How much milk do I need to express?

[DDDixon]

Baby is five weeks old and exclusively breast fed. She is having Colief so I've started expressing a bit for the drops to be mixed with before each feed and have discovered I can get a goodly amount (2-3oz from each boob) at a time.
I want to start building up a bit of a supply of milk in the freezer so that I can perhaps have a couple of hours out on my own or have a lie in one day, but am wondering roughly how much you'd expect a baby to need in one feed? She took nearly 3oz from a bottle this morning and then had a good ten minutes on the breast, she was gulping away as if she'd never had the bottle...I would hate to leave her and for her to be hungry, and I'd also feel awful for whoever was looking after her!

It is a difficult one, isn't it!? If only our boobs had gauges on them!!

I think maybe offer about 5oz in a bottle for a feed - I think bottle feeding becomes a real numbers game and sometimes my baby has a few ounces and other times drains the lot and wants more!! I am then always checking how much he has drunk but I don't notice these variants when he is BF as it just seems less of an issue to me.....maybe because I find bottle feeding a real faf and BF so convenient!

Anyway, I think it is always good to have some more milk on stand by should she drink it all and then you can always top it up.

I find expressing just a few ounces per 'bag' or however you are choosing to freeze/store it, means you wont ever have to defrost too much in one go and waste it if it doesn't get drunk from the bottle.

I have a few bags in the freezer, and am actually planning to use these for mixing wiith his food when he starts weaning (he is 20 wks)...not something you need to think about yet! but it is always good to have some in there for an emergency as well, isn't it?

I agree re: 5oz-6oz esp if thats what you can get off at a time. DS2 took 4oz bottle at 5 weeks and finished it, was full not sure if he'd have drunk more?