How many ounces...

[bcb1961]

Originally Posted by kcmather Thanks for all the info ladies. This makes me feel so much better. My sister watches my dd while I am at work and when I told her about ebf babies not needing more ounces she thought I was crazy. I send 4 bottles with 3 ounces each but she has only been drinking about 9 ounces while I am gone (I work 9 hours). My sister didn't think that was enough so she said she was going to buy some formula to keep at her house to give her. I will have to share this thread with her so she will believe me and not think I am starving my baby.

If you don't want your baby to have formula, don't let your sister buy it. If it's sitting around, it WILL get used. If you aren't having any supply issues, there is really no reason it is needed. ETA: If there is a whole bottle left over every day, why would your sister want to buy it anyway!?!?

You should check out kellymom.com if you haven't already. GREAT breastfeeing info!

[colin-mylilguy]

Originally Posted by bcb1961 If you don't want your baby to have formula, don't let your sister buy it. If it's sitting around, it WILL get used. If you aren't having any supply issues, there is really no reason it is needed. ETA: If there is a whole bottle left over every day, why would your sister want to buy it anyway!?!? You should check out kellymom.com if you haven't already. GREAT breastfeeing info!

I totally agree! I'd talk to your sister and make sure you're on the same page because its your baby. Mama gets to make these decisions, IMO.

[rachelanne820]

What a great thread. I'm so glad I read it. My 4 month old DD takes 5 oz at a time. My DH keeps wanting to increase the amount becaue thats how it worked with DS who was formula fed. Its hard to change from what you've previously known. I just want whats best for DD...

But he did have a good question. I've been freezing BM since she was born - 4 months ago. If my milk changes to meet her current needs, what do I do with the frozen breast milk?? Will it satisfy her now that she needs more calories? Should I start giving her the frozen now and freeze what I'm pumping?

[petuniajo]

Originally Posted by rachelanne820 What a great thread. I'm so glad I read it. My 4 month old DD takes 5 oz at a time. My DH keeps wanting to increase the amount becaue thats how it worked with DS who was formula fed. Its hard to change from what you've previously known. I just want whats best for DD... But he did have a good question. I've been freezing BM since she was born - 4 months ago. If my milk changes to meet her current needs, what do I do with the frozen breast milk?? Will it satisfy her now that she needs more calories? Should I start giving her the frozen now and freeze what I'm pumping?

This is an excellent question!

[colin-mylilguy]

Lots of moms ask this question because they hear that breastmilk is produced to meet the needs of that baby at that time. The differences are there, but they are not huge. The frozen breastmilk you have is still VERY beneficial, the main difference is actually that the earlier the breastmilk, the higher quantities of immune factors. So, if she starts to get a little cold or something, it would be an excellent boost for her immune system to have milk from earlier. But as far as "not meeting her needs" as far as calories, you may notice she drinks slightly more, but we're talking a very slight difference, which you probably wouldn't even notice.

Hope that helps!

[bcb1961]

Originally Posted by rachelanne820 What a great thread. I'm so glad I read it. My 4 month old DD takes 5 oz at a time. My DH keeps wanting to increase the amount becaue thats how it worked with DS who was formula fed. Its hard to change from what you've previously known. I just want whats best for DD... But he did have a good question. I've been freezing BM since she was born - 4 months ago. If my milk changes to meet her current needs, what do I do with the frozen breast milk?? Will it satisfy her now that she needs more calories? Should I start giving her the frozen now and freeze what I'm pumping?

If you have been pumping for 4 months now, it would be a good idea to start rotating through your stash. You could make one bottle every day or every other day out of frozen milk, and freeze your fresh milk to replace it. Do this until you have completely rotated through your stash.

[keen1981]

Originally Posted by bcb1961 If you have been pumping for 4 months now, it would be a good idea to start rotating through your stash. You could make one bottle every day or every other day out of frozen milk, and freeze your fresh milk to replace it. Do this until you have completely rotated through your stash.

Yup!

[CEVmommy]

I froze my milk, but only for backup. I never really needed it for bottles. Just pump today what I'll send to daycare tomorrow. Fresh milk is always better than frozen, so I always use it when it's available rather than rotating the stash. The stash was just for backup, not routine use for me. I used the frozen milk for thinning solids once she was on them.

[bcb1961]

Originally Posted by CEVmommy I froze my milk, but only for backup. I never really needed it for bottles. Just pump today what I'll send to daycare tomorrow. Fresh milk is always better than frozen, so I always use it when it's available rather than rotating the stash. The stash was just for backup, not routine use for me. I used the frozen milk for thinning solids once she was on them.

That's true that fresh is better than frozen and you should never be using your stash for routine use. BUT if you don't rotate it, you will risk losing it to expiration, especially if you don't have a separate freezer. It's really a personal choice and it depends on the age of your baby and what your supply is like. I always had trouble pumping enough so I wouldn't risk losing any milk to expiration. If you have a huge stash and good supply, you could just donate it before it expired rather than rotating.

[bcb1961]

Originally Posted by CEVmommy I froze my milk, but only for backup. I never really needed it for bottles. Just pump today what I'll send to daycare tomorrow. Fresh milk is always better than frozen, so I always use it when it's available rather than rotating the stash. The stash was just for backup, not routine use for me. I used the frozen milk for thinning solids once she was on them.

By the way, I love your blog!