Freezer stash nearly finished

[PeanutButter99]

I'm a little sad, although I don't know why and just want to share.
My DS is 4 1/2 months old and ebf. I've been back at work since he was 3 1/2 months.
I built up a freezer stash before I returned so DH and mum could feed him ebm when they were looking after him.
At the beginning I could express enough for a full feed in the morning and at lunch time so he only needed 1 freezer feed before I got home.
Now I barely get enough for 1 feed during my 3 expressing sessions. So the freezer stash is nearly finished. :(
He'll have to move on to formula this week. I'll keep bf him and keep expressing but he'll not make it to 6 months of ebf.
I know I've done well to get this far but it seems a shame that he'll have to take formula when there's no problem with bf.
I guess a month of not fully feeding and expressing took it's toil on my supply.
My family have been great about my bf but this isn't something they understand and I'm not really sure why I feel this sad.
Thanks for listening :)

Oh Peanut, sorry to hear you're feeling sad. It's quite understandable but you've done (and are doing) so, so well. Your DS is a lucky boy!

First of all, which pump are you using? Single/double/electric/hand?

If you want too you can boost your supply, it's a bit of work but certainly possible. If you express for 10 minutes after each feed and can manage to fit in a cluster expressing session in the evening your supply will be up to speed in no time. In an ideal world you'd hire a hospital grade pump (for use at home) for a week or so. Hand expressing after pumping is also really good for boosting and maintaining supply.

A babymoon also works wonders (going to be with baby, plenty of skin to skin and let him feed, feed, feed).

Good luck.

Excellent tips on all things to do with expressing here

Thanks Marjorie.
In an ideal world where I have loads of time and don't get tired I'd do all of that!
But in the evenings all I want to do is play with my son :)
By the time I've had dinner and tidied up I'm ready for bed! I guess being a working mum with a house to look after is going to take some getting used to. I've never been this tired!

I quite understand, I wasn't wanting to pressure you, just pass on the information I have. Those first few months are so tough, you have to get through them any way you can!

I hope you can get over your feelings of sadness about introducing formula. You've done SO well to get this far ebf and given your DS an excellent start in life. Don't let it get you down. You deserve a round of applause

(It is well worth and expressing after expressing at work though)

(It is well worth hand expressing after expressing at work though)

Thanks for the round of applause. I'm going to start crying now :)
Have book marked your web site link and will read through it properly to see if I can use some if the tips.

PeanutButter99 - I'm going to echo AgainMajorie's round of applause and give you standing ovation too

You have done a fantastic job and deserve to feel proud of what you have achieved (hopefully I haven't sounded patronising - I really don't mean to be). I've had to express when parted from my DDs and it is such hard work. I've never really managed to get much in the way of a stash so my hat goes off to you.

Re. increasing supply have you tried expressing on one side in the morning whilst feeding DS on the other? Or tried fenugreek (4 x 610mg capsules 3 x a day) or oats or domperidone (prescription drug which has a side effect of increasing pro-lactin levels)?

Forgot to ask how much is DS taking at each feed? There has been some threads recently about EBM amounts and the general consensious (sp?) seems to be 1oz per hour apart plus one extra oz per feed. So 10 hours apart with 3 feeds = 13oz needed a day. Plus doing things like distraction if it's 5.30 and baby is hungry and your due home at 6.

Hi TruthSweet. Have tried the expressing while feeding thing but I can't do it. DS lies across me and the pump won't fit properly. It just makes me annoyed! Express before I feed him then feed him from both breasts. That's about 7ish. I get home at 6 and he takes 3 bottles in that time of about 6-8oz, depending on the freezer bag. I guess that's alot according to your calculation :) The thing is DH, mum and dad all say that he finishes the bottle in 10 minutes and would drink more if there was more! On my days off now he feeds constantly. I was thinking of introducing a bit of baby porridge but I think 20 weeks is still too young.

18-24oz of bm during the working day is a full days worth of milk for a baby having 3 feeds. I used this calculator and if you put in that baby has 3 feeds (not just bottle feeds but all feeds) a day it says to give 6.3-8.3 oz at each of the 3 feeds.

If you say 6 feeds a day (pre-work feed, 3 bottles while you're at work, evening feed and one night feed [optomistic I know]) then it suggests 3-4oz a feed.

Babies will keep sucking on a bottle as it a lot of stimulation to their suckling reflex (bottle teat is very hard compared to a nipple) and the milk flows rather than having to be expelled from the breast.

Do you still use newborn teats or could you try a breastflow bottle as they are more difficult to 'milk' than regular bottles.

Also would using a dummy stretch the feeds? BF babies like to comfort suckle (i.e. suck not eat) and it's just not possible to do that on a bottle as you either get air or milk.

TruthSweet, he's still using newborn teats as I don't want to make the bottle too easy for him. We do give him a dummy which he likes to suck. But when he's hungry no dummy will soothe him. He knows no milk comes out of it!
When I'm at work and he has the bottle he does tend to sleep through. He wakes up for night feeds now when I'm feeding him myself. He used to sleep through so maybe this is a result of a diminished supply?

PeanutButter, good on you for making so much effort to give your lo bm!

That is mainly what I wanted to say, but also just to say maybe you could think about donor bm milkshare (if I have remembered th adddress correctly and there is also something on face book called "eats on feets"...though I would suggest reading the info on milkshare either way)? just a suggestion as I think a lot of people don't know about milkshare.