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Expert: - 7/9/2005


Question
1)  How often should I be pumping?  I've been told conflicting methods.  My daughter feeds roughly every 3 hours so I normally pump every 1 1/2 hours between feedings; this is when I can pump the most ounces at one time.  Also, can pumped breastmilk be combined to make more ounces in one container?

2)  how many ounces should my baby drink out of a bottle?

3)  should my baby be on a breastfeeding schedule and a nap/ bed time schedule?  at this time i have no schedule; just whenever she wants to eat and whenever she wants to go to bed.  She is sleeping thru the night but I read online that she should be in bed by 8:30 and I'm not putting her to sleep till 10-10:30.  Should I feed her at 8:00 to be ready for bed by 8:30?

Answer
Dear Rashell,

First of all, congratulations on giving your baby the best start in life by breastfeeding her!

1) As far as how often you should be pumping, this depends on why you are pumping -- to build your milk supply, or to set aside milk to be given to your baby while you are away. Your present schedule sounds good if you feel that you are getting at least a couple of ounces with each pumping session and that your baby is getting enough to eat.
   You can combine pumped breastmilk with milk that is already chilled or frozen -- but you have to chill the fresh breastmilk first. If you add warm (body-temperature or room-temperature) milk to frozen milk, it can defrost the top layer of the frozen milk and possibly provide an environment where bacteria can grow.
   I offer many suggestions on pumping, storing and freezing breast milk in Chapter 17 of my book (see below).

2) Again,the amount of milk your baby should drink from a bottle varies. You need to go by your baby's behavior: does she seem satisfied after finishing four ounces or whatever other amount you have put in a bottle? If so, fine, since I assume she is still getting most of her milk from your breast. If not and if you are working or in school or doing something else that interferes with your ability to nurse your baby, you may have to add formula to your breast milk.

3) As far as schedules are concerned, there's no hard-and-fast rule. Life will be easier for you if you can put your baby on a schedule on which she will eat and sleep at regular times, and this is a good time to start. Feeding her at 8 and putting her to bed at 8:30 sounds good. However, if your current flexible system works for you, your baby and whoever else is in your household, you can put off the schedule-setting for a while.

Good luck!

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

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What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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