How much to express?

[Whatamesshaslunch]

My baby is 4 months old and I'm planning on GOING OUT for an evening. Sorry for shouting, I'm just too excited.

I'm going to leave a bottle with OH for the 7pm feed but... how much should I express? It's taken me three tries to get 2.5oz. Googling told me I'd need 7oz but that feels like an enormous amount.

Sort of wondering whether I should mix what I have with formula but both of my LOs were/are ebf and it feels like a bit of a cop out. Not against the idea though, because NIGHT OUT!

I'd just express as much as is practical, and prep your OH to use formula if necessary. You may find that your baby doesn't take to the bottle and doesn't want to feed as much/at all when you are out. DS2 did exactly that when I went out, and he just fed loads when I got back.

Thank you!
I did a practice tonight and she screamed and screamed at the bottle. So that was a bit useless.

I remember when I tried to introduce a bottle to my EBF baby and it was a nightmare and a complete fail. I think I first tried at 5 months and tried every kind of bottle and teat I could think of but he point blank refused. We tried until he was about 9 months old but he'd never accept it. It wasn't such an issue then though as I would just put my expressed milk in a sippy cup and he took it fine. I appreciate your baby is too young for that.

I always told myself that if I had another baby I royals introduce bottles from a very early age so the baby would drink from bottle and breast, however, I'm now breast feeding DS2 (6 weeks old) and I find myself lacking the motivation to express and try a bottle

I've got to go on a 5 hour course in 4 weeks time so I had to consider bottles, but instead my mum is going to bring my son in for a breast feed during the break

Bf babies need approx an oz per hour, so I'd aim for that +1 oz. Put it in separate bottles of 3oz as they don't tend to drink more than that in one go.
I found giving the bottle when they were a sleep meant it wasn't rejected.

Have you tried the Medela bottles? My baby took to them well. DID you give baby the bottle or someone else? Next time get someone else to feed him/her the bottle. Maybe he orchestra she can an smell your milk and is unwilling to accept substitutes when the good stuff is clearly right there.