Headed back to school or work soon and not sure how much milk you’re going to need to pump a day? Let’s go through some of the basics.

How To Calculate How Much Breast Milk To Pump Each Day

Babies 1-6 months old drink between 19-30 oz. per day. Remember, some babies will eat less from a bottle and will make up for it on the breast. Others will want more if they’re going through a growth spurt.

How to figure out how much your baby needs:

  1. Convert Baby’s Weight to Ounces. There are 16 oz. in a pound. So if your baby weighs 8 pounds 4 ounces, multiply 8×16 (128) and add the extra 4 ounces. (128+4=132)
  2. Divide by 6. This figure represents the total ounces of breast milk that your baby will drink in a day. (132/6=22)
  3. Divide By the Number of Feedings. Take the total number of ounces per day and divide by how many feedings your baby does per day. This is how much should be in each bottle. Round up a bit in case your baby is hungry. If you will be away from your baby for four feedings, you’ll need to pump enough for four bottles. (22/8=2.75)

Here is a handy guide for figuring out how much you’ll need to pump to feed your baby, and how much to put into each bottle.

(Click on infographic below to see a larger version).

how much breast milk to pump per day