Bottle feeding Expressed Breastmilk
When a mother’s milk supply is established around 2-4 weeks after birth, and her baby is breastfed each time he signals his hunger (6-12 times each 24 hours) the average total daily volume of breastmilk produced is about 800-900mls. The total volume of breastmilk a mother produces for her breastfeeding baby remains about the same during the first 6 months of life.
Babies reach their peak feeding volume of 90-120mls per feed around a month of age. Babies’ feeding patterns change over time, usually becoming more efficient at milk removal which may result in shorter feeds, or perhaps less frequent feeds which may take longer. When other foods are introduced to baby’s diet around 6 months of age breastfeeds may become less frequent, however the baby’s daily consumption of breastmilk remains about the same until around 12 months of age.
The constituents of breastmilk (the recipe) automatically and frequently change as baby grows, as feeding and sleep patterns change and also in response to illness of the baby or the mother. Breastmilk is a dynamic living fluid perfectly matched to each mother-baby combination’s situation when baby is exclusively breastfed. From 3-6 months babies’ growth rate slows so they don’t necessarily need increased volumes per feed over time. Instead the constituents of breastmilk adjust dynamically to match baby’s growth requirements.
Therefore, if expressed breastmilk (EBM) is given by bottle for some feeds periodically, the volumes offered do not need to be progressively increased with age, as is the case with infant formula. Using the Paced Bottle Feeding technique is important for all bottle feeds to enable baby to respond to feelings of fullness and pause or cease a bottle feed when feeling satisfied. This article provides a feeding guide for EBM, however if your baby is taking bottle feeds of expressed breastmilk in excess of 120mls per feed and regularly gaining large amounts of weight he could be getting overfed, and it would be wise to check with a GP, Child Health Nurse or IBCLC for advice. For info about Paced Bottle Feeding watch YOUTUBE video “The Milk Mob Paced Bottle Feeding”.
Sources: Childrens.health.qld.gov.au/health-a-to-z/breastfeeding/expressing-breast-milk; Medela.com/en-us/breastfeeding-pumping/articles/power-of-breastmilk
Bottle Feeding, breastfeeding