Breastfeeding - How many ounces of milk do I need to pump for day one of return to work?

Congratulations on your new baby! It's wonderful that you'll have Grandma taking care of your baby so you can be sure your little one will still get lots of love and attention.

A fascinating aspect of breastfeeding is that the exclusively breastfed baby needs the same amount of milk - about 28 ounces in 24 hours - from about 1 week of age (when your milk comes in) until starting solids at around 6 months of age. . .and then baby starts needing less and less milk as solids make up more of the diet. Since you'll be away from your baby for about 4 hours, you can expect that your baby will need about 4-5 ounces of milk. Another way to estimate - a breastfed baby will usually take 2-4 ounces every 2-3 hours. You can reduce the amount of milk you'll need to pump by breastfeeding immediately before you leave your baby. Then plan on nursing again right away when you get home, so baby gets to breastfeed right away and you get a chance to sit and relax after being at work for several hours.

It's easy to overfeed with a bottle, so be sure Grandma knows what to expect when bottle feeding a breastfed baby. She'll want to know your tricks for soothing your baby when she's fussy. Ideally, you'll want to plan at least one practice session before you return to work, so everyone can know what to expect. You'll feel more confident if you know your baby will take a bottle from Grandma.

I am returning to work in about 3 weeks and have been storing milk for a while. I try to pump at least once a day to have a supply ready. My daughter is now 5 weeks old, and is nursing like every 2 hours now (she is growing a lot now) so I think you should have atleast 2-3 4oz. bottles ready. He might not drink them all, but it is nice to be prepaired. My girl can drink a 4oz bottle with no problem now. Remember to take your pump with you to work so you can use it there.

Just pump it until you can't get anymore to squeeze out. You should be able to fill at least 3 to 6 bottles, depending on the size of the bottle. Also, pump at work during breaks and at lunch (find a quiet bathroom befor doing either!) and store that milk for late night munchies :)

Congrats on the baby and thanks retired mom!

Pump a 4-5oz bottle for every 2 hours. So I'd say pump at least 3 bottles...so 15oz.

depending on how many ozs your baby drinks and how oftan.

i would say 4 ozs every 3 hrs so depending on when your leaving and when your comingback.