Expressing Breast Milk Questions

[BabiesEverywhere]

My mum is coming to stay today with us for a week and help me out as my DH is going back to work.

She has offered to babysit DD so my DH & I can go out one evening this week...so I am now trying out my breast pump so I can leave milk for my DD.

Q1. I had two goes yesterday with the pump and I was able to manually pump 2 oz and then 3 oz from one breast and I had DD feeding off the other breast. Is this about right amount to be aiming for ?

Q2. How much milk will DD need for one feed in oz's...she is three weeks old and just over 9lbs in weight ?

Q3. How many times can I pump in a day and will this affect my milk supply ?

Thanks

Q1 - sounds like a good amount to me, although I don't know what the formula equivalent amount would be. I have a very hungry DS who at 11 weeks/12 lbs took 3oz at his first expressed feed, and it seemed to be enough for him. If the worst came to the worst (and I'm sure it wouldn't...) 5oz would certainly be enough to keep your baby going until you came home with DH!

Q3 - It will increase your milk supply although personally I always try to express shortly after a feed, because I'm nervous about being 'empty' for the next feed.
I'm sure others will have more specific advice...

BEW,

The more you pump, the more milk you will have! So the only danger here is to have too much! and be a bit engorged the next day...

I use to pump twice to have a back up in the freezer and it was fine!

The amount you got seem just right!

5oz should be more than enough! Don't worry about it!

HAve fun!

-I always expressed from one boob whilst feeding from the other (as you have) and found it the most successful way, workeed best for me doing it at middle of the night feed as soeemed to have a lot of milk then and guess I was relaxed. Also made sense to me as was sitting there anyway!Will just increase your milk supply

• That sounds like plenty (I exressed gallons the first time I left DS at 6 weeks and had about 5 little bottle lined up in the fridge - my Mum only used 1 of them!)Better to leave 3 bottles with 2 ozn rather than all of it, as cannot re-heat

good advice from everyone.
i am on the breast pump now as my baby has slept late!
pumping whilst feeding although a pita is an efficient way of getting expressed milk as the baby initiates a good let-down. 2-3 oz off one boob is good! i pump a lot to ensure i have a good supply ...enjoy your night out and well done babies!

BEW 3 oz per feed is fine. It takes about an hour for your milk to replenish. The best time to express is usually after you had some rest and that is usually early morning.

I used to express in the morning, after the first feed, I could get loads but this was much later, dd was about 3 months iirc so I was probably producing more anyway. If you express a couple of oz a day and freeze it, then your Mum can defrost as much as she needs and she will have a back up supply if she needs it too.

It's a great idea for your mum to do the first bottle feed while you aren't there, your dd is far more likely to accept a bottle from someone who isn't you and if you aren't there.

Have you thought about what bottles/teats you will use? We used the Avent flat teats, they fit most bottles with wide necks.

Great news last night we successfully fed DD with the Avent bottle & teats which came with the pump and my 5oz of pumped milk.

Really wish I had read this thread first as DD only drank 2oz and we had to throw the rest away

I pumped another 4 oz last night and I will be storing/freezing this in 2oz amounts as suggested on the thread.

My DH was so pleased to be able to be able to bottle feed his daughter...he was so proud of himsef...awww

woohooooo!

well done BE's dd

so glad you won't be having the trouble that we did