Question: How Many Ounces Should a Four Month Old Be Eating?

Hi K.,

According to a lactation consultant, a baby should be eating approximately 2 1/2 times there weight in ozs each day (10 lbs baby eats 25 ozs/day). It is a little different after they hit 3 months, but this should give you an idea. A baby will ALWAYS move more milk than a pump. She probably makes up for what she wants or needs when she is with you. I hope that helps.

If this is what your pediatrician said, he/she has no clue about breastfed babies, nor does he/she appear to be very supportive of a mother who wants to exclusively breastfeed her baby. I would NOT supplement her - and I'd suggest finding a new ped if you don't feel well supported. It sounds like you're doing just fine the way you were. 11-16 oz while you're gone at work is great. I usually plan on about 1 oz/hour on average - or ~24 oz/day. Whatever she's short on during the day she'll make up with you when you nurse her in the evenings. I don't think my son (now almost 1 year) EVER took more than 4 oz at a time. When he was that age he'd eat 11-15 oz while I was at work, and we had a similar routine to you.

DO NOT stress about how much milk you have. You're doing just fine. I would stick with your current routine and would NOT supplement.

As for increasing supply, you can try eating oatmeal - this helps a lot of people. Make sure you're well hydrated. Relax during your pumping - you make plenty of milk, it's just a question of getting it out. Deep breathing while you pump, visualization (imagine nursing your baby), bringing a picture of her with you to look at, all of these things will help.

Added 5/15/07: You've probably figured this out, but here are some tips for pumping more:
1. You pump more in the mornings than at night, so you can try getting an extra pump in before you leave her.
2. "top her off" before you drop her at daycare, instead of just feeding her at 6 AM.
3. Pump right after you feed her in the morning. You said you alreayd pump the one side while you feed her in the morning... but see if you can't pump both sides afterwards for about 10 mins.
4. I don't know how much she sleeps, but you can try pumping about 2 hours after you put her to bed at night - at that point you will have had some time to "recharge" and she will probably not even miss it.
5. Massage your breasts before you pump. Also if you can spend 15-20 mins instead of 10 mins pumping each time during the day you'll get more.
6. Pump on the weekends after you feed her. Even if you only get around to doing this a couple times you'll probably have the extra few oz you need for during the week.

Hi K.,

You are doing a great job!!! My son is nearly 5 months old, and
has about 3-4oz every feed (about every 2-3 hours). I feed him on one side (pump on the other) before I drop him off at daycare, and then I pump 3 times at work. He has 4-5 feeds at daycare. We tried to feed him more at each feed but he just sicks it back up - so 3-4oz seems to be perfect for him :)

A.

24-28 oz. of anything (formula or breastmilk) seems like an awful lot for a 4 month old. My 7 month old was taking that much formula from her bottles. Are you sure you heard your pediatrician correctly? If your daughter is gaining weight normally, I think what she's getting now should be fine. Has she lost weight recently? Is she really fussy?

If you are really committed to pumping and keeping supply at a maximum, then a lactation consultant or breastfeeding website might be a good idea for you.

And to Chandra, how do you know K.'s ped. is male, maybe she's female? Awfully presumptuous of you. And I don't see why she needs to change pediatricians at this point. With some breastfeeding guidance from a professional along with her medical doctor's input, things should be fine.

Good luck!

First- you need to switch pediatricians immediately.

Second- you need to contact a lactation consultant (a LOT cheaper than formula). I recommend Peggy Healy at ###-###-####

How much is she eating at daycare? She will let them know when she's hungry and how much she wants to eat-- not some weird pediatrician and his formula feeding charts. Breastmilk is not formula. She will decide when she's hungry and for how much and you will follow her lead. I assume she is not losing weight.

You need to start pumping after feeding her. Wait an hour. That will increase your supply as well as provide you with milk. You will never pump as much as she can pull out so don't think you are not providing her enough at the breast. You should pump on the weekends too so you can start your own freezer supply if you don't have one for those days that your supply may be a bit lower. It's normal to have ebbs and flows.

Just to calm you a bit.... My 2nd daughter is 6 months old. I leave the house (after nursing her) at 7:15 a.m. and pick her up at 5:45. In that timeframe- she usually takes 4 bottles of 4 oz. A couple months ago-- it was 4 bottles of 3 oz.

Sometimes she's taking 5 bottles of 4 oz.

Feel free to pm if you want. I also really like the mother's milk tea.

I know how overwhelming this all can feel. I remember the first time going back to work with my first baby.

When I had my son by 4 months he was up to 10 ounces every feeding. Well then I talked to my pediatrician and after talking with her, she suggested to put him on cereal. I didn't give him a lot of cereal but it did cut down on the formula. Also it kept his belly fool longer. It doesn't hurt to try puting cereal in the bottle. He is now almost 3 and he is fine.

I always drank Ovaltine with malt in my milk once or twice a day. My lactaction consultant suggested it, she said that the malt helps with milk supply. If your baby seems happy, I would not change a thing.

Do you pump on the weekends. You can pump on the weekends as well after you nurse Alison. That way maybe you can leave daycare 6-8 ounces of extra milk. That may ease your anxiety about having enouogh milk. Daycare could continue to feed her as usual, but if she ever still seemed hungry, they would have some extra milk. That may just make you feel better.

Good luck.

It looks like you already have a lot of responses, but I figured I would chime in as well. 4 months ago I was in your spot exactly. My doctor told me the same thing and I started stressing out that I wasn't providing my daughter with enough milk. Luckily the daycare and I had plenty in the freezer so they started trying to give her 6 ounce bottles while I tried to increase my supply. Long story short, she is now over 8 months old and still never takes more than 4 ounces at a time. In fact, since she gets solids twice a day at day care now she hardly ever takes more than 2 4 ounce bottles and sometimes will only take one 4 ounce bottle during a day. I am away from her from 7:30 am till 5:30 pm and she will wait for me to get home to eat but the minute I walk in that door she lets me know she is hungry : )

Good luck.

D.

I think each baby is different. My daughter never took more than 5oz from a bottle and didn't get to that point until she was 6 months old. My hardest pumping months were when she was 4-6 months old. Here is a good site that helped me figure out how big her bottles should be.
http://www.fourfriends.com/cgi-bin/milk.pl
Try not to stress and just do the best you can. Massaging the breast while pumping and continuing to pump 5 minutes AFTER your milk stops flowing can increase your yield. Another site that was very helpful for me was www.workandpump.com . Lots of protein, water and oatmeal helped me, too.

My almost 5 month old son eats 8 oz every 2-4 hours while I work 3 12 hour shifts a week as an OB RN. He weighs 14.5 pounds now and is skinny so I don't know where he puts it all but he has been eating like that for almost 2 months. I am only able to pump 3 times in 12+ hours and get about 12-16 oz a day so you are doing great. I also pump one side in the night when I feed him and right before I go to be and leave for work. This is the only way I can get close to how much the little piggy eats :) He occasionally gets formula mixed w/ EBM if needed. If she eats more at a sitting maybe she won't eat as often and you won't need 4 bottles, only 3 or she just might be growing and need more. Just follow her lead- usually 2-3 oz per pound of weight a day. Drink water, eat oatmeal, pump or feed a lot (even if nothing comes out its the stimulation), mothers milk tea, and fenugreek are ways to increase supply. Good luck- I understand!

Your ped is way off here. A breastfed baby does not eat that much. My son was maybe pushing 6 oz per feeding by the time he was a year. Prior to that he was getting probably 4 oz bottles at each feeding. Breastfed babies do not take as much milk in their bottles as formula fed babies. Do NOT supplement your child based on your peds information.

I would start off sending 3 4oz bottles if that seems to be how much you are making each day. 4 oz might even be alot for a baby that young. Your ped is obviously not educated on breastfeeding....not really a surprise, most aren't. If you really want to check how much she normally takes, if you can go to an LC and weigh your daughter prior to nursing, and then after nursing, that will tell you how much milk she took in, which will give you an idea as to how much to put in her bottles.

When my son was young and in daycare, I had a home daycare, and I just gave her an extra bag of frozen milk, which she kept in her freezer. I had her keep it for about 3 months, then I would get it from her one day and take it home and thaw in the fridge to use to make bottles for that day, then I would freeze some of the fresh milk and just trade it out. It really helps alot if you pump before returning to work in order to have some "back up" milk in the freezer for those occasions when you don't quite make enough one day, or just in general for emergency use. You could send 3 bottles each day and a small can of formula and instruct them not to use it unless she had already taken the 3 bottles you prepare and is still hungry. Or you can take an extra bag that is frozen, then if it isn't used that day, just take home and put in the fridge and use for the next day's bottles. Your supply sounds right on track. You may suggest to them at daycare that she may need to eat less at more frequent intervals rather than 3 big feedings. They should be familiar with breastfed babies and if they are not I would look at other daycares.

Read this article for more info http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html

Good luck! Pumping and working is hard to do and a big commitment. Congratulations on doing such a great thing for your little girl!!

After nursing her, pump. You may not get much out but it will be telling you that she's eating more. Also pump before going to bed. That way you'll get extra milk that she won't be eating. Have you tried rice cereal yet? She may be ready for some solids. Try making it loose with 1/2 milk and 1/2 nursery water, then try just water (so you won't use up your milk). Start with once a day, maybe after nursing her in the am. And make sure you're drinking LOTS of water. At least 2 liters a day!!! Good luck and keep pumping away at it!!

Hi K.,

I returned to work just 10 weeks after my daughter was born (Nov 18, 2006). While I was home I pumped as much as I could, then froze it in 2 ounce breastfeeding bags. This way you wouldn't waste much. I'm not sure if you are freezing any of your supply. I also found the more water I drank the more milk I produced. I pumped 3 sometimes 4 times a day at work. It feels like all you do it pump ;-)

As for how much she should be drinking, all babies are different. Sometimes my daughter would drink 4 oz, then the next one could be 6. I started introducing solids (cereal) at 4.5 months. This may help as well to fill her up a little, but she should have breastmilk/formula as her main source of food.

Good luck...

From my experience you are feeding her exactly the right amount. My son is 6 months now and is quite large (90th percent height and weight). He is only getting three 4 oz bottles a day. I only pump twice at work (10:30 and 2:30) and feed him when I wake up and when I get home from work. Then once in the middle of the night. I also give him a bottle right before bed and then pump right before I go to bed (so I have a bottle for the next day). My point is that I think you are feeding her plenty.

3-4 months about 6-7 oz per feeding and 4-7 months 7-8 oz my son usually ate 6 oz unitl he was 5 months then 7 at 6 months. according to similac's website anywhere beteen 4-7 oz. hope that helps.

Take your pediatrician's advice with a grain of salt. He/she may be a great doctor and all doctor's give general advice. My twins were getting breast milk and supplemented with formula and now at 10 months are still only taking 4 and 5 ounce bottles. In general, maybe many babies are getting 5-7 ounces per feeding, but just because your baby isn't, doesn't mean anything is wrong or that your doctor is wrong. Babies make up their own feeding schedule and their own rules, really. Don't push her to eat more, she will let you know how much she needs. You've gotten really good breast feeding advice from other women on here. YOu're doing a fantastic job! Let your baby tell you how much she needs, don't ever let her doctor tell you.

Every baby is different in how much they take.

If you want to increase your milk supply, get some Fenugeek at a health food store, or Mothers Milk Tea. both of these work wonders.

S. Bailey CLD
Aurora
www.tendermomentsdoula.com

Find the Lalacha (spelling) league. The doctors are wonderful but they do not know everything. My first son did not gain weight for one and a half years. I was accused of starving him. My son ate non stop all day and only weighted 18 lb, I asked them to come home with me.

I think you are a great Mom. Is your daughter fusing for more at daycare or is she happy? I think is is getting what she needs. I think you need to ask your doctor if they be;ieve in breast feeding. I feel you are not getting the support you need for the emotional effort you are taking. Milk comes in breast so we do not have to measure it. The baby gets exactly what she needs without measuring. Relax and enjoy the breast feeding.