How much breastmilk should I have frozen before going back to work?

Question

I go back to work in Sept. part-time and I'm pumping and freezing breastmilk to get prepared for my son to be in daycare. He'll be about 17 weeks old when he starts and be there from 9am-3:30pm 2 or 3 days a week. How much milk should I send per day? How much should I have frozen in the freezer to be safe? Do you think I should supplement 1/2 breastmilk and 1/2 formula? Thanks!

Answer 1

Does he take a bottle well?  I went back to work for 4 weeks when my little one was 14 weeks old.  She did not take the bottle well, she only wanted her mom.  I was gone 7-8 hours and she usually drank 8 oz a day.  Its better to send more than less but remind them that once breast milk is thawed it is only good for 24 hours.  See if you can leave an extra supply in their freezer so that if hes ever hungry they'll have more.  Remember when they go through growth spurts they eat more.  Good luck.  

Answer 2

You should stock up.  Pump before or after you feed him.  Frozen breast milk stays up to 6 months if in the back of the freezer and up to a year of deep frozen.  That means that you can use it later especially if you have a surplus.  I wouldn't suggest supplementing with formula because you don't want to waste any of your breast milk.  Formula spoils much faster than breast milk and mixing it will just make it unusable.  

Answer 3

It's not necessery to supplement with formula and it can actually reduce your supply, milk production is based on supply and demand.  During the time you are gone he will probably take two bottles around 4-5 ounces.  You should send more just in case though.  I had about 20 ounces frozen when I went back in the freezer for emergencies and when she went through a spurt and ate more.  I frequently add to this stash and pump extra ounces here and there on the weekend.

Make sure that you introduce the bottle weeks in advance to ensure that he is comfortable eating from it.  Here are some sites about pumping, bottle feeding a bf baby and formula use...

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumpi...

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottl...

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/i...

Answer 4

try to do as much breastmilk as possbile- pump as much as you can between now and and when you return to work- i found pumping when i first woke up in the morning was the best- also i pumped when i was nursing my son so the milk would flow faster on the side i was pumping. i'd send about 14 or so to dadycarfe with him btu maybe you could send extra jsut in case and tell them to keep it in teh fridge or freezer for teh next day if it is not used. i wouldd pump in the morning before work at least once while at work and soon as you get home. that got me through until he was a year oldd andd i stopped pumping for him but im still nursing him at 16 months