Breastfeeding/Feeding pattern

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Expert: - 8/24/2007


Question
Hi,
I have 3-month old whom I have been exclusively breast feeding on demand. Last week, I have joined work back, now my baby is being fed breast milk through the bottle.

My plan was to feed the baby before I leave for work in the morning, leave 2 feeds of about 80 ml for until afternoon when I am back around 2.00 pm lunch and again leave another 2 feeds for until I am back home in the evening after which I breast feed on demand. But she is sometimes not in the mood to feed in the morning or at lunchtime before I leave, also sometimes wastes the feeds that I leave for her and sometimes demands more than what I have left.

I do not know how and what feeding pattern I should develop for her. Could you please advise how many feeds I should leave for her and what should be ml in each feed?

Answer
Dear Dulce,

Sorry to take so long to answer you. I was waiting for more suggestions from the pediatrician I often consult, but she is away. And first, congratulations for giving your baby the best start in life by breastfeeding!

Meanwhile, I would suggestthat you leave your baby's feedings in one-ounce (about 35 ml) portions (maybe by using an ice cube tray), so that less will be wasted. And second, that maybe you should try to nurse the baby as soon as you both wake up and as soon as you come home for lunch instead of waiting until just before you leave, which it sounds as if you are doing.

If I get any more ideas, I'll write back to you. Meanwhile, 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

Expertise

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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