lots of numpty questions about expressing for first time from total novice!

[feekerry]

hi all.

tentitively thinking about leaving dd with dh for the first time in a couple of weeks. she'll be nearly 8 weeks. I plan to leave her for 2 hours max to ride my horse and i'll feed her well before i go so its unlikely she'll need any expressed milk but there is no routine to her feeding as i feed on demand so she may well want some when i'm away, plus it gives DH some confidence. To date she is BF and all is well, apart from a bit of an oversupply issue so tend to block feed. I have some numpty questions!

1. i have already got myself into a tizz that expressing the odd bottle will mess up BF- will it???

2. is almost 8 weeks a okay age to try an expressed bottle or should i leave it longer?

3. i have a manual pump but never even looked at a bottle!!! what type should i go for? do they come in sizes or something?

4. i leak loads- can i collect it in one of those shells instead of pumping?- also i reckon i can get a decent amount out just with my hands- is that okay?

5. was going to freeze it in ice cube tray then defrost it a few hours before i go- will this be okay?

6. as it will just be the odd bottle here and there, can i just express here and there a few days before i'm planning to go out- will this work. we dont work to any sort of routines in this household so wouldn't be ken on having to express daily at certain times etc!

7. presume it would be a good idea to get dh to try dd with the bottle a couple of days before i go out- as it will be just the odd bottle will she be okay with no regularity to it? it might be just one bottle every 2 weeks?

8. why do i feel that i really dont want to leave her with a bottle, feel like i should be there with the boob!!!!

sorry, epic list of questions there. any advice would be great!!!

Good for you for wanting to get out! I've just gone through the same thought process and am a complete novice, so based on my experience:

1. i have already got myself into a tizz that expressing the odd bottle will mess up BF- will it???
   I'm scared of this too! However I've expressed once a day over the past week and all good so far. I have to do it while LO isn'y looking in case she sees me stealing her milk - stupid eh? Like she's going to know what a breast pump is! . It's taken several sessions though to get enough for a single feed.

2. is almost 8 weeks a okay age to try an expressed bottle or should i leave it longer?
   Don't leave it any longer - I was told between about 4 and 7 (i think?) weeks is ideal to reduce likelihood of her rejecting either bottle or the boob. No idea if this is anecdotal or proven.

3. i leak loads- can i collect it in one of those shells instead of pumping?- also i reckon i can get a decent amount out just with my hands- is that okay?
   Hand pumping is fine from what i've read. No idea if a pump is easier or not.
   If you leak lots, you'll fill a shell in no time, so you'll need something bigger to collect in. Use shields on the non expressing boob to collect the drips hwilst expressing, but not between feeds as the milk will get warm and won't be safe to use.

I did several trial runs with DH feeding (and me well out of ear-shot/sight/smell) to check she took the bottle/milk.

I'm sure someone else will have much better info, but I hope it all works for you :)