Expressing and Feeding - How to fit it in?

[ChairmumMiaow]

I've been giving DS the odd EBM bottle since around 4 weeks (around 1 bottle feed a week to give me more sleep initially)

I'm now back at work for a few hours each week (Running your own business sucks!) so DS has one bottle feed then, and around every 10 days DH also does one feed (normally around 10pm) to give me another few hours of sleep.

At the moment I express in the morning (most mornings) - getting a couple of ounces at a time. When I'm missing a night feed I express after DS has finished his feed before I go to sleep. If missing a day feed I express after his first feed after I get back. Generally I don't go more than 4 hours (5 at most) between feeds at any point (DS normally sleeps 2.5-3.5 hours at a time at night)

Is this OK? Am I going to mess up my milk supply like this? I don't seem to have had any problems, but I do worry sometimes!

Much as my HV is generally very supportive, I'm glad I've got mumsnet to ask what sometimes feel like silly questions!

[susiemj]

bumping for you

[ChairmumMiaow]

anyone?

[missorinoco]

i don't know either but bump.

[cmotdibbler]

It sounds fine to me - the basic rule is that you should express for every feed missed, and if he feeds loads at night anyway, you'll have no probs. You might be better off expressing when at work instead of after the feed when you get back, but if its a 4 hour gap, its not that bad.

Problems do occur when people give an EBM/formula bottle at night instead of feeding/expressing, so they have really big gaps with no milk removal.

I found it really hard to get good advice about working and bfing, as those who were supportive about bfing, weren't about workiing iyswim