how much do you express and when?

[cerealqueen]

DD2 is 3 weeks old. I only managed to express 1.5 oz at about 10.30 am. Is this about right? i was told morning was best, dd was feeding from other breast but was surprised so little after about half an hour. When should I be doing it? MW said 4oz would be ok for a feed but it seems a lot of time for so little.
Also, if you EBF, when would you give the bottle? Am thinking in the evening so DP can do it.

Totally varies by person, time of day. Also depends how you are expressing. Some methods (e.g. hand pump versus double electric pump) are more or less effective. I always express after DS has had his first morning feed, and then before I go to bed (which ends up being about 3-4 hours after his last feed) and get anything from 2oz to 7oz (using double electric pump). If you regularly express at the same time each day you'll start building supply and end up getting more.

As for when to give the bottle, it depends on why you are doing this. Is it to be able to have a break from bf now and then, or to be able to go out and leave DD with someone else? That will decide when you actually give the bottle - when it helps you most. Depending on how tricksy baby is, some people find when they first introduce a bottle, it is best if someone else does it, and mum goes away to another room, so baby doesn't see bf as an available choice!

Good luck!

thanks for this - I might be able to express earlier some days but generally mornings a bit manic with dd1 to get to pre-school!
I'd like DP to give a bottle in the evening for a break mainly and in case I ever get to go out again. DD1 never took a bottle as I tried too late so want to ensure we don't make the same mistake twice.
I have a Medela pump a friend lent me.
What temperature for the milk?

I express in an evening, about 2 hours after DS has gone to sleep and about 2 hours before he needs to feed again (fingers crossed!). I could never get the hang of expressing whilst feeding though that is meant to help with your let-down. I can only get about 2oz at a time which I thought was a bit crap but on the kellymom website it says 1/2 - 2 oz is about right per expressing session.
DS took a little while to take a bottle, and we found it best to give it to him when he was calm and not too hungry until he got used to it. He likes the temperature quite warm too; I stand the bottle in boiling water for about 5 mins. We tried a few bottles and he likes the Nuk one, available from Boots.

I express in the evenings - around 10.30/11pm, in bed. I just hand the bottle over to DH and he gives DS the bottle at about midnight. I get around 4.5/5oz using a medela swing electric pump, and DS usually takes 4oz of that (I pump a little more as sometimes DS is extra hungry). We have tried Avent and Tommy Tippee bottles, but kept going back to the one we got with the Medela pump. For some reason that is the one that DS prefers, maybe he's just more used to it. He'll take milk from another bottle but he fusses much more.

It sounds like you are on the right track to try and introduce a bottle now. I gave DS a bottle at about 4 weeks and he was fine with it. I know some people left it later and really struggled. I think a lot of people say 4-6 weeks is a good timeframe, but then to make sure that you give them a bottle every few days even if you don't actually need to, just so they don't 'forget' how.
I have a medela pump and it works great. Not cheap mind, but I had to go back to work when DS was 3 months and having a decent pump was the only way I would be able to keep bf.
As for temperature, DS likes his WARM. I just stand the bottle in v hot water till it comes up to temperature. Some babies are less fussy and will have it at room temperature. Personally we did great with Tommee Tippee bottles, but never tried any others.

Thanks everyone, this is all reassuring. I must get into a regular habit and persevere. Good advice to continue giving a bottle so she doesn't lose the knack, i'd never have thought of that.

i find as i co-sleep and feed frequently at night i have to block feed from around 3am and then feed baby on one side and express off the 'fuller' one at around 8 or 9 am. i'll get 4 oz that way, enough for one feed.

anything else i only get 2 oz and have to do two sessions