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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Ebf and NOT expressing. Anyone else?

44 replies

Bartimaeus · 13/12/2011 08:43

Feeling a bit odd-one-out atm. Chatting to friends last week, it turns out that I'm the only one in a group of 8 women who is not either mixed feeding or ebf and expressing...

Am I the only person still just breastfeeding? They (nicely) implied I was a bit of a mug as no-one else can feed DS for me, but it's not been a problem yet and I've always seen it as my "role" for the first months anyway.

To be honest I can't be bothered with researching expressing, buying the stuff, working out when and how to use it etc...I'm too lazy I suppose

I will be introducing mixed feeding before I go back to work when DS is 6 months, but as I can't express at my work, I'll put him onto formula for the feeds when I'm not there...

OP posts:

ShowOfHands · 13/12/2011 10:50

Oh I can't be beggared to express. DS is 14wo. Didn't bother with dd either.

Original poster

Bartimaeus · 13/12/2011 10:52

Wow loads of replies and it seems I'm in good company

frak Yup I'm in France. The others all got pumps on prescription but again I can't be bothered to do it and buy the bottles etc.

I also find breastfeeding very easy. Slight oversupply problem but no latch or pain problems so it's enjoyable and quick and easy!

I think legally work has to give me somewhere to express + time to express but I work 100% on client sites (I really don't want to be asking every new client where I can express, especially as in France not many women breastfeed past a couple of months) and as it is my usual work day is 10 hours (+ commute) which I'm going to try and reduce so I can see more of my baby. My colleagues with young babies find the work/life balance very stressful. My friend never has lunch or coffee breaks but works like a maniac all day to be able to go home, relieve the nanny, take care of DC then work after DCs have gone to bed...

But I'm going off on a tangent

llama I'm also worried that DS might not take a bottle when I go back to work as it's "late" (he'll be 6 months) but I hope that if he refuses then he should be old enough to use a sippy cup...

OP posts:

redridingwolf · 13/12/2011 11:04

I am ebf my third baby at the moment and don't express. Fed DS1 and DS2 each for a year without expressing too. I have tried expressing a few times and it didn't work well for me - took too long to get miniscule amounts, and far too much faffing about.

I'm lucky though, because I work from home, so DD just comes to see me when she needs a feed...

DazedDazzledandConfused · 13/12/2011 11:10

Breastpumps on precription? I'm not worroed about lo not taking a bottle as in a few weeks he can have a sippy cup.

NotJustForClassic · 13/12/2011 11:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Rosemallow · 13/12/2011 11:21

I hated expressing and gave up after a few attempts, it was just too boring!
I ebf DS who's now 10 months and he has fallen into a routine of just water and food during the day if we are out/I am out and co sleeping/feeding throughout the night. If we are at home he has a bf snack in the mornig and evening.

I also did it with DD who self weaned when I was about 5 months pregnant (she was about 18 months).

Some people I know can't believe I have been BFing one or other of them all this time, especially as I went back to work but I don't find it a problem TBH.

BertieBotts · 13/12/2011 11:34

It doesn't make any difference IME whether you give them a bottle "early" or not - bottle refusers seem to come from both categories, those who never had one and those who had one regularly.

BertieBotts · 13/12/2011 11:40

No I don't find it that hard either. I only expressed for DS about twice, once when he was 2.5 months and we went out for a Christmas work meal, and once at about 8 or 9 months, for my birthday. I think that sometimes people who think it must be difficult breastfeeding for a long time most likely stopped before 6 months, and imagine it to be like that constantly, which of course it's not.

Original poster

Bartimaeus · 13/12/2011 11:43

Yeah here you can rent a pump from the pharmacy - with a prescription (cheaper than buying I think - I think you have the pump for free and you just buy attachments/botles)...but again a faff IMO!

Glad to hear that age won't make a difference to whether a baby accepts a bottle...I always refused dummies and bottles when I was a baby...DS already refuses a dummy...

OP posts:

bigbadbarry · 13/12/2011 11:48

I expressed once for my first baby, because it was "the done thing" and I was in the new-mother haze. That was 8 years ago and I have been pregnant or breastfeeding for the entirety (Dd3 is nearly 2) and have never expressed since :)

pipoca · 13/12/2011 12:26

I've expressed a couple of times when trying to see if DD would take a bottle (she wouldn't) could never get more than a dribble and don't need to express anyway as I work from home.

camdancer · 13/12/2011 13:10

I did express with DS, didn't with DD1, and am hating it but expressing with DD2. She is now 6mo and I can't wait until I stop. It is a ridiculous, hateful thing to do. It hurts, it takes longer than a normal feed and it means faffing with equipment.

DD1 didn't ever take a bottle but she just got on with a sippy cup when she wanted water. Really it just made life easier as I didn't have to wean her off the bottle as well as the boob.

otchayaniye · 13/12/2011 16:42

i never expressed for my first daughter and febd her and tandemed a bit until she was three.

but i have with my new baby as i like to get out to take my three year old to dance class just the two of s and leave my baby at home with her father. plus it meant i could have a good drink on my fortieth!

Beveridge · 13/12/2011 21:37

Never routinely expressed with DD while on mat leave, when I did it was solely to build up a store for the odd night out with wine! There was no point in expressing just so DH could give a bottle so I could supposedly have more sleep as I woke up anyway (which surely we're biologically programmed to anyway) and then would be awake listening and making sure that the bottle was being taken and then DD would scream the place down with wind immediately afterwards.

I did express at work when DD went to nursery at 9 months and thought I would have a great little production line going for her...and then she refused to take bottles at nursery. She survived no problem on increased solids and water and made up for it when I got home so I dropped the expressing at work and it all worked out fine.

Had no choice expressing with DS as he was born at 32 weeks and had to be tubefed for 3 weeks - definitely sick of it after that! Did a bit of expressing in August to build up a stock for a few nights out I had lined up but the last packet was used up on Saturday and I'm loathe to have to stock up again - probably won't bother actually as he can be shoogled back to sleep overnight if I'm not there and I'm of the opinion that as he is now almost 9 months old and has no dairy issues, a wee drop cows milk on a rare occasion will do no harm if he's genuinely thirsty.

And FWIW, both my babies accepted occasional bottles up until 4 months old and then went right off them. Soft spout cups were more successful after that.

SantaffetaClaus · 13/12/2011 21:43

Years ago now ( DS 8, DD 5 ) but I EBF mine for 9 months each and never expressed. I tried it once and hated it.

Don't fret about what others are doing - do what feels right for you and your baby.

pooka · 13/12/2011 21:44

Did with dd. Couldn't be bothered with ds1 or ds2.

AngelsfromtherealmsofgloryDog · 13/12/2011 23:16

I never routinely expressed. DS had 3 bottles of EBM when he was 3 m.o. (2 practices, 1 while DH and I went out for dinner).

From 9 m.o. I'd go out in the evening and he was happy to go to bed without milk of any kind (I left milk the first couple of times but he wasn't bothered about it).

MigGril · 14/12/2011 11:07

I did try with DD, but she soon became a complet bottle refusser so stoped trying. Had a slight panic at 10months when I had to have a op, but it turns out they are very happy to have baby in hospital with you (at our hospital anyway) and you can feed after a general as long as you are awake. So panic over, She was also taking solids well by then and although I was panicking I think she would have been fine to be honist.

DS did try again as wanted to be able to go out, but he wasn't keen and DH is quit useless with feeding little baby's. He would quit happly go 3hours between feeds anyway which made it easier.

I don't get why people panic about leaving baby's over 6months with a bottle, they really can just have a cup and solids and this has worked well with us on the odd time's I've needed to leave them. Would probably work better if you had someone more confident then my DH looking after them. (he's good now they are bigger just no good with small babys).

stegasaurus · 14/12/2011 20:45

DD is nearly 8months and EBF alongside her meals. I tried expressing over a couple of months, as I started going out for a couple of hours once a week when she was 4 months and I wanted there to be milk for her dad to give her if necessary. It was a PITA. I would sit there for a hour and on a good day get 1 or 2 oz and this was with an electric pump. DH claims she once took a bottle but only the once.
I am now worried about what we will do when I go back to work in Feb and she spends her days at nursery/ with her grans. She will have to make do with her cup. I won't be able to feed her before and after work either, as I will have to leave for work at 6.30 and not be home til about 9.30 as well as doing some nightshifts each month.

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