feeding expressed breast milk - supply problem

[JRmumma]

Morning ladies.

I'm currently mixed feeding my 5 week old, but i am expressing the breast milk and feeding via a bottle due to baby not taking to the breast.

At first i was exclusively giving bm but gradually had to introduce formula as his appetite has increased and i wasn't able to express enough milk to keep up with the demand.

I was ok with giving half and half but the problem im having now is that as baby is awake for longer periods and demanding more attention, im struggling to find the time to express regularly. Aside from not being too happy about having to give more than 50% formula, as i might not have any breast milk at the time i need it, im worried that my milk will start to dry up if im only pumping about 3 times a day. I'm already finding that im able to go through the night without my breasts getting uncomfortably full, and because of baby's sleeping and eating pattern, im not finding time to express until about 9am.

Just wondering about other peoples experiences of expressing breast milk and how they found the time to do it without being chained to the house and not doing anything besides expressing everytime baby sleeps?

I'm also wondering how long those who express fed managed to keep it up? My goal is 3 months (wanted to ebf for 6 months but that wasn't meant to be) but at 5 weeks I cant see how i can possibly keep this up for another 7, as baby becomes more alert. Yesterday i found i had a hungry baby and not even a clean bottle as i had prioritised expressing over doing the steriliser first and i ran out of time.

Its so hard im half thinking of solely ffing from now on but really want my baby to half breast milk, even if its only for a few months.

Sorry JR haven't got any experience, just wondered if you are getting any RL help? Is there a Bfing group near to you? Have you rung one of the Bfing Helplines?

Expressing is difficult - it's better to feed directly, if that could be an option. What happened when you tried to feed your baby directly? Have you tried recently? If you could gently lure him back to the breast, that could make your life a lot easier.

If you want to keep expressing, then I would recommend expressing more often, if you can, and getting a double pump if at all possible. Oh, and expressing at night, if you can, and considering domperidone.

When i tried to feed baby in the hospital, i thought all was going well as he was latching on and getting colostrum, but he wasn't and ended up in special care with dangerously low blood sugar.

I started expressing in the hospital straight away and hr was fed this along with formula and a glucose drip. He wasn't allowed home until he had fed x amount over a 24hr period and so this was done through bottles so it could be measured. Since ive been home i have tried to breast feed quite a few times but he just wont. At first i was so worried about making sure he was getting enough that i carried on with bottles for peace of mind and so i think maybe he is too used to the bottle and not interested in the breast. I also suspect a bit of tongue tie which im going to get the hv to check out tomorrow.

I know i need to express more regularly to maintain/increase supply but the problem is that i simply cant find the time. The easiest option would be to get him to bf obviously and i do want to, but it just hasn't worked out and the thought of adding 'trying to establish breastfeeding' to the list of things i need to do in a day makes me feel exhausted!

DS wouldn't latch at birth so I expressed exclusively for 6 weeks and expressed at every bottle feed. My supply did keep up with demand. After 6 weeks I found it too much of a bind, so you've done brilliantly!

It sounds like you may not be expressing enough. I know it's hard, but if you mirror his hunger, you'll keep producing milk at the right rate. It might be too early to not be expressing in the night.

Have you tried him again at the breast? He may yet be able to learn, but you may need face to face support for this. A good start might be the LLL or BfN helplines, or a breast feeding cafe/support group.

I used to try my ds on breast then express while bottle feeding. It was a nightmare and each round took about an hour and half cz he was so bad at feeding. Even expressing 8 times a day I could only supply about half his milk and ended up weaning him at 4/5 months as hv offered no support. It really depressed me at the time but going to just ff meant I had more time to spend playing with him instead of it all feeling like a chore.
Do whatever feels right for you, it doesn't change what kind of mum you are