Mammabug

Breast Milk: How Much to Express?

One question that breastfeeding mothers always ask at some point is…

How much breast milk do I need to express for my baby?

The answer is: It depends

Accurate, but not very helpful. However there are a couple of different guidelines that I found useful while breastfeeding:

Method 1: Average Intake

Method 2: Calculate

Approximate Conversions:

1oz = 30ml    2.2lb = 1kg

Take your baby’s weight in pounds and multiply it by two and a half or three times. Then, divide this number by the total number of  feedings a day to arrive at the approximate feeding amount, in ounces, for each feed.

 Formula in pounds and ounces:

Baby Weight x 2.5 = Daily Min                Baby Weight x 3 = Daily Max

Daily Min / Feeds per day = Min Feed

Daily Max / Feeds per day = Max Feed

Approximate amount per feed = Between Min Feed and Max Feed

Example: For a 10lb baby who feeds 8 times a day (includes night feeds)

10 x 2.5 = 25    10 x 3 = 30

So the baby will probably be drinking between 25oz and 30oz per day (in a 24 hour period).

25 / 8 = 3.125      30 / 8 = 3.75

So the baby will probably be drinking between 3oz and 4oz at each feed.

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Formula in kilograms and ml:

Baby Weight x 2.2 x 2.5 x 30 = Daily Min    Baby Weight x 2.2 x 3 x 30 = Daily Max

Daily Min / Feeds per day = Min Feed

Daily Max / Feeds per day = Max Feed

Example: 4.5kg baby who feeds 8 times a day (includes night feeds)

4.5 x 2.2 x 2.5 x 30 = 742.5       4.5 x 2.2 x 3 x 30 = 891

So the baby will probably be drinking between 742.5ml and 891ml per day (in a 24 hour period)

742.5 / 8 = 92.8125     891 / 8 = 111.375

So the baby will probably be drinking between 90ml and 120ml at each feed.

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Of course every baby is different, but this gives you somewhere to start. Try the approximate amounts and if the baby is still hungry try increasing it by 1oz or 30mls at a time.

TIP: Use an electric pump as they are easier to use and you can get more milk in each session. The ABA (Australian Breastfeeding Association) has some pumps that they recommend, check out their website.

Also many chemists will hire out pumps, definitely try before you buy so you get one that works for you.

Toilet Roll Telecopes

Little Bug (3-yrs-old) found some empty toilet rolls, and has been running around playing telescopes with them. He hands them out to Mummy and Daddy to join in the game as well.

We can use them to look around the house and name everything we see. We can pretend to be pirates looking for treasure, or spotting other ships. Hours of free amusement and we didn’t even need to paint them

I like to keep little things that we can repurpose for other uses, and the cardboard tube that the toilet paper comes on is very useful. The rolls from the glad wrap (cling film) and foil, or paper towels are the same but a little longer.

Some other things you can make from toilet rolls are:

• Dolls/puppets – just add head made from scrunched up newspaper, then paint or dress as you like
• Construction – they make great legs for anything paper mache
• Shakers – put cling film or foil or masking tape over the ends and some rice or beans inside and there you have musical instruments.
• Angel for the christmas tree – as for the dolls above, but add wings, etc and you can stick it on top of the tree.

Movie Review: Hoodwinked Too

We went to see Hoodwinked Too at the movies and throughly enjoyed it. My three-year old sat through the entire thing without running up and down the aisles so it must have been good.

Carrying on the tradition of fractured fairy tales like the first Hoodwinked, Red and the Big Bad Wolf must work together to save Granny.

I would recommend this as a good family movie for all ages. The grown ups will have fun spotting all the fairy tales references, and the kids will just have fun. A little bit scary, but predictable enough to stop the kids from crying.

I will consider adding it to my collection when it comes out on DVD.

April 2011 Planting

On April 30 LittleBug and I planted out the following in the freshly manured garden bed, which by then had been rained on for a couple of days.

Climbing Peas – Greenfeast (2 squares, 8 seeds)

Silverbeet – Five Colour Mix (1 square, 5 seeds)

Tomato – Gardeners Delight (4 squares, 8 seeds)

Onion – Hunter River Browns (2 squares, 6 rows)

Broccoli – Waltham (4 squares, 8 seeds)

Beetroot – Heirloom Mix (4 squares, 12 rows)

Empty squares left: 15

Lets see how they grow, I’ll be keeping an eye out for shoots.

Boy Found – not missing

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/fiveyearold-boy-reunited-with-mum-20110422-1dqxj.html

How scary is this? A 5-year-old boy was just wondering around the streets at 9pm and no-one knew he was missing… Each parent thought he was with the other one!

Glad to see he is home with mum now, but can’t help thinking of all the horrible things that might have happened. As a parent this ranks right up there as one of my worst nightmares. However a 5 yr old that can’t tell you his full name and address, or what school he goes to? My 3 yr old can tell you his full name and address, and the closest main roads, he would definitely get back home if he got lost.

This gives us something to think about as parents. We need to give our children the tools to save themselves. Teaching stranger danger is all well and good, but we need to make sure they can tell someone (and know who to tell) who they are and where they live incase something goes horribly wrong. Knowing how to dial 000 and more importantly when to dial it is another life saving measure we as adults take for granted, but often forget to teach our children.

Autumn Garden

I finally took the time to get the veggie patch ready for all those winter crops. Here in subtropical Sydney we can grow something all year round.

I should already have my broccoli in, but nevermind. The peas are due to be planted soon. They were a great hit with LittleBug last year. I think two handfuls might have made it into the kitchen, the rest were eaten straight off the bush, but I don’t mind – anything to get them to eat fresh veggies

So today I have been adding a mix of chicken manure, cow manure, and mushroom compost to the top of the bed, lots of yummy organic matter for the plants to eat. The soil level in the bed had dropped quite a lot, as the compost I originally filled it with a couple of years ago has settled and compacted. Hopefully it will rain tonight and I won’t need to water it in tomorrow.

I was supervised by 15 week old BabyBug who made comments like “Goo ahh eee, grunt, grunt, giggle” – which loosely translates to “Manure, isn’t that a fancy name for poo? Here mummy I made some especially for you!”

Joyfulness…