Expressing - how much do i need?

[Sparrowlegs248]

For an ebf 12wks old boy? Just for one feed.

Absolutely no way of guessing, sorry Notta. It's highly likely he takes a different amount at every feed, anyway. You can't calculate how much EBM is needed based on age/weight the way you can with formula.

Just express as much as you can, see how much of it he'll take, repeat for a few feeds, then work out an average maybe?

I found this useful as a rough guide: kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

Thank you. I don't think I Will be able to manage it tbh. Of course I have no idea how much he takes but I can't express often and don't get much when i do. I suppose i could save it up in the freezer.

Does it separate in the fridge?

My electric hospital grade double pump was the only way I was able to express. 'Twas my best friend when I went back to work full time with both DSs. It does separate in the fridge, but nothing a good shake can't rectify.

Yes it does separate in the fridge justlike normal door stop milk will. Don't shake it though your just supposed to gently agitate to mix it back up. warming it in a jug of hot water helps it remix. Never microwave or you kill off the live components in the breastmilk.

It separates but you can just give it a swirl and it will mix together again :)

I started off crap at pumping but when I started pumping once a day, 10 mins each side every evening, I got 3-4 oz a session and could build up a freezer stash which we're using now I've stopped BFing. That's not loads, some women can get like 7 oz from one boob, but the first few times I tried to pump I couldn't even get a teaspoon full. So maybe persevere and you'll be able to get more :)

Thanks all. The problem is i rarely have that very full boob feeling. I got 1.5oz when I did from one boob. Although the time before that I got a dribble so guess its an improvement. Cannot imagine getting 4oz let alone 7!!

I know its impossible to say but as a guess how much would you be happy to leave him with for say 3 - 4 hours? And can he have the same bottle several times? (assuming he takes a bottle......) as in if there is a full bottle and he leaves half can he have it again later on that day?

'Full boob feeling' means nothing, OP, so don't use that as a gauge as to how much your DS is taking or how much you're able to express. BM is stored in the ducts of the breast but it is also converted directly from the blood stream. 'Breasts are factories not warehouses' is one of the best bits of advice I've seen on here. Just express wherever and whenever you can and stock up.

Yes, you can feed from the same bottle at a later time as there are antibacterial properties in BM that take care of any 'backwash' that might get from your baby's mouth into the bottle. It also makes EBM resilient to being left out of the fridge. It is safe for eight hours without refrigeration - evidence on kellymom indicates 12 hours is also fine.

I'm dubious about the 'swirl don't shake' suggestion that I've only seen on MN. No amount of swirling get some EBM chunks off the side of a bottle and I'd have thought you'd lose more nutrients by not getting those than any supposed effect shaking has on the properties of the milk. Both of my very strapping DSs had shaken milk and they are offensively healthy. I swirled for a time with my PFB but got fed up, and have happily shaken exclusively with poor neglected DS2

Oh...I've just noticed 'assuming he takes a bottle'. Have you not tried before now? That could be a showstopper, I'm afraid...

I think my DD at that age was taking 5oz in a bottle.

If you are worried about how much he will take and wasting it I would make 3oz bottles and he can have 2 little ones instead of 1 big one.

I find the best time to express is first thing in the morning. If I feed DD from one boob and express from the other I can easily get 5oz, sometimes 7oz. If I try at night I'm lucky if I can get 2oz from both sides.

I had no idea at the shaking/swirling thing. Have just tried him.with the bottle and small amount of bm to see if he would take it. He did. Will have another go tomorrow.

Do you think I've left it a bit late for starting elpheba?
He seemed to not have such a good seal on the teat as he does on my nipple though so concerned re him taking in more air.

Well, if he's taken a bottle, you obviously haven't left it too late. You'll just need to try and give him one every day, I'd say, to keep him used to them (even then, he might still decide one day that he won't have a bar of them any more).

DS1 was a staunch bottle-refuser, so it was EBM in sippy cups at nursery when I went back to work. DS2 would take bottles, but I also introduced sippy cups when he was four months old so he transitioned entirely and painlessly to just cups when he was 10 months old.

Is it ok to give a partial feed from a bottle then finish with bf? Don't think i can express a full feed just yet.

I want DH to start giving him a bottle and also grandparents. Actually I don't want anyone else to feed him but seems the sensible thing to do.

My 3-month old takes 4-5 oz expressed per feed.

Kellymom has a calculator where you can put in number of feeds per 24 hours and it'll give you an estimation of how much your baby might take. It also says that the volume of feed for a breastfed baby stays pretty much the same up till 6 months which is bizarre however my DS is proof of this!

I am currently combination feeding with BF 60% and formula 40%. DS refused to latch at 12 weeks and I'm still trying to pump as much as I can at 21 weeks. Try pumping in the morning and at the same time everyday.

Oh and the average volume is approx 90ml/3oz (kellymom)

Thanks all. Livvy I have to return to work at 9 months and I know its 6 months away but I want to know he will take a bottle happily from someone else. Also. he's a frequent feeder so if I want a GP to look after him for even an hour I will need to leave a bottle with him just in case.

I returned to work FT with DS1 when he was 8mo, and he wasn't taking a bottle, and only sips from a sippy cup - nothing that could be considered a full feed. Nursery just mixed EBM into his food and gave him extra yoghurts. I was therefore the only person who ever gave him milk feeds and he was/is absolutely fine. Therefore with DS2, his acceptance of full feeds from a bottle was simply a nice surprise, but I wasn't in the least concerned about it being an imperative. I almost wish he hadn't because expressing two 8oz feeds per day at work for him was a bit of a ball ache.

I was stressed as hell about DS1 refusing to feed from anyone else but, when it turned out to be a complete non-issue, revelled in being DS2's only feed source. It's what babies are biologically designed to do - feed only from mum, but it lasts such a terribly, terribly short period of time. Enjoy it while you can