Question about expressing.

[civilfawlty]

So. I get the supply and demand nature of breast milk. I want to express. So say, for example, I express at 11am tmrw for someone to feed my ds at 5pm.

My questions are:

1. How does my body know I don't need extra milk the following day at 11am?
2. What happens to the milk in my breasts at 5pm when I don't feed my baby?

I breast fed my 2 for 18 months and 19 months and trust me when I say that your body is amazing and it knows! But make sure you have a supply of breast pads with you and on you at all times, you WILL leak. Not nice to hear, I know, but true. The milk is produced only when needed, your baby suckling will increase production. If you do not express when you feel full, you will leak, but the production will slow to meet demand. Does that make sense? What ever you do, don't worry. If your baby goes through a hungrier phase, your milk production will increase to supply it, it will then slow down as the demand becomes less. Which is why when weaning, do it gradually. Don't try to stop all at once as it will be painful. I hope this helps to relieve any fears.

With the caveat - it depends on the age of your baby - if he is very little then you will likely have slightly increased milk supply due to the expressing (but not at 11am the next day, it doesn't quite work like that) but as you have skipped a feed you then lower the supply as the long gap between bfs tells your breasts to make less milk.

Breast milk contains a protein called FIL (feedback inhibitor of lactation) - the more milk there is in the breast, the more FIL there is, the more the milk making cells are switched off (temporarily).

If the milk making cells aren't used for a long time they get switched off permanently (or until the next pg or a lot more milk is required though it may not always be possible to restart all switched of cells). This is so your breasts don't explode - imagine if you made milk at the same speed whether the breast was emptier or fuller!

Also if the milk is in the breast a long time the fat in the milk sticks to the sides of the milk ducts so the milk is initially less fatty.

You may find if you have a younger baby you need to express while he is having a bottle feed as your breasts can be come uncomfortably full (not all women experience this).

If it's an older baby (say over 9m) then probably nothing will happen bar a little fuller feeling at the skipped feed as milk supply is very settled by then.