How much breast milk to express
The amount of breast milk you need to express, and how often you express, will depend on the situation.
For example, you may need to express more for your newborn baby if they are unable to breastfeed. The amount you express for an older baby will depend on the number of times they breastfeed each day.
These amounts are only a guide. If your baby is born sick or premature, you may not reach this volume. Any amount that you can express for your baby is helpful. Your midwife or public health nurse can help you
Newborn babies
If you need to express milk for your baby in the early days after birth, here's a guideline on what to expect:
| Day | Milk expressed in 24 hours | How much your baby will get at a feed |
| Day 1 | 7ml to 123ml | from a few drops to 5ml (5ml is approximately 1 teaspoon) |
| Day 2 | 44ml to 335ml | from 5ml to 15ml |
| Day 3 | 98ml to 775ml | from 15ml to 30ml |
With time and practice, it will become easier and the amount of milk you express will increase.
Expressing for time away from baby
In exclusively breastfed babies - babies who are fed breast milk only - milk intake increases quickly during the first few weeks of life. After that, it stays about the same between 1 and 6 months. Although it generally increases short-term during growth spurts.
How much milk a baby consumes changes as they get older and until one month or so by weight.
During the first week, most full-term babies take no more than 1 to 2 ounces (30ml to 60ml) at feedings. This is because newborns’ stomachs are so small.
After about 4 to 5 weeks, babies reach their peak feeding volume of about 3 to 4 ounces (90ml to 120ml) and peak daily milk intake of about 30 ounces per day (900ml).
After 6 months, your baby’s milk intake begins to decrease gradually as you introduce solid food.
Breastfed babies take in an average of 25oz (750ml) per day between the ages of 1 month and 6 months. Different babies take in different amounts of milk. A typical range of milk intake is 19oz to 30oz (570ml to 900ml) per day.
Use these steps to work out the amount of breast milk your baby will need:
- Estimate the number of times that your baby breastfeeds per day (in 24 hours).
- Divide 25oz (750ml) by the number of breastfeeds.
- This gives you a rough guide for the amount of expressed milk your exclusively-breastfed baby will need at one feeding.
Example: If a baby usually breastfeeds around 8 times per day, you can guess that baby might need around 3oz (94ml) of expressed breast milk per feeding.
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