Struggling with quantity

[ducklintina]

My daughter will be 23 weeks on Thursday and has started on one puree a day and 1 feed of baby rice to go with her breast feeds. I really want to continue breast feeding however my dauhghter is due to start a daycare 2 mornings a week and I am currently working 2 days a month. I am finding that she is getting enough milk straight from the breast however I am only currently able to express enough milk to add to puree/baby rice with only 1oz left to freeze. This is not enough to maintain a strictly breast fed baby. Should I start trying to express more frequently in the hope that my production will increase? Would love any advice or to hear from anyone in the same situation.

You could try expressing more, also I gave my son boiled water in place of one feed as its such a small amount. But someone who knows more than me will probably be along now.

ducklintina - the only surefire way to increase milk production is to remove milk more often, either by the baby feeding, or by expressing.

But I don't understand why you think you don't have enough at the moment?

A baby of this age who's breastfeeding several times in 24 hours should be fine with a couple of mornings 'off' a week, as long as she feeds often when she is with you.

Not sure why you are expressing - you can mix baby rice and purees with water if you want to

My dauhter feeds when she wakes and having left her monday and tuesday I know that she takes a 9-10oz bottle between 9&10 and a 9-10oz bottle between 1&2. If I'm trying to express to maintain this on the days I am away from her and only manageing to store 1oz a day this will not be enough. That's where my worry of not having enough comes from. Will try mixing purees and rice with water. smile

ducklintina - you'd be going some to get 20 oz of ebm on each of two consecutive days. That's a tall order.

Think about whether she is old enough to manage without, as long as she gets some fluid and food, and whatever ebm you can manage. She can make up for 'lost milk' when she is with you