How Much Milk Does a Baby Need?

Have you ever wondered how much milk your baby needs for the day?

Do you worry about whether or not your baby is getting enough?

You are not alone.  Tune in for answers.  And Abby’s clown reference.

If you are a new listener, we would love to hear from you.  Please consider leaving us a review on itunes or sending us an email with your suggestions and comments to badassbreastfeedingpodcast@gmail.com

WE HAVE TRANSCRIPTS!!  You can also add your email to our list and have episodes sent right to your inbox!

Things we talked about:

The Clown reference [6:05]

How much should your baby be eating? [9:39]

The need to know for bottle feeding [10:39]

Babies don’t have a hollow leg [11:40]

Babies don’t eat 25oz on day 1 [18:56]

Put the baby to the breast and lay down [23:51]

What happens at 6 months? [27:15]

The supplement trap [33:36]

*This Episode is sponsored by Niki’s and Fairhaven Health

Links to information we discussed or episodes you should check out!

https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/episode/024-alcohol-consumption/

https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/episode/signs-breastfeeding-is-going-well/

https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/episode/071-overfeeding-paced-bottle-feeding/

https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/episode/how-breastmilk-changes-with-your-child/

https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/episode/breastsleeping/

https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/episode/safe-co-sleeping/

Set up your consultation with Dianne

https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com/consultations/     

Check out Dianne’s blog here~

https://diannecassidyconsulting.com/milklytheblog/

Don’t Forget!!  Dianne and Abby have started the new parenting podcast!  Check out Revolution Parenting!  

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1755123/8400508

Follow our Podcast~

• https://badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com

Here is how you can connect with Dianne and Abby~

• Abby Theuring  https://www.thebadassbreastfeeder.com
• Dianne Cassidy http://www.diannecassidyconsulting.com

Music we use~

Music: "Levels of Greatness" from "We Used to Paint Stars in the Sky (2012)" courtesy of Scott Holmes at freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott Holmes

Transcript

dianne (00:21):

[inaudible] Welcome to the Badass breastfeeding Podcast. This is Dianne, your lactation consultant,

abby (00:25):

And I'm Abby, the badass breastfeeder and today's episode is brought to you by Niki's natural wipes. The first all natural baby wipes made with menuca honey and coconut oil. And today's episode is also brought to you by fair Haven health. Are you leaking breast milk in between feedings? Now you can collect that milk rather than throw it away in your breast pads. We'll hear more from our sponsors later, but these sponsors make this podcast possible. Please head to badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com and check out our sponsor page. If you need anything, check there and see if you can give them your business while you're there. Scroll down and enter your email address and get episodes sent straight to your inbox every Monday. And now Dianne has our review of the week

dianne (01:06):

And it comes from iTunes and it comes from Kathleen 12. I believe that is sorry if I butchered your name and she's a first time mom. I'm a first time mom hearing your content has definitely put me at ease. I listened to the alcohol podcast, which really answered literally all of my concerning questions. Thank you for the clarification. I'll definitely tap into other topics you have on here. Thank you. And the alcohol podcast that is like in our hall of fame, that episode

abby (01:35):

it is, I feel like we should do an updated one.

dianne (01:39):

Maybe we should.

abby (01:40):

Yeah, just like, you know, just to kind of make it a little more, like, I don't know the same podcast again. I don't know why.

dianne (01:48):

Just so we can say It's like updated.

abby (01:51):

Yeah, I know. I don't know. If it's good the way it is. I feel like in that podcast though, the one I didn't like what? I like the one thing that I don't think I said was not to sleep with your baby. If You've been drinking.

dianne (02:01):

Oh, I think we said that.

abby (02:02):

I don't think we did in the episode. I don't know. Cause I usually say that I know we say it every time now, but yeah. I feel like in that particular episode we were just focusing on like the milk the alcohol content in breast milk,

dianne (02:17):

Which is really if, if you guys are listening right now and you haven't listened to that alcohol episode yet definitely listened to it because it is educational. For sure. It's not just like, okay, go ahead and tie one on. It's like totally educational.

abby (02:29):

Yeah. That's a good one.

dianne (02:31):

Yeah. So thank you so much for that review. And I'm glad you found us and I hope you have listened to some of the other episodes and that we've answered some questions for you. And she left that on iTunes, which is really helpful. You can send us an email@badassbreastfeedingpodcastatgmail.com or you can put it on iTunes, whatever works. And we'd love to hear from you. So thank you so much

abby (02:56):

And today we're talking about how much baby should be eating because no one knows.

dianne (03:02):

No. it's a mystery.

abby (03:04):

and it's very confusing. And most people, if you have not thought it's at any point that your baby's not getting enough to eat, then you're lucky because most people at some point are like, oh my God, I don't think they're getting enough to eat.

dianne (03:21):

I remember feeling like that with my first. I don't know if I, I think with the twins, I was just too overwhelmed with having too many babies to even like worry about it. But I think with, I very, very clearly remember with Nathan thinking like, is he getting enough? Is he getting enough? And my sister was like, watch the diapers. And I'm like, that tells me nothing, which of course we know it tells everything, but it wasn't enough for me. Like I needed something more concrete and I don't know what's more concrete than a wet diaper, but whatever. But, um, it was it's overwhelming and it's nerve wracking and you just want to feel like you're doing the right thing. And then you have people saying, is the baby getting enough to eat? How much is your baby getting? You can't tell how much the baby's getting.

abby (04:02):

Right. Blah, blah, blah. Right. And it, you know, either because they're small or because they're fussy or because they're, you know, any number of behaviors or anything or just because they're breastfeeding at all. Oh yeah. You're probably not getting enough. You're probably not making enough. The Baby's Probably not getting enough. And then, and then we start supplementing and then, or we just straight up quit and decide that it didn't work out and we couldn't make enough. It's a really big problem

dianne (04:32):

Yeah. Yeah. So we're going to talk about how much should your baby be getting, how much should your baby eat since that is the burning question. And usually, you know, with breastfeeding, we just kind of go with it. You know? I mean babies, I think one of the coolest things that go on with breastfeeding and one of the hardest things for people to wrap their heads around is that babies take what they want when they're breastfeeding. It is not a set amount. Every single time, they are not eating four ounces. Every single time they eat, like they would with bottle feeding. So I think that's really hard for people to understand that some feedings might be longer. Some feedings might be shorter. Sometimes they might just want to have a drink. Sometimes they want a meal. Sometimes they want a snack, it's all variable. But at the end of the day, it all adds up to what they need.

abby (05:19):

Right. And even that like example of the four ounces in the bottle is like, that's even too much for some babies. Oh yeah. Like that's just an example. But, but even with bottle feeding that's that seems like, you know, for some babies that would be too much at a feeding.

dianne (05:36):

Who did I talk to the other day? I was talking to this mom. Oh God, I can't even remember like who it was. But somebody told her that her baby should increase by half an ounce at every feeding

abby (05:51):

What starting in the morning and then just be having like 15 ounces at the end of the day.

dianne (05:56):

She was like that doesn't seem like That's right To me. I'm like, cause it's not right At all.

abby (06:05):

This shit is so made up. I mean, I can't even get over how much stuff people just make up. They're just pulling stuff right out of their ass. You know? Like when you have that clown has like a ribbon and they start pulling it out of their mouth. And just like, it's like a hundred ribbons. This is breastfeeding information, except it's out of your asshole And it's just coming from us. As people are just pulling, pulling, pulling, pulling, pulling, pulling, oh my God.

dianne (06:27):

It's insanity.

abby (06:27):

And it's unbelievable. The amount Of things. I mean, I can't even, oh my God. Yeah. People say crazy thing. I was messaging you stuff the other day. It's like things that people were saying to this person. I can't even remember what it was now. I'm going to look. Yeah.

dianne (06:44):

Because I remember being like, just stop, just shut up because it's, I can't even take it. Right. It is just ridiculous. And now none of it has any kind of merit whatsoever at all. You know, we talk about how much. And then when people put like very stringent labels, your babies should be getting this many ounces a day.

abby (07:07):

Oh yeah. Right. So the, this has nothing to do with anything. I'm gonna say it. I brought it up. So this person messaged me and was like, my wife was at the pediatrician and the pediatrician told her that should be, should be wiping the baby's tongue off. That should be taking a washcloth and wiping the baby's tongue off after each feeding. And I'm like, huh? Like, did they say why? Well, I guess, because it's white, you get the white off. Huh? Like

dianne (07:42):

Whatever, because there's not enough stuff to do.

abby (07:45):

Right. I know. I can't what I don't like, if you care about your babies, the color of their tongue, what I know. And then you said that before, like I've heard dentists be like, you should wipe their teeth off after every feeding, whatever. I'm not even gonna say it. Don't don't do it

dianne (08:01):

Don't fall into that trap.

abby (08:03):

But like that it can even be like, okay, well dentists are like, you know, freaky about keeping your teeth clean all the time. And they would tell you to like brush your teeth after every time you eat, do you do that? No, no, I don't do that.

dianne (08:17):

But yeah. You know, you said it to me and I'm like, what's the point of that? Like, what is, what's the point? But I feel like we just blindly, like nobody ever challenges this information. We're all just like, oh yeah. Oh, okay. I'll do it. And it's like, because we think we're doing the best thing for our baby, which okay. You know, I got it. We want to do the best thing for a big, nobody wants their baby to be hungry. Nobody wants her baby to have any issues. Nobody wants her baby to have a white tongue. I don't know. Like we just blindly do it. And nobody questions. Where did this information come from? Yeah.

abby (08:48):

the doctor Also told that that same family, that they should be stretching feedings out during cluster feeding.

dianne (08:55):

Yeah. Because that makes a lot of sense. Yeah.

abby (08:57):

Okay. I don't care. First of all, don't stretch the feedings out ever. But like, especially during closer to your baby's trying to nurse more and then so your reaction to it should be to like, not let them,

dianne (09:08):

It's like torturing them.

abby (09:09):

Cluster Feeding is for a reason and oh my God, what again, here, another one of those like poop covered ribbons, just pulling out of their butts at the office. What are you talking about? And then these people are so confused. Oh my God. Okay. I'm done.

dianne (09:27):

It is it's confusing because then you're getting all this mixed information and it's just it's. Yeah. It's just,

abby (09:36):

All right. So how much should our babies be eating?

dianne (09:39):

So basically on average and we know average means you could have under that, or you could have over that, right? This is an average of 25 ounces a day from month, one to month six, the average is 25 ounces a day,

abby (10:01):

Which does not mean half an ounce in the morning. And then one ounce an hour later, and then an ounce and a half, two hours later

dianne (10:08):

No not even close to that, but the typical range is anywhere from 19 to 30 ounces. And it will vary depending on gross spurts, depending on what your baby's doing, it really does vary. And that is okay. That is one of the cool things with breastfeeding is that you're no, you don't know what your baby's getting every time, but they do. And that's what matters. They know what they're doing.

abby (10:32):

And thats in a 24 hour period. Not Woke up in the morning before you go to bed at night, right? That's like 24 hours.

dianne (10:39):

Yeah. And you know, for, I, I feel for the parents that have to pump and leave milk, like if you're going back to work or, you know, all of that, because you are trying to balance around like, how much should I leave? How much should the baby be getting while I'm Gone? How much is it? You know? And so I, sometimes I will pull these numbers out when people question it, when it comes down to like leaving milk for the baby when they're at work. Because,

abby (11:07):

Because then you have to know, you have to know how much to leave,

dianne (11:09):

but people Are giving care providers are giving like 12, 13, 14 ounces in a couple of hours. And it's like, that's half their daily intake, just in you know, in the first five hours of their day. Like, that's unbelievable. They're not going to breastfeed when you get home. Right. I think you really have to kind of take that into consideration. You don't, you know, they they're, they're not just like these little, I don't like these little endless.

abby (11:40):

They don't have a hollow leg.

dianne (11:41):

Yeah. So, yeah. As soon as you said that I had this visual in my head of this, like this little pirate baby or something, with this hollow leg.

abby (11:49):

I know. Right. That's just where they just dump it down.

dianne (11:52):

Right. And that's not, that's not good for your baby.

abby (11:56):

No. And they, and people always say, well, they took it. Well, they took that much. Yeah. Babies just do that all the time. Right. And if you're paced bottle feeding, they don't do that.

dianne (12:11):

Right. So yeah. Check out the pace bottle-feeding episode. And if you don't know what the pace bottle feeding is, because that is really important if you're giving bottles.

abby (12:20):

But then that's the thing I think about is like about breastfeeding is that we can't measure it. We're we live in this culture where we are obsessed with like black and white being able to measure things, being able to have things calculated, being able to like measure and calculate. And with breastfeeding is like the complete opposite of that breastfeeding is this thing. That's, you know, thousands of years old that is, you know, uh, part of our biology and it's not based on like our modern day measurement and calculations. And it just feels so anxiety provoking, I think, because of that. And we just doubt, we just doubt everything. We just assume that it's not good. It's not happening correctly because we just don't have these concrete numbers in this concrete way of understanding it. And we can't just let go of every way we are of being of calculating and measuring things and just let it happen because that is so counter intuitive to our way of living now.

dianne (13:34):

And it's really unfortunate, you know, because a lot of people will stop breastfeeding and just go to pumping, which is fine. If that's your choice, you know, if that's what you want to do, there's nothing wrong with that. But when people choose that route, just so they can see what the baby's getting, I just, I feel so bad for them because that is definitely like, you've fallen into this trap that we've set here.

abby (13:59):

And it's much harder.

dianne (14:01):

Oh, it's so hard.

abby (14:02):

You know, it's so hard to just be pumping all the time and you don't, you don't see like you, you know, some people have dogs at home that have a litter of puppies, or like if you live on a farm or just, you know, understand, you know, mammals in nature, these animals are not like, oh my God, am I making enough milk? You know, is it, it's probably not enough? You know, let me go get the, you know, the cat to help me supplement, you know, you know, these kinds of animals. It, I think people also forget that we are exactly the same as them. Exactly. We are these weird ass mammals like developed this consciousness and built buildings on this world. And you know, but we are at exactly the same biologically the same as all the other mammals that are just breastfeeding their babies and don't have any way of questioning it or thinking about it. It just happens.

dianne (15:14):

I mean, the vet isn't sitting there going, I don't think this mother is making enough milk. We need to, Hey,

abby (15:18):

Your vet doesn't do that to your dog.

dianne (15:21):

I mean, they just, it's just natural it's nature. And yes, there are situations that arise where people have difficulty with breastfeeding or making enough milk, but that is not as common as people would make you think it is. It really is not as common as right, as people, so

abby (15:38):

Much of the way that people are not successful is because they don't have the right information. And they have people in their faces giving them the terrible, terrible information.

dianne (15:47):

Like that really is what it comes down to is the information is really bad or it's really old, or it's really old and really bad, which is why I had to happen this week with that one mom that I had, which I'll talk about after we do our break. But it's just, it's so, so, so common. And it will destroy your breastfeeding relationship and that's sad.

abby (16:08):

Yeah, totally will totally destroy it. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Should we do ads?

dianne (16:12):

Yeah, let's do ads.

abby (16:14):

Okay. Everybody we'll be back with how much your baby should eat. Today's episode is brought to you by Niki's natural wipes. Niki's was created out of the passion of two new parents wanting to protect the health of their precious new baby Niki. Conventional baby wipes contain harsh chemicals that can lead to redness, itchiness, dry skin, a burning sensation, and even blisters and urinary tract infections. Utilizing the more miraculous antibacterial qualities of menuca honey combined with the proven ability of coconut oil to moisturize dry skin Niki's has set a new global standard for premium baby wipes. The smell and feel of the wipes is unique. 100% natural ethically sourced, EWG certified and biodegradable check out the first all natural baby wipes made with menuca honey and coconut oil on Niki's.com. That's N I K I s.com and use code badass 10 for 10% off of your purchase. And today's episode is also brought to you by Fair Haven health. The original milk saver is designed to wear on the opposite breast while breastfeeding, but sometimes we're leaking in between feedings. When we are on the go or at work, the milkies milk saver on the go is a discreet and comfortable breast milk collection system. That requires zero effort on your part. You simply slip them into your bra while your milk collects inside them. When you're ready to empty them, you pour your milk, your collected milk into a storage bag to add to your stash or to use for any dozens of uses for breast milk. They can not be seen under your clothes. They are small enough to carry in your purse and reusable. These can be used to protect sore or cracked nipples while they heal. As they create a small open and protected area around your nipples, save your precious breast milk, money, and the environment by cutting down on even, and or even eliminating the use of breast pads. Breast milk is worth saving. Check out Milkies milk saver on the go@fairhavenhealth.com. That's F a I R H a V E N health.com and use code badass for 15% off of your purchase. And these sponsors in the promo codes can be found in our show notes. Under this episode on badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com our show notes will also include further information about things that we talk about in this episode and at badassbreastfeedingpodcast.com, you'll find our breastfeeding resources, all of our other episodes and information about scheduling your very own one-on-one online lactation consultation with Dianne. And now back to how much your baby should eat. We got the one through six, right? Once one from day one to six months.

dianne (18:51):

Well, from one month to six months. So of course one, and this, I run into This a lot.

abby (18:56):

because not day one, your baby's not eating 25 ounces,

dianne (18:59):

But people will totally give that to their baby if they could. Yeah. So I see babies, you know, a lot of times, like on day three of their life, you know, and people are really confused about how much milk they should be giving their baby at that age. And I think it's really important that people remember that your baby at that point is not like they don't really necessarily know like I'm full. Like that's a new sensation when your baby first comes out of the womb. Like they have to figure a lot of stuff out. They really do. And feeling like that sensation of feeling full and that sensation of being hungry, like those are very new and it might take them a minute to get that a little bit figured out. So you're kind of, you know, in control of how much they're eating their suck devel or their suck reflex is involuntary for the first three months of their life. So if you give them a bottle, they will take a bottle. I think that's a really important thing to remember because they'll take, even if they're not hungry, they will continue to take that bottle because they can't help it. It's an involuntary suck reflex. So these babies are newborn and they'll come in and we'll do a weighted feed with them. And they'll take like half an ounce. And it's like, that's good. Your baby's three days old, four days old, half an ounce is appropriate. It doesn't mean like they can't hold a lot of volume. Their stomach is still really small. So they're taking little bits at a time. And that's what we have. Like Sunday, some parents get really, really concerned because their baby is eating every two hours and they haven't stretched out to three or four hours. And they're maybe they're four months, five months, six months old, but they're still eating every two hours. That's okay. That's your baby's pattern. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. And it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your milk supply. And I think that's another thing that our society does is that we really go, well, your baby eats frequently. There's something wrong with your supply. That's just what your baby's doing. It doesn't mean that there's something wrong with their supply. It's just their pattern. And that's okay because that's normal and it's allowed. I mean, you can't force your baby to eat. I think we talked about this on one of the other podcasts. Like you can't force them to breastfeed if they don't want to feed just like you can't necessarily stretch them out. If they want to come latch on. Yeah. You can't make them latch on if they don't want to. And you can't make them not eat like that whole I'll stretch them out if their cluster Feeding. How do you even do that? I don't even know how to, how you would even do that.

abby (21:35):

Just hold a crying baby. Ridiculous. Because you don't want them to be because your doctor told you to not nurse them as frequently as they want to. And so they're crying because they want to latch on and you're just standing there holding them. Yeah.

dianne (21:53):

And that's ridiculous. So the one I had this week was a mom with a four month old. And wasn't, you know, her, which the gain has slowed down, which is normal for a baby that age. But the pediatrician that she saw, who wasn't her typical pediatrician, it was somebody else that was in the office, told her, take the baby off the breast pump for two or three days to see how much milk you're making and give that to the baby. And that'll tell you, and if you're not making, I don't know, it was like 26 ounces or something. Then we'll know that you have to supplement. And I was like, first of all, that's the worst advice you could ever get ever. Like I came right out and told her, I'm like, that's the worst advice you could ever get because what you pump and what you are making are two completely different things. And the fact that that pediatrician doesn't know that is really sad, but whatever. So what you're, you know, it doesn't matter what you pump, what you're pumping is telling you all that tells you is how much milk you pumped. It. Doesn't tell you how much milk you're making. It doesn't have anything to do with anything. So it's like, just don't you can't go by that. And if you take the baby off the breast to just pump, then you're risking taking away from your milk supply because the pump doesn't stimulate the way the baby does. So that's the second problem with that as if we need any more reason to say don't do it. And then the mom was like, well, if I, if that's what I have to do, I'll do it. But it seems like she's like, it's just so much work. I don't know how I'm going to pump every time. Exactly. Why are we giving our parents more to do? I mean, just put the baby to the breast and let them eat. It's just

abby (23:51):

The baby to the breast and lay down. Right. This is what I know. And if people are so overwhelmed and so, you know, people are so overwhelmed and the cluster feeding too people are overwhelmed by it. They're overwhelmed by all of the nursing and that's okay. I mean, it's normal for you to feel that way because you shouldn't be doing the problem is you shouldn't be doing anything else. I mean, I know that you have to, I know that we live in a world that does not support any of the things that we say on this podcast. All the things that we're telling you to do, you can't do.

dianne (24:24):

We're like the fantasy podcast right?

abby (24:26):

In the fantasy world, like in the world again, where you see your dog gives like, uh, you know, birth to a litter of puppies. She lays down. And those puppies just nurse, because she is laying there and that's like, what you should be doing again. I know you can't, but like some people won't even, and then we can go like, again, refer to our co-sleep episode. Some people won't even lay down with the baby. Now they're too afraid. They're too worried about rolling on the baby, falling asleep and all this stuff and check out our co-sleeping many of our co-sleeping episodes about that. But like, that's how you deal with that. Yeah. You're like, oh my God, this baby will not stop. Here I go. Let's go lay down.

dianne (25:12):

It is normally the cluster feeding is very normal and expected. And I tell parents that all the time, like, cause they're like, should the baby still be cluster feeding? Like this is this really like a thing. And this is somebody asked me that the other day. And the baby's like, I dunno, a week old. And I'm like, yeah, that's expected.

abby (25:31):

That's like all they know.

dianne (25:32):

Yeah. That's expected and normal behavior for a newborn baby. But when they ask, they might ask their friend, their neighbor, their doctor, whoever my baby's eating all the time, they say, oh, well, they shouldn't be doing that. Maybe you're not making enough milk. And yes, they should be doing that because we know that babies breastfeed for many, many, many, many reasons, which is another thing that goes along with this whole, like how much milk does a baby need? Like, this is not the only reason why your baby's feeding your baby is at the breast for many reasons, not just for the milk. The milk is just a bonus. Like they're getting so much from being at the breast that, you know, yeah. They're getting milk too, but we tend to just focus on, oh, they're getting milk or they're not getting enough milk. They're not getting enough milk. Take them off the breast because that's not important. They don't need to be there. They're not getting milk. They don't need to be there. It's like, that's not true.

abby (26:33):

No. And it's such a like, yeah, it's such a wonderful thing to, to be able to like foster that, that, that nursing comfort relationship too, because that will for years be a solution to everything, you know, they're crying, put them on, they fell down, put them on. They're tired. Put them on. You gotta be on the phone, put them on. Like, it's just like the answer to everything. And people are like, oh my God, they're too clingy. They're too. I'm making them like, they're not self-soothing and they can't Live without it. No, no, no, no Opposite opposite. It's awesome. Every, anytime that they want a nurse, let them nurse, it's going to benefit them the rest of their lives. So do so what happens at six months?

dianne (27:18):

Well, at six months, I mean the game kind of changes a little bit because then you're starting solids. So although we know, and we've done episodes on solids, I don't know, maybe one or two episodes, I think on solids. And we know that when you start solids, as soon as you start solids, that doesn't mean you're breastfeeding less.

abby (27:38):

I mean, it doesn't mean they're getting anything in their mouth.

dianne (27:39):

Right. It's just, you're starting solids. So, you know, I think that's probably why they do everything up to, like, I feel like everything that's measured with breastfed babies goes to like six months and then that's the

abby (27:53):

Other. Yeah. Then there's another misunderstanding that your baby's going to start eating a bunch of food and be nursing less. And people are surprised when things don't really change. What's all the only thing that really has changed is that baby has started painting with sweet potatoes and bananas.

dianne (28:10):

all over everything.

abby (28:12):

Yeah. And people are like, well, wait a minute, but they're not eating enough. And now my doctor said that they're not eating enough solids and that I should stop breastfeeding so much so that they'll eat more solids. That's more bogus information.

dianne (28:25):

Yeah. It's I mean your baby at six months and they're really not taking it. I mean, they're probably still going to stay within that, around that 30 ounces, even at six months and moving forward because your breast milk changes with your baby. So you don't necessarily need more volume. And we did an episode. I'm going to be like tagging a lot of episodes on our show notes today. But we did that episode, not that long ago, about how your milk changes when you get older, when your baby gets older, not when you get older, but when your baby gets older, how much the milk changes and what happens to it, and it becomes more concentrated and they're still getting everything they need just in smaller amounts. And that is what happens.

abby (29:11):

And they're nursing super fast now. So that's the other thing. People are like, well, they only were only nursing for like five minutes. So that must not be, you know? Yeah, because it doesn't take, uh, you know, a seven month old baby, more than five minutes to eat a lot of, a lot of milk. Right.

dianne (29:28):

I wouldn't expect them to be on all day, like A newborn.

abby (29:31):

No, they're not going to hang out there the whole day. They're going to be probably moving around all day. Maybe. Yeah. Nursing probably to the point of you worrying again, that they're not nursing enough and then nursing a lot at night, which is going to make you worry as well. And that's all normal, all normal.

dianne (29:52):

I mean, all normal. I saw somebody the other day who is like, but the book she goes, I keep going by the books, the book, the book said, the baby should be doing this, the book. So the baby should be doing that. The book said, and I'm like the baby didn't read the book. Like, it just doesn't go by that.

abby (30:09):

I'm not Into burning books, but all those books can be burned.

dianne (30:12):

I hate those books. I mean, they're, they're fine. If, to give you a little bit of like structure guidance, but to say, oh yeah, your baby is two months old. They should be eating this many times a day. Now they should be getting this much milk and they should be sleeping this many hours. Like that is toxic information to put out there as a blanket statement for every baby that's ever roamed the planet should be doing these things at these times. That is not accurate information.

abby (30:42):

It's a recipe for panic.

dianne (30:43):

Oh my God. Just to make you more anxious. That's all that's going to do because now your baby isn't following this magical guideline that was set by some human that doesn't know your baby. That just wants to like sell books.

abby (31:01):

It's ridiculous. Right. People could say whatever they want and people do say whatever they want without having any of the actual information.

dianne (31:11):

Yeah. And then it comes out as a freaking clown ass. Scarves coming out of a clown ass. That's what it is.

abby (31:20):

And so does the, does this rule, does this, uh, not rule, but averages, does this stay with bottle fed babies too? Will they be eating similar amounts.

dianne (31:31):

I am not. I don't know. Cause I don't know a bottle fed babies do necessarily, you know, I mean, I think honest to God, like from what I've seen and I don't know if it's been correct bottle fed babies tend to get more because they need more because the formula does not change to accommodate their needs. So you will see bottle fed babies, getting eight ounces per bottle, which is a lot. Or maybe they'll do eight ounces. Yeah. There, they, I think they definitely take more.

abby (32:02):

Yeah. Well, but also sometimes breast milk is in the bottle.

dianne (32:06):

Right. Right.

abby (32:06):

Somebody is pumping and they're going to work and their babies. Are they continuing to provide the same amount in a bottle after six months?

dianne (32:17):

Yes. Keep it at four. Your baby should never go over four ounces. If it's breast milk, the only time I would see a baby going over four ounces of breast milk is if they're not eating every couple of hours. And that's the other thing like if somebody, oh, well, you know this bottle fed baby over here. My, you know, my friend's baby was also gets this milk at daycare is getting bigger bottles. Well maybe they're being, maybe their feeds are stretched out. You have to think about it that way too. You know, if, if somebody is feeding your baby every four hours at daycare, but they're eating every two hours when they're with you. Yes. You probably do have to give them larger amounts or tell the daycare to feed them every two hours. Do you know what I mean? Like it's, it's just like us. If you eat a big meal, you're going to go a little bit longer before your next one. It's the same thing with babies. If you put more in the bottle, they're probably going to stretch it out longer, which is not necessarily a good thing for breastfed babies, because we want them to breastfeed more frequently because that's what they're used to doing. They're used to taking smaller amounts more frequently.

abby (33:36):

Well, in the, yeah. And that's, this trap was supplementing too, right? Is that we're bottled, we're feeding them. We're supplementing either with breast milk or with formula or sometimes a mixture. And, and then, you know, then we try to nurse them and then they're not hungry and they're not nursing and they're fussy at the breasts. And then we, and then I feel like we were just recently talking about this and then, and then we're like, oh my God, we're not making enough. Or, oh, he prefers the bottle. Yeah. He hates my breast now because of the bottle. That's the biggest thing. I think people are like the babies, you know, it's like, they don't have to work as hard to nurse as they, you know, the breast, the bottle is so much easier. So they prefer that that's not true. No, your baby prefers to nurse. They just, if you're kind of, if you're supplementing, they might not be hungry. Yeah. So then your supply will take a hit.

dianne (34:34):

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Will take a hit. Or you really have to be like, yeah. So sometimes these numbers are good to know if you're in that kind of a situation where you're like, okay, you know, I need to leave milk for babies and it's good to know, okay, your baby is probably going to take somewhere between 25 to 30 ounces. You know, if they're over a couple of months old, but if you're just home with your baby nursing, don't try not to worry about it. I'm not gonna say don't worry about it because everybody worries about it. But trust that this is working, trust your baby, your baby wants to eat, let them eat.

abby (35:16):

And that we also have a, we have an episode on signs that breastfeeding is going well, you know? And that's like, you know, your baby's getting enough when they're just like peeing, right?

dianne (35:28):

Yeah, absolutely. They're hydrated.

abby (35:30):

Yeah. And that's, you just have to know you're breastfeeding that you're not going to be able to count their ounces every time and that they're peeing and you know, then they're getting, they're happy and they're getting enough and they're not always happy, but that's not your fault.

dianne (35:50):

It has nothing to do with your milk. Nothing to do with it. But yeah. So that's it.

abby (35:56):

Thanks, Dianne.

dianne (35:57):

Well, thanks Abby for that clown reference that I'll keep in my brain forever.

abby (36:05):

That's how I see pediatricians. Now. It's just like a red, like a red nose and they're like rainbow wig, rainbow rig, Pulling ribbons out of their butt holes. So bad.

Speaker 1 (36:20):

See you next week. [inaudible].