Conflicting advice, need some help from people with experience?

[onthefly]

Hi - congratulations on your baby
I don't have personal experience, so can only give you general information.

Between 1 month and 6 months of age, the exclusively breastfed baby will take anywhere from 500-1300ml per day but the average is 800ml or thereabouts, and that's where most mums aim for to begin with. The amount of milk babies take at any one feed will vary enormously - 800ml/day with 8 feeds per day doesn't mean they always take 100ml per feed, for eg.
When taking a bottle, babies will sometimes take more than they need as the teats allow milk to flow quite freely and it may be more difficult for them to regulate, so they just keep drinking even after they're full. You can try pacing feeds to see if that makes a difference, or it just may be that he needs more than average.
The amount of time you pump depends on how it works for you. I would suggest pumping till the flow slows significantly, then stop. Many mothers find that more frequent, shorter pumping sessions work better than less frequent, longer ones.

To get more specific information that's helpful to you, it might be useful to understand why you are pumping, if you don't mind giving more details.

[Kigga]

I'm pumping because I've been back at work for a few weeks now and because thy're only 3 hour shifts I can usually get away with feeding him just before and just after but I like having the security of knowing there's some milk at home if he gets hungry so his dad can feed him, so that in a few weeks I can have a night off and also because, while i am uncomfortable having him nurse when he's over a year old I'd like to be able to keep giving him breast milk for as long as he wants I know it's so good for them

[Kigga]

Also if it helps I don't force him to eat a certain amount. The bottle is only offered when he stars rooting, he is burped every few minutes and given a break and I have the slowest flow nipples available

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Your child is six weeks old and you've been back at work a few weeks?

I would say that if you need at most one bottle a day, then express in the morning/evening before you work as you seem to be producing a lot of milk.

What do you mean by a "night off"? Do you mean a date with your OH (so one feed needed) or do you mean you get to sleep while someone else gets the night-time love-ins? I'd wait to see what sort of sleeper you have before planning that, you may get a decent night's sleep anyway.

[Kigga]

Yes, I've done 2 3 hour shifts a week since about 2 weeks after he was born and now I've just started 4 shifts a week. I would like to EE in the long run so I'm asking more specifically about that, and just a night off my my OH and I can go see a movie or grab a bite so eat so his gma would only need to give him 1 feed if we're even gone long enough forthat

[lady_neon]

I can't help with the pumping question, but am curious as to why you won't/don't intend to breastfeed once your baby is 1, but want to give breast milk? I'm not sure what the logic is behind this and you're creating more work for yourself when it is unnecessary for you to do so.

[Kigga]

I know it sounds stupid but although I think it's amazing when women breastfeed into toddlerdom, breastfeeding is just something I am personally not okay with doing over 12months old, maybe 18max but I do know that they benefit from breast milk for quite a while after that and I want to do the best for him I can without doing something that makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable and stressed. I'd prefer to bond over a bottle than have him potentially also get uncomfortable and stressed when he's old enough to pick up on my emotions and do something that makes us both unhappy

[Barb Glare]

Woooah! You are getting ahead of yourself! Deep breath! You have enough milk to feed half the neighborhood! As you’ve seen, he’s fine without you for 3-4 hours. Breastfeeding for 12 mnths is fabulous! You will get a (virtual) gold metal for that - no-one is suggesting you do something you don’t want to do - but that’s a long way in the future. What makes you think he would get uncomfortable and stressed when he’s old enough to “pick your emotions” How do you know that it won’t be the oasis of calm and connectedness that keeps most mothers breastfeeding their toddlers? Take one day at a time and don’t join the ranks of women who overstimulate their supply to feed their freezer, only to chuck out their frozen milk 3 years later unused!