FTM ebm-bottle feeds?

[@llli*dvdfad002]

hello all!!!

I'm about to go to work in 2 weeks :-( and have to leave the little bub at home with a Nanny. The plan is to feed my LO ebm in a bottle whilst I am away.

So far I've built up a little bit of a storage...but how do i know how to warm up for him at a feed? totally clueless!!! is it possible to over feed him ebm in a bottle? Will he stop when he's full?

He is 15 weeks now...do i tell the Nanny to feed on demand...or do they need to drink every 3-4 hours?

help!

[@llli*dvdfad002]

ooooppps.....skipped a word....how do i know how much to warm up for him

[@llli*mommal]

Baby should be fed on demand. Overfeeding is always a possibility with a bottle, and it's one of the big hurdles that working moms face- the moms slave away pumping large amounts, only to have the care providers use it right up. Often the care provider doesn't realize a) how much milk should be in a bottle, b) how to use a bottle in a breastfeeding-supportive way, and c) how to soothe a baby without using a bottle to feed him into unconsciousness. So check out the following links, and make sure you discuss proper bottle-feeding technique with your nanny.

http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/f...ottle-feeding/
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/e...reastfed-baby/

Has your baby had a bottle yet?

[@llli*iritita]

My baby is bottle feeding as of right now and he usually takes about 2 - 3 ounces per feeding every 2-3 hours (although I also feed on demand if he seems hungry before the 2 hour mark). Does your baby use a paci? The way I can tell if my baby is hungry or if he is just sleepy is if he takes the paci then he is not hungry. He will spit the paci out if he is hungry and wants milk.
I would probably suggest to start feeding your baby one bottle a day so that YOU know how much he needs per feeding and how he acts when he is full. Babys will usually give you clues that they have had enough. They can sometimes be suttle but a mommy will know her baby best and that will give you a sense of knowing how he reacts so that you can give directions to your nanny. Hope it all works out for you!! I don't go back to work for another month and a half but am dreading it!! I wish I could stay with my baby all the time. It is going to be hard for me to be seperated from him for a long stretch

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

That's exactly right. A lot of breastfeeding mothers find it helpful to leave bottles in the typical amount baby drinks at a feeding, 2-3 ounces as iritita says, to discourage overfeeding. You can also leave fresh or frozen 1 oz "toppers" to be used in case baby does seem hungry still after having the bottle (for example if baby is in a growth spurt and a little hungrier than usual). And have nanny keep a log of how much and how often she is feeding your LO. The transition back to work is hard (and so is thinking about the transition back to work!).

[@llli*dvdfad002]

hmmm we just started the little guy on a bottle 2 days ago. And he refused the bottle from me but took to it the following day when my mother offered it to him. At first he drank about 2 ounces because that's how much was offered...and he was crabby about 2 hours later...we offered him 1 ounce which he guzzled....the next feed was 3 ounces.

I think maybe what concerns me is the time period in between feeds. How Will i know if he is being over fed?

last night he didn't sleep well and i thought maybe he drank too much during the day...but it sounds like he had a normal amount.

he isn't a big paci fan....how i sometimes wish he would take to it. If he's tired and i offer it to him...most times he just spits it out.

*sigh*

[@llli*mommal]

You'll know baby is being overfed if he's taking significantly more than the average 1.5 oz per hour of separation for more than a few days in a row. All babies have days when their feedings frequency and volume increases. Usually it's a growth spurt and the baby will go back down to a more normal amount once the spurt passes.

When babies are being overfed, we see moms come through the forum saying things like the following:

"My daycare provider keeps telling me the baby needs more milk, that she's not satisfied when she finishes her bottles."

"My baby takes 5-6 oz at a time and the daycare says she needs more."

"The daycare provider says that the baby needs more because she doesn't sleep for long after finishing a bottle."

If you start hearing things like that from your nanny, it's time to go over the guidelines for bottle-feeding again.

[@llli*joannafaith]

I had to just keep trying different sizes. First I sent 3 oz bottles, then 3.5, and we are settling at 5 oz per bottle. It is a lot of food but it will sometimes take her a while to finish that much and it will stick with her for our commute home. I know that bf babies only digest 1 or 1.5 oz per hour but I don't want her starving at daycare, and to be honest, now that she is eating larger portions during the day, she's sleeping longer stretches at night, which I am very grateful for! EBF is exhausting when you're back at work.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

Mothers vary A LOT in storage capacity, supply and pump output. For a mother who struggles with pump output, having baby take a 5 oz bottle can be really difficult. On the other hand, for a mother who can pump 12 oz at a sitting, it's much less of a big deal. So I think part of it is seeing how you are keeping up with her. If you find you are having trouble, you need to be that much more vigilant about overfeeding. Because not only do you have to come up with more ounces per day, but if baby is taking in a relatively larger portion of his daily milk intake when you are apart, that means he is spending less time at the breast stimulating your supply when you are together. So yes, while it may be nice if he gives you some longer stretches of sleep at night, the "cost" of that is that you may take a hit to your supply. (Whenever I get up to nurse my baby at night, I remind myself that it's good for supply!)

[@llli*dvdfad002]

Thanks ladies for all the advice!!! Wish me luck...pumping is exhausting....I have a medela double pump machine and sometimes only manage to get 3 ounces out at 1 sitting....and it feels like it takes forever! Is there anyway to speed up the process?

mommal....Will listen out for those over feeding warning signs!