How much to express?

[atrcts]

I want to leave my 14 week old baby for about 3 hours once a week, but he feeds usually every 2 hours (especially in the evening) and so I want to pump enough milk to keep him going until I get home.

How do I know the amount he will need? I don't want to waste any but equally there is no point in doing half a job!

I wonders how much expressed milk other people leave a babysitter with.

I'd aim for between 3-4 oz. you'll probably find that he drinks more in one sitting than he would at the breast so he will go longer than two hours. But the great thing about expressed breast milk is that it lasts longer than formula, I.e. you don't have to ditch it if not drunk after an hour. So carer can keep that bottle on the go for the three hours quite safely, and you don't therefore have to worry about producing excess.

My 11 week old DD usually takes 4oz of expressed per feed every 2-3 hours, but sometimes takes as much as 6oz so I always leave her with more than I think she will need just in case.