Breastfeeding question- let down

[surreygirl1987]

Hello! I have a 3 week old. I want to start introducing a bottle once a day at around 10pm as with my oldest son I found this helped him sleep longer and also it's nice for his dad to do it and then I can go to bed earlier. I've been collecting let down each time I feed (using a breast shell on the other breast) as I mean a lot, and have found I'm collecting up to 2oz per feed without having to express. Over the past 3 weeks I've managed to collect more than 100oz and generally put a 6oz bag in the freezer each day. I'd like to use this milk at the 10pm bottle feed... but as it's just let down is it nutritionally filling enough? I've read a lot about foremilk and hindmilk (aware of the debate they it's a myth but not as simple as that- the milk does change throughout a feed) and don't want to give my son any more problems (eg lactise overload) - he already has reflux...

Many thanks!

[CupcakesK]

I’ve been doing the same as you, although using a Hakkaa instead. I try and collect as much as possible in one go and can definitely see the change from foremilk to hindmilk, if you can get about 3oz at a time.

I’ve been giving one bottle a day of expressed milk since week 5 and my DS is still gaining weight well at 18 weeks. Can’t answer about nutrition, but this has worked well for us, no problems and I get a little break!

[turnthebiglightoff]

The advice is to exclusively breastfeed until 6 weeks. Could you hang on a few more weeks and try to introduce a bottle then?

[FourPlasticRings]

It's a tricky one, OP, for two reasons:

1. The first part of the milk, that you're likely catching in your shell, is, as you say, more watery and less fatty than the later part. If the baby is gaining weight well enough though, I wouldn't have thought this would be a huge issue.
2. Milk changes at different times of day in terms of hormone levels. Night milk is different to milk expressed in the day- it contains more components like serotonin that help the baby sleep. So the baby may not sleep as well if it has day milk instead.

I'd try it and see how you go.

[surreygirl1987]

Thanks for the replies. @FourPlasticRings yes you raise dome really good points. Hmmm. Saving the foremilk seems a little pointless with that in mind!! 🙈 Expressing was such a faff last time though. Well might give it a go as you say, and then maybe do a formula topup if it doesn't work out. I'd forgotten about the morning/night thing. I used to label my expressed bm morning day and night last time round so I should have thought of that!
@turnthebiglightoff Thanks for the advice but I gave my oldest boy bottles of expressed milk from 4 weeks old and ended up breastfeeding him for 7 months (no formula) so I'm not worried about this... but even if I do wait for a few weeks, the same questions will still apply!

[Lockdownseperation]

If he is hungry then he will wake up for milk earlier. A healthy 4 week old will let know if he needs more milk.

[surreygirl1987]

Yeh it's not really hunger I'm worried about, but I've read a lot about lactose overload and the problems it causes?

[Lockdownseperation]

Lactose overload would cause a temporary problem for a couple of hours and no longer damage so I would try it and see. I think it’s the only way you will know if it will work.

[surreygirl1987]

Fair point. Thanks!

[Lockdownseperation]

Hope it goes well I’m very impressed with your stash.