>Hi all!  I am constantly asked how much breastmilk should be pumped for a feed.
>Most health professionals here tell the moms to pump the equivalent to ABM.  My
>explainations that BM does not equal ABM fall on deaf ears.  Most mothers
>who are
>just learning how to pump aren't willing to "experiment around" to see how
>much the
>baby wants.  They feel better with some concrete "formula."  (Sorry about that
>word.)  As breastmilk changes throughout the months, is there any way we
>can help
>the moms fifure this one out?  TIA.  Susan in Ranana, Israel

Susan, NMAA booklet on Expressing and Storing Breastmilk has a 'rough
yardstick' (sounds better than 'formula'?) of 150ml per kilo of bodyweight
per 24 hours. Hope this helps. Mum will find out fairly soon by trial and
error, but in the meantime, express more rather than less what she thinks
into smallish containers, and just freeze the excess, again preferably in
small containers, so large amounts don't get wasted if thawed out and not
drunk.

Joy

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Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC
Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia Breastfeeding Counsellor
Perth, Western Australia.   Email <[log in to unmask]>
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