Expressing ! Experiences please .....

[Boop33]

Hey all
Now i am sure that there has been lots of threads on this already but here's the thing ...

I have been ebf my little one for 3 weeks and although there are no major issues and baby is putting on weight fine i am finding it increasingly tiresome on my part particularly during the day when i seem to be tied to the sofa feeding !
So me and DH have decided to introduce expressed milk to DD to ease the strain on me and make life easier when we venture out ...
Just wondering what other peoples experiences are of this . DH gave her a first bottle last night (which she guzzled down quickly) but she still wanted to go to the breast after even though she had had over 3oz. I have also a bit apprehensive about bottle feeding her myself in case she gets confused and will not take it from me etc.........................AM I JUST BEEN OVERCAUTIOUS HERE ....Advice please !

Being tied to the sofa is a part of breastfeeding in the early days whether it feels like a guilty pleasure or a frustration. But this normally eases up by 6 wks.

Try to make the best of it. I read fat books which otherwise I would not have found the time to read.

Lots of babies will drink from a bottle and want more. They could be wanting the,suckling cuddles and warmth rather than the milk. It also takes about 20 mins for the brain to tell the body that it is full so if a baby guzzles a bottle it may not yet know that he is full.

A baby carried in a sling after she comes off the breast on her own may also be satisfied with the warmth and cuddles. And you can feel less tied to sitting in one place.

Given that you've got all the hassle of expressing, and she will inevitably still want to suck anyway even when her hunger's satisfied, giving a bottle often doesn't actually result in any easing of the strain on you. Breastfeeding does just sometimes mean being tied to the sofa. I found a Lovefilm subscription invaluable.

As far as going out is concerned, I'd just take her out with you in the evenings now - while she's cluster-feeding it'll be the easiest way to go.

It does ease off (though IMO by about 12 weeks when the evening cluster-feeding tails off and they start sleeping a bit more in the evenings.

The other issue with expressing is its not as effective as actusl feeding, so you may (I do) struggle to express enough for a whole feed in one go, and this is exacerbated by the speed they can drink from a bottle and the fullness point made above. Expressing also takes time... More sofa sitting! For me it's useful when I want to go out without babe, but I can't face doing it more often because in the time it takes to express half a feed (10 mins each side), I could do a whole feed directly. That said its all personal choice!

I agree expressing won't really free you up as the pumping takes as long as feeding and baby is bound to want boob after anyway for comfort. I got addicted to mn at that point, station yourself in front of the telly, laptop, iPad or kindle and enjoy the sofa, I loved that stage, I miss it now I'm literally running around after a toddler all day. But it might be worth the effort if you want to go out and leave baby with dp

Also if you take the baby out, expressing is more faff. You have to keep the milk cool then warm it before feeding. Just breastfeeding I'd much easier and unless you had the most textbook of easy births you should be spending most of your time resting on the sofa at 3 Weeks.

Just enjoy the cuddles for now, they are onto other foods before you know.