Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer --UPDATED

Hi ladies...I would like to give DS one pumped botttle (as per the lact. consultant) to give my super sore nips (sorry for the tmi) a rest. But, I have no idea what I am doing so really need some help here. He is one week old. Here are my q's - if you could help with any of them that would be so wonderful...thank you.

1. How many oz. should he eat if I am replacing one feeding?

2. Do I need to feed him with a full bottle even though he only gets a few ounces?

3. How do I get the full bottle? Do I have to pump it all at once? Can I pump a little at a time? If I pump a little at a time can I keep adding it to the same bottle just screwing back on the same bottle to the pump? if not how do I do this?

4. What do you recc for pumping? Should I pump the side he does not nurse off of at each feeding until I get a bottle worth?

TIA and if you can think of anything else I should know feel free to add - I am beyond exhausted and not thinking straight.

Thank you all so much...your help during this week has been above and beyond




ETA; I just added a new follow up question below, thanks again...so appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE: So after all my q's I thought I would let you all know how my bottle feeding experiment went --- TERRIBLE !!!! I was hoping to get some sleep and to rest my chest but no luck. After DH fed him the bottle at 1 (he drank the whole 2oz) he SCREAMED his head off like a maniac -- he must have still been hungry because he continued screaming until i fed him AGAIN like 30 minutes later. Not sure if it was that he needs more than 2oz or if he just didn't like the bottle...either way --- no sleep and no rest for my chest...oh well! I am going to wait a week and try again when he is 3 wks. Thanks for your help!

Message edited 9/9/2007 12:45:50 PM.

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer

At a week old, I doubt he will take more than 2 oz, so I would start with that. You don't want a full bottle, becasue BM is liquid gold and you don't want to waste a drop!

do you have a double pump or a single. If a double, pump both (one will have more than the other, if you have just fed DC). If a single, pump the other side immediately and then at the next feeding use the one you pumped to feed. you can pump both sides if you want toincrease your supply

you can keep adding to get your bottle, if you don't pump enough at first.

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer

1. How many oz. should he eat if I am replacing one feeding?

I wouldn't think that he would take 2 oz so I'd aim for around 2oz

2. Do I need to feed him with a full bottle even though he only gets a few ounces?

No you can just give him a bottle with 2oz

3. How do I get the full bottle? Do I have to pump it all at once? Can I pump a little at a time? If I pump a little at a time can I keep adding it to the same bottle just screwing back on the same bottle to the pump? if not how do I do this?

If you pump and don't get enough the first time you can add to the same bottle again as long as you are pumping within a 24hr period.

4. What do you recc for pumping? Should I pump the side he does not nurse off of at each feeding until I get a bottle worth?

I usually pump the side that the baby did not nurse off of and just learned that you should then feed the baby from the same side you pumped at the next feeding.

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer

That's exactly what I did per my Ped reco. One bottle of BM per day. I started when DS was 2.5 weeks old.

1. How many oz. should he eat if I am replacing one feeding?

DS was taking 2oz.

2. Do I need to feed him with a full bottle even though he only gets a few ounces?

Just pour what you need in the bottle. I just put 2 oz in the bottles for DS.

3. How do I get the full bottle? Do I have to pump it all at once? Can I pump a little at a time? If I pump a little at a time can I keep adding it to the same bottle just screwing back on the same bottle to the pump? if not how do I do this?

I would pump not so much thinking of amount but in term of time. So start with 10-15 minutes at the beginning. Increase to 20 minutes later. Put what you pump in a bottle for immediate serving or in the fridge. I never used the same bottle to pump again. I keep my cold milk in the fridge and only take it out for serving. I transfer my pump milk into storage containers.

If you are like me (aka "Mrs. I have a lot of foremilk" coming very fast at the beginning), you may want to pump more than 10 minutes EVEN f you already have the quantity you want. Foremilk is the milk that comes first but hindmilk (which comes later in the pumping) has more fat and nutrients. For me it takes 20 minutes to get that "nice" milk.

4. What do you recc for pumping? Should I pump the side he does not nurse off of at each feeding until I get a bottle worth?

You need to alternate which breast you pump so you don't pump just the same breast and neither have DC BF on the same breast.

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer

Thanks to all that responded!

So - I just pumped and got a little over one oz. So now do I put the bottle in the fridge and then take it out next time I pump and screw the same bottle into the pump? Or, do I keep it in the fridge, get a new bottle, pump into that, firidge it and then combine them when it is feeding time?

Thanks so much ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer

I always pump into a new bottle and like AP mentioned combine when same temperature.

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer --UPDATED

Bumped to update everyone who helped with all my posts

Re: Please help - Bottle/Pump Q for first timer --UPDATED