How much volume do you express?

[Athrawes]

I am starting to express (baby three and a half weeks) on the advice of MW to try and give Dad chance to feed a couple of nights a week. Crazy with lack of sleep! My question is what volume should I be expecting. I am only getting 2oz and can only manage this first time in the morning. The rest of the time I can only get the smallest dribble. But I have plenty milk for baby!

I was the same. I never did manage to get more than 2 oz!

Can't you co sleep and try to feed the baby while you snooze?

I had the same problem until around 6 weeks when expressing got easier. DS is 3 months now and I can express 150ml per boob (have to as my DS prefers to feed on one side more than the other )....

Co sleeping not working for me hence need to express. Not having a go, really, but bit fed up with being told co sleeping is the panacea which will fix all my problems! Good for some but not for me.
Should I keep it up or just wait till later and hope more will come?

What pump are you using.

I couldn't get anything more than an oz or two, and neither could any of my friends with a hand held Avent or medela electric. I could only get a few oz in the morning.

My friends all resorted to hiring a hospital pump - industrial strength: both barrels and got 300ml a pop no problems.

Maybe you need to hire a hospital grade pump?

As for co-sleeping - well I used to cry in frustration as DH and babe snoring away and I was awake cursing the dawn chorus!!

I put babe in her cot in our room, and then her own, and then when snuffling too loud I got rid of Dh as well!!!!
I was going nuts with exhaustion though, and would be wide awake with the slightest snort / snuffle.

Good luck!!

I don't express every day, which may be why, but I rarely get more than about 3 oz (DD is 3 months now).

What worked for me sleep-wise was getting in the habit of going to bed when she naps (usually her first morning nap or a late afternoon one).

Plus as she got older she woke less at night - I now top her up when I go to bed at 10.30pm ish and she wakes at 3am and 7am - which feels like luxury to me!

Def try different pumps. But I could never get very much really. Also could try some foods that are supposed to help milk production, like oats. There are herbs too. I didn't get on with co-sleeping & feeding either. What worked best for us was DS sleeping in the room but DP getting him changed & ready for a feed, either with me still in bed or I went to another room, then if I couldn't get DS settled easily I could wake up DP again. Also it will go very quickly until babe no longer needs as frequent feeds & you get used to less sleep!

I bf both of mine exclusively for 6 months successfuolly, but I could never express more than a drop or two no matter how hard I tried.

Don't get cross, but what isn't working about co-cleeping? Might it be better to try and fix that rather than struggle with expressing?

Not cross too much of a light sleeper myself to have him snuffling and wriggling in bed with me and too afraid of squashing him. Our house is cold but I can keep the small babies room warm whereas our larger bedroom is really big and fridge like but ok for grown ups who can use an tlectric blanket. I can't have the baby under my heavy duvet and on the electric blanket. All excuses really as I don't like sharing my bed with anyone much!

OK, then this is what I suggest to start with. It's not cold at the moment - I presume you're not using an electric blanket? Don't think of co-sleeping as a permanent thing, just a few nights to top up your sleep and optimize your milk supply.

Get your dp to sleep on the sofa/in the spare room. Then go to bed early with your ds. You won't roll over on him - particularly as you say you're a light sleeper. Then just feed him and sleep as much as you can. I guarantee you will feel better in the morning - if only because you haven't got out of bed umpty times in the night. Remember to put a thick towel under your bottom sheet if you haven't got a good mattress cover just in case.

Do this for a couple of nights, then rethink. I would suggest doing this during the day, but it might be a bit too hot at the moment for a day in bed!

I am the same, cant get more than 2oz at a time and i have to have baby feeding from one side while expressing from the other in order to get the milk flowing, otherwise its just dribbles. I found that an electric pump worked better than the manual too.