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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Just can't get enough...ebm

52 replies

curiousorange · 14/06/2006 23:01

Hi, I'm new to this site, hope someone can share some wisdom. I'm going back to work full-time when my dd is 6m old. I want to carry on bfing as long and as much as possible. I've been using a medela hand pump and getting 2-3 oz a time only, I think I need an electric double pump, but which one? Has anyone tried the whisper wear pump? Thanks

OP posts:
NappiesGalore · 24/06/2006 10:35

oh, the NCT one could be double or single and had a really lovely motion to it, IYSWIM. was very smooth and quiet. i really enjoyed using it!(im a wierdo)

WriggleJiggle · 24/06/2006 19:19

I find it really helps if I express at the same time each day. Have tried and tried to use the Lactaline, but just can't get the milk flowing. Using a manual pump is easy and very quick though.

mears · 24/06/2006 19:33

Please remember when you are expressing, you do not need to express a whole feed at once. I expressed to donate milk to a SCBU, so I just expressed off a couple of ounces frequently throughout the day. managed to do that and express for DD when I went back to work. I froze the milk in 4 and 6 oz batched mainly. I kep a sterile bottle in the fridge and froze it after 48 hours max. Depeded how quickly I filled it up. I also hand expressed without any kind of pump. Much quicker for me and produced more milk.
Since it will be another couple of months before you are back at work curiouorange, you have got plenty of time to stockpile. When you are at work you will be able to express and replace what has been used.

JennT · 25/06/2006 17:03

I am returning to work in 6 weeks (when dd is 28 weeks) and have just had my discussion with HR. One of my concerns was storing my milk at work. The result, and I can't believe I didn't even think about this myself, is they are buying me a tiny little lager fridge. Nobody else will need to use it and should be big enough to store my milk on a daily basis. Am concerned about the paltry volume I am expressing when not feeding at the same time though.

JellyNump · 25/06/2006 22:06

I had the medela electric pump and have been able to get out around 9+ oz with that. I've always had quite a lot of milk but its still not as good as dd was at getting the milk out, I still didn't feel completely empty. It wasn't a double pump, its singular.

mears · 25/06/2006 22:11

JennT - it doesn't matter how much you get. If you only get small amounts just express more frequently. Add all the paltry amounts together and you will be surprised how quickly they mount up. You will get more when you are at work because you will have totally missed feeds.
Are you double pumping? If not, make sure that when you are expressing you switch breasts when the milk flow slows rather than sitting there pumping away for 10 minutes getting nothing. Switching speeds up expressing and you get more. Have mentioned before that hand expressing, without a pump, can get more milk out faster.

JennT · 25/06/2006 23:11

Thanks Mears. Will try the switching breasts mid "expression". Need to try hand expressing too, as was taught at my local breastfeeding network group. Any tips on multiple expressing sessions during a day. Would scalding the breast pump in kettle water suffice or do I have to start sterilising at work?

hunkermunker · 25/06/2006 23:15

Mears, thank you - you've reminded me to contact the milk bank re donating milk and I've just emailed them.

hunkermunker · 25/06/2006 23:16

JennT - I never sterilised my pump at work, just kept it in its coolbag and used it the next time.

hunkermunker · 25/06/2006 23:16

Put whole coolbag in fridge too.

JennT · 25/06/2006 23:23

I never understood why stuff stays sterile for 3 hours in the steriliser, but OK for 24 hours once you've assembled your pump with your hands and attached the travelling stuff. What's the difference. Also why do you have to use tweezers to pull a teet through a ring, but you are OK using your hands with the breast pump?

hunkermunker · 25/06/2006 23:24

Because breastmilk's magical, JennT

mears · 25/06/2006 23:31

JennT - only takes 20 minutes to sterilise pump in milton. No time at all needed for sterilising when hand expressing. To be honest, when you are expressing for your own baby, a clean breastpump, washed in soap and water will be fine. I used to just express any time I had spare or if I felt breasts quite full. Don't worry if you express then baby wakes for a feed - you will still have plenty of milk in there.
Expressing at work I just did when I was full, mainly because I had to fit it in meal breaks. Things have moved on a lot now though. I just used to express twice and usually got a bottle full each time (6-7oz)

JennT · 25/06/2006 23:32

Thats true Hunkermunker. Far superior to the revolting poison I tested on my dd tonight. She was having NONE of it.

mears · 25/06/2006 23:32

Hi Hunker - forgot to say hello. Hope you enjoy expressing for donation. Gave me a bit of a kick.

hunkermunker · 25/06/2006 23:34

When you hand expressed, Mears, did you save the milk for your baby? What did you express into? I've done a bit of it, but I find the Isis is more convenient and works very well for me, so I haven't pursued it.

JennT · 25/06/2006 23:34

6-7oz! Am very jealous. I once got 5 oz when I was engorged, as dd missed a night feed.

hunkermunker · 25/06/2006 23:35

I have pints in the freezer - I express if I feel a bit full and I wanted to get a head start in case I needed to go back to work because I was running to keep up when I went back with DS1 and it was a horrible experience. Do you know if they'll take some of the stuff I've already expressed?

JennT · 25/06/2006 23:37

I was told at breastfeeding network (tit club) that you could express into a clean jug and as long as it was stored in a sterile bottle you were fine, so I suppose that has just answered my own question about sterilising the pump

mears · 25/06/2006 23:37

For my baby I expressed directly into wide necked bottle. I would add milk to it (once it was cold in fridge) and freeze it once I had 4 or 6 oz. For donation milk I expressed directly into the sterile EBM bottles they supplied me with. They were only 4 oz size. Depended how much milk I needed for DD whether I expressed for her or not. She only got EBM when I was at work. I tended to express at work and replace what she used. I expressed more for donation. 20 litres in total

mears · 25/06/2006 23:39

I think they will want new stuff Hunker, not sure. Neonatal midwife fortnightly came to house with new bottles and collected frozen EBM, however much I had.

mears · 25/06/2006 23:40

JennT - can't recommend hand expressing enough. Once you have the knack it is so much quicker and you get more milk.

JennT · 26/06/2006 11:01

Got 2oz from one breast this morning when hand expressing, then another 3 withthe isis pump. Was feeding at same time though and won't have that luxury when at work. Curiousorange have you tried hand expressing?

squidgeymiller · 26/06/2006 22:46

Sorry to crash but having worries about DD getting enough milk - she was seeming to feed every hour during the day but was then sleeping 7-8 hours at night, waking for a feed and then sleeping for another 3-4 hours, but the last couple of days has slept more during the day and fed less.
I'm going to a wedding in a couple of weeks so have started expressing and giving her an ebm bottle 1ce a day to get her used to the idea (she's 6 weeks old).

My problem is that when I express I get a max of 3 oz per session (both boobs). If I give her 2-3 oz by the bottle she doesn't seem satisfied and cries for more so I end up having to BF her anyway. If I give her a bigger bottle by expressing 2ce into 1 bottle, she takes all of it (most so far 4.5oz) and would take more if there was any (but doesn't cry for more) but then can't sleep until she's got rid of quite a lot of it by throwing up.

I'm using an Isis Avent pump and am not sure if I'm getting less by pumping than she will get by BF, but then why is she throwing up? Also, is the reason that she's feeding so frequently that she's not getting enough milk in one feed? She usually takes 10-15 min feeds at least but sometimes feeds for up to 45 mins. My mum says that maybe she's exhausted after 10-15 mins and although she hasn't got enough falls asleep, only to wake up hungry an hour later. Do I need to up my production and if so, how do I go about that if she falls asleep at the breast (I've tried keeping her awake but when she wants to sleep, there's no waking her!)???

I'm a bit lost (as you can probably tell ) as this is my first baby and she's only 6 weeks old. I really want to continue BF but am worried about all of the above (I'm also pretty ashamed at my paltry 3oz when some of you are getting 14oz!!!).

HELP!

hunkermunker · 26/06/2006 22:52

Hey, Squidgeymiller.

Your body's very new to breastfeeding and a breast pump won't be as effective as your baby at taking milk.

Also, your baby is six weeks old, which is classic growth spurt time. She's making sure there's enough milk there for when she's bigger by asking to be fed more often. So feed her more often. Trust your body - it kept her safe and nourished when you were pregnant and if you don't interfere by giving formula or timing feeds you will continue to nourish her yourself.

Growth spurts are hard work though. If you can, take her to bed for the day, feed her every time she squeaks and try to sleep when she does.

When you say you're going to a wedding - how long are you leaving her for and is there no chance she can come with you?

You're doing great though - the first six weeks are the hardest and you're well and truly on the way to the easy bit now, I promise.