Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

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

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:
lua · 26/09/2005 19:50

To be honest I don't think anyone could tell what was going on (I usually use baggy shirts), except that I was behaving a bit weird....

I was going for a job interview and I think it would have looked worst if I had two big wet marks in my shirt!

Original poster
popsycal · 26/09/2005 20:07

Got my mum to give ds2 2 x 5oz bottles today rather than 7oz and he was fine...nto sure what the evening holds but so far, no difference. It would really take off the pressure from me a ltitle bit. Also hoping to reduce luntime feed right downa nd increase solids, but still express every lunchtime (work and home) and maintain that feed and store the milk...

how are we all....?

OP posts:
Tipex · 26/09/2005 21:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

serah · 26/09/2005 22:37

A little bit of formula won't kill them Tipex... If it gives you a break from stressing then do it. When I was in hospital and DS wouldn't breast feed and knocked over all the breast milk I expressed, a midwife eventually came on duty who gave him some formula to give me chance to catch up expressing and to stop him screaming through hunger.

LadyPenelope · 27/09/2005 16:05

Tipex
Poor you ... I had something similar a couple of weeks ago and same problem ... milk dried up ... it took a week or so for it to come back totally. I spent the weekend feeding ds as much as poss, and then expressed 3 times at work rather than 1 or 2. Also upped liquid intake and tried to eat as well as poss. It came back slowly. Think it's more or less back to normal now.
Good luck ... it's so distressing for it to happen. Keep raiding the freezer for now and maybe you won't have to use any formula. And if you do, give yourself a break ... you can only do as much as you can...

Original poster
popsycal · 27/09/2005 19:33

Tipex - I was really really stressed at work last week and the milk just wouldn't come at all. I have managed to increase my supply this week following shiv's cluster feeding method....I am getting about 6oz at lunch time, about 4oz when I get in from work and about 3oz around 9ish....covers the next day no problem....

I also have the challenge of finding another feed from somewhere for next thursday as I have to be at work until 8pm....god help Dh

OP posts:
Shivs1974 · 27/09/2005 19:58

Popsycal - really pleased to hear that the cluster pumping worked! I'm doing it myself at the moment as apart from the big pump in the morning (400ml) I'm only getting 120-160ml each pump. As dd is on 200ml per feed, I really need to get another pump in each day. I'm at a wedding this Sat so should be interesting to see how much time I spend in the loos with my handpump!!
Re next Thursday, could you perhaps pump a little bit extra each day and freeze it so that you have enough for your dh??

Original poster
popsycal · 27/09/2005 20:02

400mls!!!!!!!!
Wow!
I suppose that is first thing in the morning though....

I am going to try to stock up a bit more and leave an extra bottle. We are away this weekend so the pump will have to come too

I wish I knew how much he needed for each feed
After yesterday where he had 2 smaller feeds, he was up all night. That may not have been the reason as he is coming down with a cold....
but he had bigger feeds today

So glad I started this thread....keeping me positive and motivated

OP posts:
lua · 27/09/2005 20:32

Popsy, I share your frustration with not knowing how much we should give of EBM...
Is there no guidelines anywhere?! I think I heard someone suggest to weigh baby before and after a feed. Anyone tried that, or think it should work?

karmamother · 27/09/2005 20:40

Can I ask a question? I didn't express with my first but I'm going to this time round. Just bought an Isis & I'm pleased some of you have success with it. popsycal, when you mentioned expressing during a feed, I assume your baby only uses 1 boob during the feed. If you were to only get 2oz, say, would that just be the foremilk? And if that were the case, would it not be very filling when you gave it later? If bubs wanted to take a 2nd boob, might there not be enough if you've expressed quite a bit from it?

God, this all sounds rather challenging but I'm determined to do it. I'm basically doing it so my DP can share the feeds & I can have the odd early night or lie-in, so there's an incentive for both of us.

jumble · 27/09/2005 23:19

I've found as long as you express at roughly the same time of day at least 4 times a week, there will always be enough milk for bubba. Don't worry too much about 'thickness' of milk, it seperates out anyway once you put it in the fridge and you will be able to see how much 'fat' is in it as it rises to the top. The only thing I would say is don't store it for too long, as it changes in composition quite noticabley from month to month and what you produce for a two month old might not be quite so nutritionally suitable for a four month old.

likklemum · 28/09/2005 00:02

Hello Pumping Pals!
I'm bricking it at the mo, coz Im going back to work in 6wks. . I will have to leave Ds (7months by then) at my mums for 2 nights and 2 days. .
He's on solids now but other than that he's been excl bfed. The HV has said to try and cut him down to bfeeding 1st thing in morn and last thing at night only. Is she suggesting just giving him water in the day or using formula? I'd rather not give formula as I've managed not to so far. You all sound like you bfeeding more than HV has suggested for me?
Also concerned as DS does not take from a bottle readily. On the odd occassion I get to go out for the evening, whoever is looking after him, reports back that he hasnt taken it well. He's only ever taken water once aswell [worried emoticon]. He's never taken a dummy (not from the want of trying to shove one in !! ). Does anyone feed their children directly from a cup?
Cringing at the thought of locking my self in an old storage room at work, but that I should feel this way. Does anyone know where I can get info about feeding at wrk in the uk? My entitlements etc.
Thanks one and all
Signing outxxx

jabberwocky · 28/09/2005 00:09

Not pumping currently, but ds had nipple confusion and started to refuse the breast at 3 months. Pumped for the next 10 months exclusively so feel I've had a bit of experience on this one . I don't know if this has been mentioned yet or not, but breast compression, especially towards the end of a session really helps a lot!

chipmonkey · 28/09/2005 10:47

Jabberwocky and Shivs and anyone else who has exclusively pumped, I have the greatest admiration for you. I had to at the start when ds3 was prem and it was hard work!
Lua, if baby is exclusively bf the correct amount is worked out as follows: ( All in metric, don't know how to do this imperially
1/ Weigh baby
2/ For every kilo of baby allow 150ml of EBM daily.
so if baby weighs 4kg allow 600ml EBM
3/ divide by no. of feeds baby has during the day. So if the above baby takes 6 feeds, thats 100ml per feed, If baby takes only 5 feeds then thats 120 ml per feed.
But if baby's over 6 months and on solids the amount of milk will be reduced. When ds2, (who was a good baby who would take a bottle, unlike ds3!) was established on solids I used to leave in 2 4oz bottles for him and 1 bottle of diluted juice. He was fine with this.
Tipex, how's it going?

chipmonkey · 28/09/2005 10:49

likklemum, if you scan down the thread Popsycal has put in a link to guidelines on your entitlements in the UK but I know that you are entitled to a private room and a fridge.

chipmonkey · 28/09/2005 10:54

Also, likklemum, ds3 is terrible at bottles! I found that I had to refuse to bf him for 4 hrs to get him to take one. Also, on Mears advice, I held him facing away from me and walked around and he took it then. Problem was when he went on solids he lost all enthusiasm for the bottle again. He is gradually getting better for the nursery and for MIL when she babysits but will hold out till I come home. I have started using Playtex bottles with Naturallatch nipples and he seems to slightly prefer them! Annoying when I'm pumping into Avent bottles, wish he'd be more obliging. I find that he doesn't really drink much from a cup and if I do give him a cup, it can't have a non-spill spout because he refuses to suck that too!

lua · 28/09/2005 12:38

Thanks chipmonkey - those guidelines are very helpful! It seems like I won't need as much as I've thought! yey!

My DS wasn't very keen on bottles - but got along much better with a #2 MAM teat (which fits on avent bottles).

Also DD would not take any bottle until she went into nursery. But when she didn't have a choice, guess what? she took all bottles!

iklemama Don't think what your HV told you make much sense. When my DD went to the nursery i breastfed her first thing in the morning, when I pick her up and before sleep. That way, I could only express 8 oz and be enough fopr her timeat nursery, where she also took 2 solid meals (e.g rice and a fruit puree). It seems to me if you drop theonesshe is saying, all her milk will haveto be EBM? or maybe I didn't understand what she said....

Original poster
popsycal · 28/09/2005 19:39

Hi girls again! I think of you all every lunchtime!!!

I have made a bit of headway today....a colleague of mine found out I was sitting in the toilets over lunchtime to express.....there was a queue outside the 2 toilets in our school and someone shouted 'What are you lot doing in there!' so I basically shouted back and told them.

Anyway - my friend's classroom is a mobile out on it's own with a big walk in cupboard which can be locked from the inside and the classroom can be locked too....so I have somewhere nicer to express!

KARMAMOTHER - you asked about expressing during a feed. DS2 normally feeds mainly off one side then has a bit of the other. The main reason I express while feedind is that I find the let down reflex is so much stronger and I can get more much more quickly and easily. If I express while feeding though, I only take about 2oz at a time so there is still plenty left for him. Just my way of 'stockpiling'

OP posts:
Original poster
popsycal · 28/09/2005 20:15

Just a quick question.....has anyone found that their babies are more sick when feeding from a bottle? I am beginning to worry a little bit. DS2 had reflux when little but it was pretty much fine until a few weeks ago. the odd bit of sick here and there but nothing worth worrying about. However, whenever the childminder feeds him, he is sick. Today he was sick DURING both his bottles. He takes a bottle fine from my mum on a monday and tuesday and fine from DH on the occasions that he has fed him. Have racked my brain trying to think what could be causing it. Same bottle teats, same amount of milk etc etc.....any ideas?

OP posts:
Tipex · 28/09/2005 20:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
popsycal · 28/09/2005 21:00

tipex - i felt like this last week alothough i was getting more than you.

Can you express every time you feed? I find I get about 2oz no problem if I express from the other boob when I feed....also you could try shiv's power pumping or cluster pumping. I have been walking round like dolly parton for the last few days as it as really helped to increase my supply.

Do you express on your days off work? My life seems like endless expressing right now as I express all the time on the 3 days I dont work (during each feed and once inthe evening if I can). Also, when you express do you feel the let down reflex? If not, either try looking at a picture of your baby or closing your eyes and imagining yourself feeding him. I can often get 2 oz from the 'squirty bit' alone....and I am not a big expresser like some of the girls here....I get 5-6oz max for my 'missed feed'
I also express as soon as I get home and give ds2 a little top up feed - mainly to get it flowing - and can get 3-4oz then too.

About mornings...my ds2 feeds loads in the night, especially from 3am onwards...and I can get 20z at around 6:30 or when I feed him.

Worth a try
I often wonder how sane I am with all this faffing

OP posts:
blackberries · 28/09/2005 21:21

Popsycal... on the being sick front - what teats are you using (i.e. slow, medium or fast?)

Original poster
popsycal · 28/09/2005 22:01

medium...he is fine with tem...has been for months....except when the childminder feeds him on wed and thurs

OP posts:
savanna · 28/09/2005 23:06

Jabberwocky

By breast compression, do you mean massaging the breast? I found out purely by chance that if I massage my breasts while pumping, it speeds up the flow. Also, since increasing my pumping sessions at work from one to two, I've been able to express more milk. This is very hard work and reading this thread really helps to keep me focused.
Popsycal, thanks for starting this discussion.

jabberwocky · 29/09/2005 11:46

Actually, it's more of a firm, constant squeezing. Sounds a bit harsh, but it doesn't hurt at all. I managed to get an average of 3 or more ounces per breast at each session the entire 10 months and I think the breast compression really made a difference.