Expressing when back at work

[RichmondWomble]

Advice needed please. At the end of this month I will be going back to work (for just one month). DS will be 7 weeks old then. Desperate to continue BFing. Worried about how to manage it

1. How much do I need to express for each day (I will be out 7.45am til 6pm, 6 days a week)
2. She seems happy going breast - bottle - breast, but are there likely to be problems? Should I use a particular teat?
3. How soon can I start expressing and stocking the freezer? DS 3 weeks old at present.
4. If you freeze milk, can you freeze it in normal food bags? Thanks for any advice you can give

By no means an expert but:

1. quantity hard to predict - but you will be out for quite a long time, so could need quite a lot. Will you be able to express at work? My main concern would be keeping your supply going - if your body thinks you're not feeding for long periods then it will start to make less milk.

2. if you continue to move between breast & bottle that should be fine. Problems seem to come when (like me) you try a bottle a couple of times, it goes fine so you stop - and then, when it matters, they behave like they've never seen one before. Teat type shouldn't matter - whatever he's happy with.

3. You can keep ebm for a month in the freezer, so timing-wise you could start soon. However I'd be concerned about expressing much before bf is fully established, which it is unlikely to be at 3 weeks. Have you had the 3 weeks growth spurt yet? Feeding really frequently to get your supply up?

4. You should freeze milk in a sterile container. You can buy specific bags (Avent or Lansinoh def make them) which are already sterile and have a way of sealing. If you are expressing bit by bit you can add to a bottle in the fridge over one day, and then decant to a bag for the freezer.

Good luck! I'm sure others will add plenty more advice.

I exclusively expressed for my dd for a year. Until she was around 3-4 mths, I was expressing between 5-7 times a day (first thing, 9.30, lunchtime, 2, 5, 7pm & 9pm generally)

Re how quickly you can express, I would advice from others. My dd didn't latch on, and so unless I formula fed I didn't have any other option but to establish my supply by expressing. I was fortunate that by 6 weeks my dd was sleeping through. The bf experts I saw suggested that I express once in the middle of the night as that is when the hormone levels are the highest - but I'm sure tiktok or some other more knowledgeable people will be about.
My advice - have a look on www.kellymom.com EBM can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months, and 6 months in a chest freezer. Also www. expressingyourmums.co.uk is good too.
Get yourself a good double pump. Personally I'd recommend the Ameda Lactaline. If you're planning on pumping longterm, definitely buy it as it'll work out a lot cheaper than hiring one from the NCT. Cheapest place I think, last time I looked, to buy is the NCT(their postage was cheapest).

Good luck - and hope this helps!

I went back to work a month when my son was 14 weeks and I fink that I can express quite well. I use the Avent swing but I think if I were to buy another one I'd look at a double pump as you can then do both breasts at the same time.
Good luck

i use an ameda lactaline at work. v. reliable and v. good customer service care.

I would recommend establishing a pumping routine at the same time at night to build an extra feed and getting used to pump and how to pump. A week before hand. I used to pump an hr and a half after dd went to bed. This little routine eventually made me build up a stock of 60 oz of ebm.

pumping is a mental thing. if you sit and 'watch' the pump nothing seems to happen. zoning out or doing something else at the same time and you get a letdown sooner. (pumping and MNing did it for me). In time, for me letdown became easier.

Once you are at work, you will pump full feeds so letdown ought to be easier.

Don't worry too much about building up a stock in the freezer before you go back. Most days I worked on leaving what I pumped the previous day and it always seemed enough. Its hard to say how much you will need initially. You may find that your baby won't drink as much initially because they seem to just take enough to take away the hunger at first as they are expecting you to come back to feed them. In time, they build up to proper feeds. It took my dd a week to do this.

I used to buy storage bags but they were working out expensive in the long run. Boots has own brand narrow necked feeding bottles that easily hold six oz of milk and they fit the Ameda Lactaline pump so you can get some of those and use them.

ps: don't bother with the sterilizing malarky. hot soapy water and the antibac qualities of ebm is enough.

RW, just want to add a couple of points. Apparantly if you look at a photo of your baby then this can help let-down kick in. Also, when you've frozen some ebm, defrost it then see of your baby will take it. I've just discovered that freezing my milk makes it taste sour, & dd won't drink it. This happens with some women & there are threads about this. If this is the case, I was told to gently heat the milk in a pan until it starts to bubble then remove before it boils, then freeze it. This stops the milk changing taste once frozen.
Good luck.

I just wanted to say how good it will make you feel to do that for your baby. I've been expressing twice a day since I returned to work 3 days a week at the end of January - I book myself into a lockable meeting room for 30 mins morning and afternoon. Having thought it would be difficult to express in a strange environment, I was suprised to find that I can usually express 6oz + each time using an Avent ISIS hand pump, for which I bought a fantastic cooler travel bag on ebay (didn't like the idea of a noisy electric pump). I now have a massive amount in the freezer that I shall continue to give dd2 (now 10 mths) once I stop feeding completely, as unfortunately she'll only take it in cereal and the odd ounce from a cup (refuses the bottle completely).

Thanks everyone, feeling happier about the whole thing now, although still counting down the days til the dreaded return - thank goodness its only going to be for 1 month .