are newborns. I just wish I'd had the energy to express more then and save all that milk!

[MrsBadger]

I can do 5oz in a day if I really try, (3oz in the morning and 2 x 1oz later) but I don't give dd a bottle routinely, so the freezer stock builds quite fast.

can you cut the daily bottle as FaF suggests?

[barbamama]

yes I will - it's not really a routine as such just dp has been off work for a couple of weeks so have been trying to get out to do stuff so it has ended up with him needing to give him one feed a day. And of course I had mastitis at the same time so we used most of the freezer stock then when it was too sore. He had 8 oz too today while I was at the gym so I think that is what he has roughly for a feed now. The Symphony pump arrived today so will go and try it out. Keep up the good work all of us!

[barbamama]

Also I think I was starting to panic as I wasn't getting that letdown feeling anymore and wasn't leaking but I did again today at about the time he was having the ebm so maybe it is ok. Stop over analysing as usual (to myself!)