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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Help me understand when/how to start expressing!

17 replies

BelissimaLol · 08/08/2013 10:30

I'm sure there have been many threads about this but I keep getting conflicting advice and am more confused each day!
My dd is 12 days old today and bf us going really well. She's already over her birth weight and I have no latching issues either. But she feeds the whole time which makes it impossible for me to leave the house!
So I want to express. I have all the gear, just need to start!
My questions are:

when can I start?
how much should I aim to express daily?
should I start by giving her one bottle a day and see if she takes it?
anything else I should consider or be aware of?

Thanks all

OP posts:

nostress · 08/08/2013 11:21

Hi, at the time the advice was 1 month but i started at 2weeks because another mother said it was better to get going.

The amount you express depends on how easy you find it and how much you produce. Early days i was happy with 1oz as every little bit helps! The most i ever produced was 4oz but i know others could get more. I'd hold back from using the bottle for a couple of weeks because some babies prefer it as its easier to suck on than breast.

My top tips for expressing are 1) only feed your baby using one breast for as long as you can until the other boob is full/firm (like overnight). 2) express from the full breast when your baby is latched on to the other as the let down aids the pumping. This can be very fiddly but you will soon get the hang of it. 3) be please with how little or much you get. You can always combine then in a bottle feed.

Also dont be afraid to breast feed in public its natural!

i expressed primarily because i wanted to go to my friends hen do when my son was 3months so it meant leaving him for 36 hours. After than though i used my milk in his weaning food etc.

Good luckx

McBaby · 08/08/2013 13:24

Not sure I totally agree with the advice above. Feeding from one side only until the otherwise is engorged could lead to reduced supply or mastitis.

You baby is very small and is only 12 days old and needs to feed lots to stimulate your supply and her tummy is very small. It really does get less time consuming and easier. I also found they slept more and fed less when you go out, but getting used to feeding out the house is essential.

if you feel you really need to express and bottle feed just be wary this could have an effect on your supply or cause nipple confusion. i would try expressing when you feel you have most milk usually this is on the morning.Then pick a time if day you regularly want her to have a bottle.

nostress · 09/08/2013 12:29

I just stated what worked for me! Breastfed both my children for 2.5 years, expressed from two weeks using the method above and never once had mastitis. Also bed shared and fed ds2 solely from the left breast overnight as this was our night position. I've always had small boobs never bigger than a c (more usually a b) when bf and never had any supply issues!

cornflakegirl · 09/08/2013 12:52

Congratulations on your dd and on getting bf sorted!

Why do you want to express? It really is a lot more faff than just taking the baby and your breasts out with you. Unless you mean you want to leave your DD with someone else?

Original poster

BelissimaLol · 09/08/2013 16:50

Thanks for the advice. I want to express mainly so as I can go back to exercising for an hour every evening and I would prefer if dh had a bottle of bm to feed her in case she is hungry!
I think I will wait another couple of weeks and see how I get on.

OP posts:

cornflakegirl · 10/08/2013 21:38

Your DD is two weeks old, and you want to get back to exercising? Are you superwoman?
If you only want to get out for an hour, it might just be easier to feed before you go and when you get back.
Waiting a couple of weeks before expressing sounds like an excellent plan! I too found it easier to express in the morning. As regards feeding the expressed milk to dd, just be aware that some babies won't take a bottle, and watch out for nipple confusion.

KeepTheFaithBaby · 10/08/2013 21:49

At such a young age, it sounds like your baby is feeding all the time to establish the supply. Be wary of expressing too early because you could end up with oversupply. Let your baby tell your body how much milk she needs for a couple of weeks.

I agree don't introduce a bottle too soon. 3 weeks at the earliest but maybe 4-6 weeks is better. Go for bottles that are meant to be like nipples (e.g. Tommy tippee closer to nature). My DD will only take a warmed bottle of EBM, not cold. Personally I get most off in the mornings too. I can now express one side whilst feeding DD the other but that took practice

Tips that helped me: make sure you're well hydrated before you start. Get comfortable. Put your feet up if you can. Have your baby nearby or have photo of them. I found the more I expressed the more I got off til I hit a ceiling (I usually get 3-4oz).

I do know what you mean - now DD is 17 weeks and for the last couple of weeks I've left DH with a bottle and gone running 3 times a week while he does her bath and bottle. It's great to get some time to myself and I'm finally getting fit again. It's also come in handy when I've had to leave her for appointments. All in good time though!

Nexus6 · 11/08/2013 01:46

I've found that massaging the breast before starting and then half way through really helps to produce more. 3oz is a good feed anyway so you that would be a maximum. Like other have said don't worry if you can do more than 1oz to begin with- I could only do that much at week two I'm now week four and I'm getting to 2/3oz.

Sunnysummer · 11/08/2013 02:06

It sounds a bit woo, but if you're having trouble getting much volume, I find that looking at pictures of DS (if he's not in the room) and/or visualising waterfalls etc really does help! Alternatively and slightly more sanely, I often express during a morning feed - for example, I let DS feed on left side, then when he switches to the right I pump the left side, then while I'm holding him on my shoulder to burp I pump the right. This guarantees that the expressing isn't harming his supply, and gets it all done efficiently.

Agree with pp that the first advice about intentionally getting engorged on one side is a bit , sounds like a recipe for mastitis, especially in the early days!

Original poster

BelissimaLol · 11/08/2013 14:22

Thanks ladies. I have not tried expensing yet, was just looking for a few pointers. I'm not superwoman lol but I have two stone I need to shift and I don't think bf will do the trick by itself!!! But I think you are right re supply so don't think I should start expressing just yet.
Does cluster feeding ever end? Cause at the moment we have times when she feeds every half hour and my tits are on fire at the end of that !!!!!

OP posts:

Original poster

BelissimaLol · 11/08/2013 14:22

Haha meant expressing not expensing

OP posts:

CreatureRetorts · 11/08/2013 14:31

Put aside any thoughts of weight loss for now. It's too early.

To be honest if you get out every day and do loads of walking eg for naps etc and eat healthily (not diet food but enough decent stuff), you will lose the weight. I think bf mums need more calories in the early months so be careful. Also I think you may hit a point where the tiredness catches you so take it easy.

I lost about 2 stone with my first in three months from all the walking etc I did as he didn't settle and fed a lot.

KeepTheFaithBaby · 11/08/2013 14:55

I'm sure I read most babies stop cluster feeding at 8 weeks. Mine has very gradually reduced as time goes by but still likes a long time on the boob in the evening!

McBaby · 11/08/2013 19:22

My LO cluster fed for 4 hours each evening for first couple if months. It just got less and less as she went to sleep earlier and earlier for the night.

Don't worry about weight loss eat well to keep your self and baby well and happy. I lost approx 2.5 stone over first 5 months of breastfeeding and I did eat a lot of cake!

NothingsLeft · 11/08/2013 20:07

Don't worry too much about the weight, it's still very early days. The weight does come off, especially if your BFing for most people at least. Before you know it you will be pounding the streets with your LO and it will drop off. You're still retaining a lot of fluid at this stage.

On the expressing front, I started early as I had no idea what I was doing and ended up with oversupply. I expressed for the milk bank and got some good advice from them...Express at the end of a feed, ideally in the morning as that's when you have the most milk.

Congrats on your LO

Newmum78 · 12/08/2013 23:05

Hi all, I have been reading this thread and am interested myself in stArting to express..my dd is almost 6 weeks old and I hav tried to express but just can't seem to get the time as when I start she is sure to kick off but I'm interested in doing it along with feeding her, I see some of the advise here..just need to be organised and hav stuff sterilised.. Dd takes from both sides..so just to be sure I feed her from one side and then switch and pump from that side and then pump again once she is finished.. Mite just try that .. ! Multi tasking !!

Sunnysummer · 13/08/2013 04:14

Newmum, that sounds right! You won't usually get enough milk for a whole feed (unless you are very lucky/unlucky with oversupply!), but it's easy to do, you won't end up starving your baby or stimulating oversupply, plus it's often good to store smaller amounts anyway, otherwise when you reheat later you can end up having to waste milk, which is very depressing indeed

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