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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

expressing virgin tips please

13 replies

hazeldog · 29/08/2012 14:26

Ds is 3mo and so far I haven't expressed due to oversupply but Im desperate to get in the gym as my plan to walk off the baby weight has been thwarted by the weather :(
I've got a Phillips advent manual pump and a couple of bottles but I'm not sure they're big enough. How much is a 3mo going to need per feed?
Apart from that I just need general advice and the benefit of others experience as it wasn't in my plan so I'm clueless

OP posts:

Iburntthecakes · 29/08/2012 15:24

Marking spot. In similar position and would be interested to hear any advice!

Mandinga79 · 29/08/2012 15:47

Get an electric pump, preferably a double! You'll end up with tendonitis if you want to pump enough for a feed using a manual pump. I too would like to get back to the gym and have pumped a supply sufficient to feed a SCBU stored in my freezer, but will DS take a bottle? No he will not... Dx Not sure about quantity. If/when DS decides to play ball I'll just have a big bottle ready and see how much he takes in one feed. My guess would be around 5oz at three months...? That's how much he took the one and only time I duped him into takIng a bottle (he was asleep at the time - hasn't done it again since...)

MigGril · 29/08/2012 16:56

Probably no more then 4oz, breast feeds are smaller in volume then formula. They also don't change over time as the composition of your milk changes (how clever is that)

There is a good section on kellymom website about expressing and a calculator to digger out how much your baby will need as it depends on the no of feeds in 24 hours.

MigGril · 29/08/2012 16:57

Oh and before you go and she'll out on an expensive pump, try hand expressing many mums find it more efficient then a pump.

slothprincess · 29/08/2012 20:57

My DD would take about 5oz of expressed milk per feed. I borrowed an electric pump from a friend to see if I got on with it before buying one myself.

I found I could usually pump about 2-3oz per pumping session, so used to pump over a couple of days to get enough. For me, the key was getting the timing right. Leaving it long enough after a feed in order to get enough milk, but not too close to a next feed as DD would get a bit stroppy if the let down didn't come fast enough.

Good luck with it. Expressing in order to have the occasional free afternoon or evening out was a nice little break.

Original poster

hazeldog · 30/08/2012 09:12

Is it usually quite hard to pump enough in one go? We don't have a fridge as we live off grid so I need to get enough or there's no point.

OP posts:

Mandinga79 · 30/08/2012 10:41

It depends on you, really, and probably your pump. I can get anywhere from 5 to 10 oz in one go which takes me 10-15 mins, which judging by above responses, is enough for one or two, good feeds. This is why I'm an advocate of a good quality electric double pump. I think that probably helps a lot.

Original poster

hazeldog · 30/08/2012 15:10

which one would you reccommend mandinga?

OP posts:

Original poster

hazeldog · 30/08/2012 17:22

tried the manual pump and it was hopeless. my boob didnt want to cooperate and the milk wasnt dripping into the bottle properly. tried hand expressing and it came naturally so going to give that more goes

OP posts:

susiegrapevine · 30/08/2012 17:30

I have the phillips advent manual pump and found I could pump enough for a feed can't remember how much it was tho a small bottles worth anyway. Main thing to remember is to picture and think about your baby so you get the let down or look at your baby if your baby is there. Plus I found a manual pump fine but only used it for nights off or when someone baby sat a previous posters have said.

Original poster

hazeldog · 30/08/2012 18:17

the position i need to sit in for it to work is guaranteed to send my back muscles into painful spasms so its a no no for me. even with the baby feeding off the other boob it was pretty sore trying to get the milk going. academic anyway it seems as i tried to give ds the bottle several times and he was like "wtf if this? this isnt the boob!". not having it at all. oh well.

OP posts:

Mandinga79 · 30/08/2012 18:52

I use the Medela Pump in Style - costs a bomb but works brilliantly. As a result I have literally 3 litres of EBM in the freezer that DS won't touch as it's not direct from the cow, so I feel your pain, OP!

susiegrapevine · 30/08/2012 18:54

Hmm yes I found this to be a problem too. However my ds would take the bottle happily from other people so try that. The reason being that your baby can smell your milk so is probably wondering why its not coming from you, if someone else does it they do not have the milk smell so he may take it.
Sorry to hear the pump made you sore tho and I could not be of any more help. Hope you do get a chance to get to the gym

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