Please Help....... How much milk???

[kristy J]

Hi all

I was just wondering how much milk a baby will drink at New Born.

Im am going to brest feed but also express from birth so DH can do the late night (10pm or whatever) feed, so i can get some sleep before the next one. and also DH can do the early morning one as he is up anyway.

but how much will he drink. mum says about 30 mills. is this right? it doesn't sound like enough to me.

is it safe to keep a full bottle in the fridge and to just pore what in wanted into a second bottle for him to drink.

How long does milk keep in the fridge? one web site said 5 days another said 3 and another said 8 so i am verry confused . please help.

[kristy J]

Just putting this back out there.

[bigglet]

Hi there...

For me I found that newborns take a loooooooong time to breastfeed and don't drink a lot but feed very frequently. I found I was feeding my bub every 2 hours or so! And I think she was only getting about 20-30ml of breastmilk for starters. It's a lot less than say formula but I think breastfed babies feed a bit more than the others.

It was hard for me to say an exact amount since I don't have measurements on the side of my breast to tell me how much they have drunk!

oh also wanted to add that yes you can keep breastmilk in the fridge and freeze it as well - just don't mix them ie. if bub hasn't finished the bottle don't add it to fresh breastmilk, throw it out. At first this will be hard since breastmilk is like liquid gold and expressing can be hard work and seeing it go to waste is heartbreaking!!!

[ikis84]

It would probably be easier just to get your dh to bring the baby to you and you feed lying down (and still half asleep.. that's what I do!), and him burp and resettle the baby. Nightime feeds are important to keep up your supply, etc.. and I find expressing a real pain!
Also, there can be problems with the baby getting nipple confusion - it takes a very different sucking action to drink from a bottle than a breast.
You can also get engorged breasts and then mastitis etc, from missing feeds. I would sometimes get DH to do a night feed if I was just sooo tired I couldn't keep my eyes open, only to have to wake up an hour later anyway because my boobs were sore and full! So, umm... it ended up being easier just feeding her directly from the source!

[ikis84]

Oh... the ABA forum is a great place for breastfeeding help and information....
http://www.lrc.asn.au/forum/

[InSaneOne]

my dh used to get up and change bubs then bring her into me - he would go back to sleep too while i fed her laying down and then she would stay with us or he would take her back to bed after she had finished.


i fully endorse the laying down to feed. it is so comfortable and it means you can go back to sleep while feeding and most babies will just fall off when they have had enough to drink.

[motherlylove]

hi there breastmilk can keep in the fridge for 24 hours should be frozen after that. can stay frozen in the fridge for months. As for teats there are some out there now that are shaped like a breast and feel and stretch just like a nipple (pigeon has a really good one). As for the amount need just do trial and area at first maybe make on a bit bigger and see how much is leftover...goodluck

[InSaneOne]

oh i forgot to add that it is recommended not to express until your milk supply has settled down to avoid excess milk production. i was told by the health nurse to avoid expressing for the first 3 weeks or longer if i could.

[kiwibird27]

My newborn was 2.9 kg and should of been drinking 62 mls every 3 hours........ I know this cause we had issues.hope this helps???

[kristy J]

its a late reply but thanks for all the great advice.

i don't think i could ever lie down and feed in bed as my mums friends baby died this way she fell asleep and the baby smothered. i couldn't do it just in case.

thanks heaps.