pumping milk

[SianES]

I am about to start using a breast pump and would really appreciate any words of advise so thought I would ask the experts...mums!

which pump is best?
how do you do it?
how much does a 6 week old baby need in a feed?
tips on storing milk?

any advise would be great. thanks.

I liked the medula swing, tho hand expressing works best for me. I've only ever expressed early on unless I'm 'relieving' so not sure how much is an average feed...for some reason I'm thinking it's 50-100ml per week (but the latter seems like A LOT) check kellymom for lots of good info (or wait until someone comes a long who knows what they're talking abt)

freezing is best with milk storage bags you can buy at boots (and lots of other shops)

hope you get on ok :)

Another vote for Medela Swing.
And double pumping cuts down the time spent expressing.
I find I get most milk out first thing in the morning.

Recommendations I've seen for storage time vary from 2 days - 5 days in the back of the fridge, and 3 months in the freezer. And you should never warm the milk up in the microwave, as that can cause hot spots which could scald your baby.

Also, the milk storage bags from Boots say they're not suitable for use in the freezer. There's another thread on here somewhere about that. I've got milk storage bags from Tesco and Mothercare before.

i have 3 pumps

a hand pump (that i use at the 3am feed) (£20 ish)
a medala swing which was fine, a which best buy, but is only designed to be used once / twice a day max (£90ish)

and a medala freestyle (£250 ish)

the freestyle is a double handsfree breast pump designed for frequent usage (6+ times a day) It has a battery that you charge (like you would a mobile phone) rather than the plug that the swing has (you can use normal batteries too but it eats them so best to use a plug if you can).

I find i get the same amount of milk out with all of them (I thought my freestyle would get more milk so i could express less times a day, but for me it doesnt)

My freestyle is much quicker though.... i get both breasts empty in 6 - 8mins so expressing doesnt take as long. (Whilst it can be used hands free i normally dont bother and just sit down for a few mins)

My baby is 9 weeks old.

She has had 1 bottle a day since 5 weeks.... at 5 weeks she was taking 6oz, but at 9 weeks she is now downing 7oz. I think this is more than most babies drink, although she is never sick, poo's once a week, and is

I donate my excess milk to SCBU, and in doing so have a massive supply of free sterile bottles that i use for storing my milk in fridge / freezer

I keep breast milk in back of fridge for up to 3 - 4 days and have had no issues yet.
If freezing i freeze within 24 hours.

I always like to have "todays" and "tomorrows" milk ready in the fridge

Amount of milk per feed depends on how many feeds a day the baby has. Breastfed babies take about 25oz a day between 1-6 months (doesn't tend to increase with age like formula amounts do). So if 10 feeds a day then about 2.5oz a feed, if 8 feeds then around 3oz.

i can not thank you all enough, this is the first time i have used mumsnet and i am super impressed.

I have read really good reviews about the meleda swing so thing I will go with that one. I am only expressing to give myself a break in the evening and maybe the odd night out, I am enjoying breastfeeding but the thought of a break now and then is very appealing.

Do you think expressing like I am going to will mess with my milk supply?

I used the avent Isis manual pump and found it really efficient. Normally got between 4-6 oz a time. I don't think you'll affect your supply now, esp if you're only expressing infrequently.

I had an Avent iQ. The key to successful, super quick expressing is as follows:

Baby on one boob
Pump on the other

Fiddly, but 3-4 times as effective!

I dread to think what my baby takes Rita....

she can down 13+oz in the evening, as well as another 8+ feeds in same 24 hours.

she did that at 7 weeks

Babies do tend to finish bottles, as they can't control the flow of milk in the same way they can as at the breast - which is why overfeeding is an issue with bottles but isn't with breastfeeding.

25oz was an average though - I think the range was 19oz-30oz. But the amount an individual baby consumes tends to stay stable as they get older.

you need to live nearish to one of the 12 milk banks in the uk

see here for all the info you need

Im really lucky as i live a few hundred yards from the lady who co-ordinates the milk bank at my hospital!

Rita i agree but my baby is a greedy pig!. 4oz was never enough and she often roots for (daddies) breasts after a 6oz bottle (even at 6 weeks)... so i was topping her up with breast milk after 6oz!!!!!!