How much breast milk should I pump?
I'm pumping breast milk so my husband can help feed our newborn baby. How many ounces should he get?
It's tough to judge exactly how many ounces of breast milk your baby consumes when he's nursing, but for the first month or so, babies usually drink about 2 ounces per feeding. However, this varies from baby to baby (larger babies tend to eat more, for example) and even from feeding to feeding. You can start with 2 ounces, and if your baby devours it and seems eager for more, offer another ounce.
Don't worry about overstuffing your baby -- he'll stop when he's full. As your baby gets older and bigger, he'll eat more per feeding and have fewer feeding sessions throughout the day.
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Community Answers (2)
My doc said 11 onces all day for a NB is enough. There is the chart from La Leche. If the only reason you're pumping is your hubby involved, I would reconsider. For me pumping was terrible. I had very good flow, but when I pumped my breasts got too engorged it hurt, the nipple hurt. So, the way my husband found to participate was to burp him afterwards and take care of felling the water bottle and making me a little something to eat as I fed, because God nursing made me so hungry.
My doc said 11 onces all day for a NB is enough. There is the chart from La Leche. If the only reason you're pumping is your hubby involved, I would reconsider. For me pumping was terrible. I had very good flow, but when I pumped my breasts got too engorged it hurt, the nipple hurt. So, the way my husband found to participate was to burp him afterwards and take care of felling the water bottle and making me a little something to eat as I fed, because God nursing made me so hungry.