Anyone else expressing?

[elliejjtiny]

I'm currently exclusively expressing for my 9 week old baby. I'm managing fine with it at the moment but getting a lot of negative comments that I'll never be able to keep it up and also criticism for not breastfeeding directly. He is quite a sleepy baby due to his low muscle tone and I get a lot of comments that it's because he is bottle fed which is total rubbish IMO. I know some formula fed babies sleep longer between feeds but that's because formula takes longer to digest, nothing to do with the bottle.

Just wondering if anyone else managed exclusively expressing long term?

Hi OP.
I expressed for 8 months... bit extreme but DS was destroying me and by 6 weeks was taking on so much blood (sorry, tmi perhaps) that breastfeeding wasn't good for either of us

I borrowed a great industrial pump from the nhs and had a small portable medela one. I got into a great routine which I can bore you with in a pm and although I felt rather eccentric it wasn't that hard after a while...and definitely without doubt worth it cos I could give DS breast milk.

Also DS did sleep longer at night (12 hours from.7 weeks) because he was getting a full bottle and not falling asleep on the boob without getting a proper fill.

Good luck...!

I think if you have gone 9 weeks you've done well!

And guessing if you were to have any probs you already would have?

Any negative comments either nod and smile or tell them to go jump...

I only managed to express for 6 weeks. You're doing brilliantly.

Just smile and nod

I managed to exclusively express for my dd for 9 months. It worked so well for us, that I managed to accumulate 3 months extra for my chest freezer, & fed dd until she was 12 months. I rented a hospital grade double pump for use at home & used a smaller electric one for when out of the house (and in the car!) I had a schedule that I stuck to religiously and, as the months went on, managed to cut pumping sessions without affecting my supply at all. For info, my dd went on a nursing strike (I think) at about 6 weeks and just would not bf any longer, despite my best efforts. Most people thought i was crazy, but I did what I thought was best. It can be tough in the early weeks, when your trying to establish your supply, but it does get easier. Feel free to pm me if you'd like any advice. The forum below was a complete lifesaver for me & has a load of great tips if you decide to continue:

www.ivillage.com/forums/forum/18045#exclusively-pumping-faqs

Thanks everyone. Glad I'm not the only one doing this. No problems so far although we're going on holiday on Saturday and I'm a bit nervous about how I'm going to manage pumping and sterilizing on the journey. I breastfed my other 3 children so this is all new to me.

Firstly - well done! Exclusively expressing is hard-going. I managed 12 weeks when my milk significantly decreased in volume. I did everything I could do stimulate it but was only expressing 2oz at a time (whereas before I could easily take 6oz each time) and it simply wasn't enough for her. A friend of mine expressed exclusively for 12 months so it can be done! As for your holiday - I traveled to the South of France last month and expressed throughout the journey - I found myself expressing in the passenger seat of the car, on a ferry . . . anywhere and everywhere really!

Another one who did it for seven months with each of my children! Neither of mine would latch despite midwife help so I went down expressing route. I also got many negative comments including from professionals, but worked for us! You end up in a good routine, can express when suits you, you can stock up, DH gets to help so there are many many benefits! Ignore the doubters it was the best thing we did and would be doing again in the unlikely event we have third! (And I did it all with a single Avent electric pump (came with battery pack for when out and about!)

Can i delurk and hope i will get some positive stories.

I have an 8 day old baby and have been expressing since day 3, as I couldn't take the pain, bleeding and general feeling miserable . My boobs are massive and when my milk came in it was impossible to even handle them to feed as i was in absolute agony and they were brick solid and my baby couldn't feed enough to sort it. The last feed was me leaning over him on my bed howling and crying in pain, where i thought enoughs enough and I've expressed since then.

I am getting mixed responses about it, hv sorting out an electric pump for me, and I really hope I can continue it.

Yellow - good luck! It can be done although i suspect everyones supply is different and this will be the case with expressing as normal breast feeding. My only real advice would be:
=ignore those who say it can't be done
=you do need an electric pump
= when you express go from side to side - ie express from one side, when that reduces, go to other side, when that slows, go back to the other side etc etc for a few times
=express on a regular basis, probably every few hours at least for the first three weeks or so until supply settles down. Remember that you are regulating your supply instead of baby in many respects so try and repplicate babys feeding schedule.
=try to get ahead of yourself - ie keep expressing so you can get at least a couple of feeds ahead of baby - so always a bottle ready in fridge = if you are happy to take manual pump out then travelling is fine, otherwise you do need to be a bit careful if going away - the manual pump can at least take some pressure off of you do need to.

Thanks Danny
Lots of good advice, I will prove the doubters wrong, I bought a tommy tippe electric pump and had to return it as it was useless, but getting an NHS one next week, so will keep hand expressing till then.
Baby was weighed today and after losing 9% birth weight is only 4 oz of it and only 9 days old, so I must be doing something right:

My DD is just over three weeks old and having trouble latching. So I'm exclusively expressing too. It is hard work and I've had many people tell me it's unsustainable but I'm determined to give it a go if it means that my baby can have my breast milk.

We are working with a lactation consultant and osteopath in the meantime to get her to latch and have had some success using a nipple shield.

I have myself in a routine of sorts - I express after every feed. I'm about two feeds ahead at the moment which is a relief as baby's appetite is certainly increasing!

Can I ask what people used to feed their babies the expressed milk? At the moment I am finger feeding with a syringe but each feed is taking about an hour so I'm tempted to move onto bottles. I've heard that the breastflow bottles are a good option.

I used a baby beak at first but I'm using Avent and tommy tippee bottles now,As doubtful I will get back to actual breast feeding.