Support thread for those expressing/trying to feed preterm/poorly etc babies

[KD0706]

Sorry if title is random. Wanted it to be inclusive.

I delivered DD2 earlier today, she was 32 weeks gestation. I had DD1 at 31+1 and have been through the expressing, getting onto boob journey with her, but thought it would be nice to have some company on this journey. Anybody fancy joining me.

At the moment I'm very tired and concerned ill struggle to keep up with DDs feeds. She started on 3 ml every 3 hours, but the amount has gone up to 6ml at her last feed and they expect to increase to 9ml overnight. I think I'm about one feed ahead at the moment but getting as much as 9 ml colostrum in an expressing session is quite an achievement for me. And I don't want her topped up with formula if we can avoid it. Can't wait till my milk comes in! (you can remind me of that when I moan about it!)

Congratulations KD

So she is on almost full term baby volumes? (5ml of colostrum per hour).

I guess you are hand expressing 8-12 times a day at the moment? Are you able to express next to her bed? Have they discussed Kangaroo care with you and is it an option (sorry I don't know if DD2 is 'just' prem or poorly too).

Hi truthsweet I didn't know those volumes - 5ml per hour for full term. Yes, I guess she's shooting up to that level. She was a great weight for dates and needed very little help with breathing, so I guess she's maybe doing better generally than you'd expect a 32 weeker to do (fingers crossed).

She was c section and was on cpap most of today so her various tubes plus my stiffness etc have meant kangaroo care not really an option today. But I'm sure we can do loads of that.

I should know all the 'what to do' stuff having done it w DD1, but it gets a bit blurry.
Midwives here think if you express every three hours in day and once overnight that's fine. They're telling me it doesn't matter if she has formula top ups so long as I'm expressing that much.

Anyway, I didn't get a chance to express till 9.30am, and have had seven sessions since then so I think I'm doing ok with frequency. Going to shoot for every 2-3 hrs in the night.

I'm still one feed ahead of her. And at my last expressing I actually had a (teeny) jet go spraying across the bed!! So I'm getting there.

Off to get some rest! Thanks for your response.

Congratulations. Not joining your thread since I am now 14 months down the line from when my 26+2 weeker arrived (still BF-ing though!) but I remember well the anxiety of those first few days and weeks.

FWIW, and I know you've been down this road already, I would go easy on yourself for as long as she's in NICU. If I remember correctly, I expressed at 9ish, 1ish and 5.30ish overnight - more than that and I just didn't have the energy for the draining intensity of NICU.

Frankly even that was OTT - my son started on 0.5ml every 4 hours and when we left, the Unit had to throw away gallons and gallons of frozen milk (since I couldn't donate it due to blood pressure meds ).

Good luck to your little one.