Amount of EBM for a 7 month old

[hedgehog1979]

Hope that the collective mumsnetters can help before I drive myself mad by googling

I am going back to work fulltime in a couple of weeks and need to give my CM EBM to feed to DS during the day.

I currently feed him every 3.5 - 4 hours although he will go up to 5 between feeds if neccessary. He has 5 feeds a day and doesn't wake at night at the moment

The CM will be giving him 2 feeds and I should be able to pick him up to do the teatime feed and then the before bed feed.

My question really is ... How much should he be having per feed?

I only really know FF mums and they all give their LO's 8oz per bottle (4 per day). DS has never had this much in one go will have about 5-6oz at a push. According to FF guidelines he should be having 20oz per day but I also know that I have read somewhere that BF babies need less because of its make up.

Can someone please help a very confused hedgehog?

Thanks

Should add that the only other BF mums I know are all MNers

8oz per feed is a lot for a bf baby, also ff babies have fewer bottles than bfeeders have feeds IYSWIM.

Can you express 12oz to start with? Your cm can then see what he takes. If there is lots left you need less and vice versa. I think it is a matter of trial and error rather than fixed rules. You may also find that he takes less during the day and ups the ante when he has you back.

One mw I know went back to work at 5months and her ds fasted resolutely until she was back then fed fed fed. They do have a mind of their own.

Weeeeell, I have a small sized baby who has issues with drinking from receptacles non maternal (boob only!) but we're aiming for 100ml - 4oz per feed. Not really managing that at the moment (more like 100ml in total) but it's early days.

Yes, agree with madmouse - people who say no baby will starve himself are wrong. I have one who will!

I always left 7oz bottles of EBM. I expressed small batches of 2-4oz when I could and they soon mounted up. Why not try 4oz with the back-up of more if needed. EBM defrosts really quickly so if he needed more it would not be a problem to defrost more.

hedgehog I feed C at lunchtime, so that's one feed, and leave 2 bottles of EBM each of about 3 oz, which she has morning and afternoon. Plus a couple of 2-3 oz frozen bags which they keep in ice making section of fridge (for 2 weeks max and then we replace them) in case she seems like she needs more. Tbh she hasn't been really bothered about milk though while at nursery, she eats more solids when there than at home and has less milk (often messes about with just an oz at a time), and she tops herself up when she's with me. Ds was the same, though he took a bit more than she does, but they learn quickly when mum is around and when she's not.

I'd send it in small amounts - 2-3 oz, then it won't be wasted but he needs more he will let it be known - but send quite a lot in for the first few days, then after that you will have a better idea how much he'll take. If CM has a freezer great as you can keep a backup stash there to save waste. You'll soon get into a routine but for those first few days it will help to know he has more than enough. After a while you will probably just be able to send what you pumped at work the previous day.

And bear in mind this all gets easier and easier as they eat more solids, it all gradually tails off. If you have time to feed him on drop-off as well as pick-up it takes the pressure off too.

HH when I went back with DS1 who was five months he was fed at 4am & 7am and then got 100mL of EBM from the nursery before two more feeds at 4pm and 7pm from me. Of course he wasn't sleepting through so i had the chance to sneek the extra night feed in. It worked really well for us and we got into a good routine - I think that's why I'm struggling to get DS2 to take solids now - because I'm feeding him too often since I'm not back at work yet!

oops DS1 was six months when I went back to work - where's my brain today?

Hi hedgehog,
I went back to work when ds was 7 months and I used to leave a bottle of about 100ml ebm, but he didn't really take much of it, so by then time he was 8 months I stopped and just gave am and pm feeds from me plus 11pm feed (only because I worried he wasn't getting enough).

Hi hedgehog. My 6 month old has 8 oz of EBM 5 times a day, sometimes less, but never more. I fill every bottle with 8 oz just to be sure.

Maybe a good idea to leave a bag of frozen BM in the childminders' freezer.

I think its 150 ml per kg of weight per 24 hours, so then divide that between how many feeds he has a day and you'll know how much you should express for each feed.

nappyaddict - that calculation is based on formula feeds so it won't equate to breastmilk.

hedgehog - you might find your EBM gets wasted because your DS might not want it. Do not be alarmed if that happens. You will find he will look for more breastfeeds when you get home.

It isn't the first time also that I did not have enough EBM expressed and I topped it up with water for volume. You will find it will all sort itself out

Thank you for all your help, I think I am going to aim to give the CM 12oz per day and also some to keep in her fridge.
She was a BF and used to take EBM when she went out, so she should be ok to have some in her freezer as well. Am off to see her tomorrow so will ask

mears TBM said she was told it is 150 ml per kg and she is breastfeeding. Thanks for pointing out this is not correct. I shall tell her to come over here

Katyjo - I need to talk to you! It sounds like your son is identical to mine! Will seek you out on postnatal now!

Thanks NappyAddict.

It's the calculation the NNU were using and what I was told to give her when they were talking about top-ups because of her jaundice. Someone said on another thread that they stop taking that amount at a certain point.