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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

The expressing clique

455 replies

popsycal · 11/09/2005 20:22

I'm Popsy and I am a pumper

DS2 is 6 months and i am bac at work 4 days a week mon-thurs. I express and lunchtime and get around 5oz.......
He needs 2 7oz feeds during the day but i am hoping to reduce his lunchtime feeds as his solids increase.
BEen back at work properly only one week but am having to express during every feed and every time on my day off to get enough.
my boobs hurt

Who else is in my gang

OP posts:

creepmonkey · 01/11/2005 01:54

yingers, IMO a double pump is best for stimulating supply but frequence of expressing is also important, the more often you can manage it , the better. I love my Avent Isis IQ duo but its very expensive!

alux · 01/11/2005 23:35

i'm still here, pumping away, popsy (hence no capitals)

ToshyTinker · 01/11/2005 23:41

Am sure this must have been answered before but would be very grateful for opinions. Baby is 24 weeks, exclusively bf, not attempted to express yet. Have got to try in next few weeks really -back to work in Jan . So, do I use a bottle or go straight to a cup? If so, which one? Would it be so bad to use a bottle first? Hope to just use EBM in daytime. Hope to but will see how it works out. Thanks

alux · 01/11/2005 23:49

I went for bottle first as that was within my own comfort zone and it was also within the comfort zone of the nursery nurses too. Others here have gone straight to cup from as early as 16 weeks. Sometimes lo will take to a cup rather than a bottle if lo has only been bottle fed previously. My dd struggled to take a bottle and took eventually to MAM Ultivent which I highly recommend. If you can get lo to go straight to cup, then there should be no problem for nursery nurses after Christmas as by then lo should be able to hold her own cup so will be not be an issue at nursery. My dd is currently 28 wks and surprised me when I picked her up at nursery last week as she was holding her own bottle while semi reclining - and insists on doing it herself.

alux · 01/11/2005 23:51

oops should have said 'has only been breast fed previously'

creepmonkey · 02/11/2005 15:13

Ditto alux on the MAM ultivent teat, was the only one ds3 would take, thought he did reject it later when on solids. Has now taken to bottles with a vengeance again though, this time Playtex! MIL looked after him last night and gave him ALL the EBM I had! Now trying to express furiously for tomorrow but have bough my 1st tin of formula just in case.

yingers74 · 02/11/2005 16:27

sorry to butt into your thread again but can anyone tell me how do you warm expressed milk? I have managed 3ozs which are now in the fridge, can you warm it up or is it suppose to be room temp when you give it? Can't find anything in any books!!!!!!

chipmonkey · 02/11/2005 17:27

In an avent bottle warmer for 5min or in a jug of hot water for 3 min! They can drink it at room temp or even from fridge but some won't accept that when they know they can get it lovely and warm direct from source!

Shivs1974 · 02/11/2005 19:04

Been a while since I posted so hope all the expressing girls are well.
I've been talking to work about what room they'll give me to pump in when I go back to work mid-Jan. Think I'll be the first returning mum to request this, so should be interesting! I'm determined not to express in the loos so have already spoken to Maternity Alliance as to how to tackle this. I'll keep you posted.
Also started giving excess milk to a local milk bank. My dd was having 200ml 5 times a day but has now switched to 120ml 6 times a day - it was so frustrating throwing milk out. She'll be having her first tastes of solids in the next few weeks so I hope to continue pumping for the prem babies until I go back to work.

chipmonkey · 02/11/2005 22:04

Hi Shivs, best of luck with going back to work!

franch · 03/11/2005 16:27

Leaving mum with EBM from the freezer tomorrow night for my first night out since DD2 was born

Seem to remember running freezer bags under the hot tap last time. What's the recommended way of defrosting EBM? Nothing seems to defrost in our fridge.

jabberwocky · 04/11/2005 01:02

I had a problem with the freezer bags leaking when I put them directly in warm water so I started putting them in a large measuring which was about the right size, then putting that in the warm water. It worked great.

Shivs, it's fab that you're making enough to donate but why were you having to throw it out? I kept some frozen for several months.

chipmonkey, if you need to use formula try mixing it half and half with EBM. LO is more likely to accept it that way IME.

jabberwocky · 04/11/2005 01:03

that should read "large measuring cup"

Shivs1974 · 04/11/2005 08:04

Hi Jabberwocky

What I meant (and really didn't explain properly at all!) was that whilst trying to work out how much dd needed (200ml x5 to 140ml x 6) i was throwing out what she was leaving. Now I fill her bottles to 140ml (which she finishes) and any excess from that day's pumping (which hasn't been put in a bottle) can be frozen for the milk bank.

Also my frozen milk was coming to the end of its life (3 months) so I was able to give it to the milk bank as they'll be able to get another 3 months life out of it - so to speak!

karmamother · 04/11/2005 19:12

Just to add something another MNer said on here a while ago, breast milk changes in it's composition as baby gets older so EBM that has been frozen should be used up sooner rather than later, IYSWIM.

Original poster

popsycal · 04/11/2005 20:25

I have had problems with frozen breast milk bags birsting when defrosting, both if left to deforst naturally in the freezer, or if put into a beaker of luke warm water......

Now, I sterilse a small bowl and defrost in that...then if it leaks, I can still use it

I think we ought to write to the manufacturers of the milk bags though...I though it was just me doing something wrong, but if many of us are experiencing this then surely they need to know???

OP posts:

chipmonkey · 04/11/2005 22:28

Jabberwocky, wish I'd read your post before leaving milk to the nursery for ds. He drank 170ml pure EBM from his first bottle but would drink NO FORMULA from the 2nd bottle I made up. The only problems with ds is that he is sometimes inclined to drink very little anyway so its hard to judge how much to leave. For the moment I am going to just leave formula for the 2nd bottle as he usually doesn't drink too much from it anyway. No point in wasting EBM!

jabberwocky · 04/11/2005 23:55

Yes, popsycal, that's exactly what happened to me. So, a small bowl, large measuring cup, anything like that to contain the freezer bag will work great.

jabberwocky · 04/11/2005 23:59

chipmonkey, that's a tough one. I agree you wouldn't want to waste any EBM. I used to tell dh, you try pumping this out and you'll value it above gold, too!

I wonder if you could try a mixture of 2/3 formula and 1/3 EBM in a small amount while he is staying with someone such as MIL. Then you could get an idea of whether he will accept a mixture without risking too much bm IYKWIM.

chipmonkey · 07/11/2005 14:07

Jabberwocky, I have a feeling MIL just holds his nose and pours the milk in, while I'm not looking!

jabberwocky · 07/11/2005 17:33

LOL!

Original poster

popsycal · 08/11/2005 16:27