How do I prepare expressed milk and formula milk to take out?

[Zara1984]

Hi all

9 days old DS, bf is not going well :( (DS won't latch, he's on expressed milk by bottle at the moment.... Really feels like the battle has been lost at this point, sigh).

Sometime this week I have to take DS to physio at hospital and a bf support group . How do I prepare expressed milk in a bottle to take out? Do I just have to express before I go and make sure he eats it within 2 hours?? Or should I take formula? And how would I prepare that to take out. The advice I've googled is all very confusing. I have a Medela Symphony so I am pumping lots, and I have a tin of Aptamil. And Avent bottles.

Please help? I did no preparation about this sort of thing during pregnant as bf was going to be fine, and I was going to bf for a year + don't you know :( :(

Oh Zara, I just wanted to say all is not lost...have you been to a BF clinic before? I have had problems getting DS, 10 days, to latch on. I went to a clinic last week and going again this week. Even if I just get him to latch on once or twice, it's something! I also to slow flow teats on bottles to make him work for the milk like he'd have to do on the breast.

Hug.

With regards to EBM, Breastfeeding network have some good information here. They say six hours at room temperature (I.e longer than for formula) although you could still use a cool bag or similar, especially if you might be out for long. Will you be able to take your pump with you?

Also just wanted to say that you're doing amazingly and there is still hope. You are feeding your baby and protecting your supply, so time is on your side. I had big problems getting DS1 to latch on, having to give him EBM after my milk came in for several days, and then ended up using nipple shields for months (although not saying they're the solution- they have their own problems). But he did learn how to latch properly in the end and fed for longer than I'd initially planned. Hope the support group is able to help.

thank u both :)

I have a cool bag. I have a handheld pump and a big hospital one, so i could take hand one out with me.

He doesnt like nipple shields, have tried the boots and avent ones. trying a supplemental nursing system and medela calma teats today.

orenishii no havent been to a bf clinic before, hired a lac consultant last week. All the midwives who've been out to see me have tried to help. He latched SIX times on Sunday, nothing since. :( Giving it till Saturday then will reassess. If he would even just latch once or twice a day I'd feel like I could keep going :(

Zara big hugs. My ds is 10 days old and hasn't latched on once.

This is with the help of professionals.

I need to try nipple shields, but I can't physically or mentally express enough to fill him. I'm giving it till Sunday, then stopping trying.

I think Ive given up now if im honest. I need to enjoy my son not cry over how he's fed. He's happy and healthy as are most ff babies.

I've given it my best shot but life away from milk is important to me!!

horsey sending big hugs and hand-holding your way. This is really shit and unexpected, eh?

DS latched twice for me today, which was great. I'm giving it till end of play Saturday to decide whether I'm going to continue to try get him to be EBF. Right now all this pumping etc is getting in the way of me doing other (v important!!) stuff like getting his BCG jab!!!

Seriously, I just assumed bf problems wouldn't happen to me. I produced loads of comestrum etc. We had a traumatic labour (forceps) and no immediate skin to skin etc however I figured it would just happen. He ended up being man handled etc which caused hysterics from him and me.

We have tried everything. Re birthing, giving him time etc etc but he just gets to the breast and doesn't open up, latch on or anything. It's so sad for me but I think with bottle feeding I am giving as much breast milk as possible and the rest is ff. My milk supply is really reducing (stress!!). Im going to try shields and see if that helps. If not for my own sanity I have to move on.

We've spoken and been seen by so many people now. I can't have tried any harder.

Good luck to you!!

Lots if etc in that post sorry!!

Pumping all the time to ebf from a bottle will not work
For me sadly. Just the sheer volume of time. Huge amount of respect for people who do do it!!! It's just three times the work!! It's like bf and ff in one!!

horsey are we the same person??? "Worst of both worlds" is the phrase I've been using. I have massive massive respect for ppl who can exclusively bf for months on end or who spend eg 6 weeks + sorting out bfing. How, HOW???!!

Spent 10 mins trying to get baba to latch for this feed, he has zero interest when he's sleep and purple-faced scream monster results. So DH is feeding and I'm
pumping.

I think our DCs plotted this together

Hi Zara, sorry you're going through this, I had exactly the same with my dd, I ended up feeding her with EBM for 4 months. It's hard work but for me I felt like I was doing my best so it was worth it.

If I was going out for a few hours I used to just take a bottle of EBM from the fridge so it would bring itself up to room temp in my bag and then just use it when dd was ready. I think I'd have a cut off of about 4 hours, though I'm sure it would have lasted much longer. I never had to throw any away, it all got drunk in plenty of time!

When the weather got warmer I used a bottle insulating jacket to keep the milk cool.

I even went on holiday when dd was 3 months with 4 bottles of EBM in a cool bag with an ice block, and pumped in the hire car when we left the airport... it can all be done!!!

If you have any questions about exclusive pumping I'm happy to try to answer or I can direct you to some websites.

Dd used to sometimes have a proper breast feed as well, using a Medela nipple shield. Maybe once a day.

FwIw, I am currently up breast feeding DS, 10 days old, he's taken to it like a duck to water. I'm amazed as I always thought DD's refusal was somehow my fault. Not sure I'd have pumped this time if bf hadn't worked out though... I see far less issues with formula now than I did for my pfb, and it really was very time consuming!

Remember, happy mummy is by far the most important thing for happy baby!

Take each day at a time. Say to yourself 'Today I will breast feed'. Don't worry about the entire year or whatever. If you want to give a bottle of formula then don't worry about that either, it is there to feed your baby.
Happy Mummy=Happy Baby.

Thank you cream and cordiality

cordiality when/how did your DC take a breast during the day? Was it always at a consistent time or did you have to struggle?

DS showed some interest in boob this morning but pulled away when latched, eventually started crying so had to give him a bottle.

Hi Zara, sorry for the slow reply. Hope that feeding has been going ok the last couple of days, and that you've been getting some good latches if you're still trying.

It was never a specific time of day with DD, just any time that we were by ourselves and I felt I could face the fagging with the shields and the struggling to get her latched on. Looking back, I'm not really sure if there was any benefit to it.

Did I mention that dd was diagnosed with a tongue tie at 9 weeks? I do wonder if they'd found it much sooner whether she'd have been able to feed. Has your lo been checked and double checked?!

DS has been checked twice for tongue tie. The ultimate conclusion that everyo health professional has come to is that there is no earthly reason why DS can't latch. When he has occasionally latched he does so beautifully - perfect latch, no pain, feels lovely.

I was wondering whether to try him him on the boob once a day but then also I'm worried about wrecking my head when I try and do it? A friend who had similar issues (later discovered it was because her DS had a heart condition which meant he didn't have strength to suck at boob) says I need to just let it go. Today I haven't tried to latch at all and I feel the best I have since before he was born!!