Expressing - before or after feed?

[Pootle78]

DS is now 3 1/2 weeks and after a nightmare with feeding where I was expressing and bottle feeding as he wouldn't latch initially or offering formula if I couldn't express enough, for the last 24 hours, he seems to have cottoned on to latching and is now taking a feed off of me - (hooray finally!)

Obviously as he was being bottle fed we knew how much he was taking, so if after a feed from me he is still a little restless we offer him a top up, about 60ml. I want where possible for the top up to be from me so please can someone let me know, is it better for him to feed from me and then for me to express or the other way round that I express and then he has a feed?

I have found that if he feeds first I don't seem to have as much to express, so don't know if I express then he feeds, whether he is getting enough (iykwim) ?

Any ideas?

Thanks

If he comes off the breast still hungry, will he not go back on the other side?

Does he have both sides at each feed? If not you could feed off one side while expressing off the other. If you express after a feed though you might as well put the baby back on, as he will extract milk better than the pump will.

Sorry forgot to say at the moment i can only get him to latch on to right am going to the breast feeding clinic on Tuesday to get help with latching on left.

And due to pillows and things propping him up not sure i have enough hands and space to express at the same time (as it's only been 24 hours I'm still a bit wary of doing other things as i spend the whole feed makig sure i can hear him taking something!)

Expressing the other side during a feed always worked best for me. Tricky trying to juggle baby and pump to begin with but well worth getting the hang of it.

I express first thing in the morning when my breast are at their fullest. I pump one side whilst DD feeds on the other as I find i get much better results. I only express because DD has reflux and takes infant gaviscon which I mix with a bit of expressed as that's the only way she'll take it, but I hate doing it!

I have to say though, that at 3 1/2 weeks, would you say your supply was fully established to allow you to express enough? Normally, it takes around six weeks. Could this be why?

If you have an issue with expressing one side while feeding the other... Get an old bra, cut a hole in the boob bit, feed the cone bit of the expressing machine through and wear the bra. Tada! Hands free nursing. Just flip down the other side for the baby and away you go.

My DD wouldn't latch, sore nipples, expressing etc. I got good at expressing!