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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Sooooooo chuffed, was taught how to hand express yesterday and.....

16 replies

TrinityRhino · 15/02/2007 21:25

was just letting it dribble inot a tissue whilst learning so had no ideaa how much I was getting but was more bothered about trying to get the technique
well curiosity got the better of me tonight and I did it into one if dd2's bottles

first of all I was getting it dribbling(was well chuffed by that) and got 2 oz with not too much effort. the thing I have alwasy been worried about though is not being able to get my letdown to kick in, well once I got 2 oz I was thinking"hmm, can't seem to get it to letdown;, maybe I'll stop for tonight and try again tommorow, don't want to get frustrated wiht it, it won't help"

well just as I thought that it started to letdown, ended up getting another 2oz in less than haof the time of thethird. sooooo chuffed that I managed to kick off my letdown withhand expressing, I tried a hand pump with dd1 and could never get it to letdown so pretty much gave up and then an electric wiht dd2 and very occasionally got a letdown but it sounded liek an industrial milking machine and made my boos sore so that didn't really take off. was never taught about hand expressing till now and so chuffed that I have managed a letdown, now tit's just practise and some nice sace needed in the freezer

sorry to ramble on but soooo pleased

at least anyone with insomnia will be asleep by now

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 15/02/2007 21:31

Trinity I can't follow half your post and I like the typo of "now tit's just practise"

but am I right in thinking that you have had that baby????

Original poster
TrinityRhino · 15/02/2007 21:35

hi franny

whoops terrible typing sorry

yep, we had another little girl, dd3, she was 7lb 15oz and has no name yet we are calling her Gecko for now

basically I have just managed to hand express 4oz and it's only my second try and I managed to activate my letdown reflex and I am over the moon

How are you doing??

OP posts:
moondog · 15/02/2007 21:35

Brilliant
My m/w said she could fill a bottle in about 5 mins.
Fantastic!!!
I was too freaked to try,but having milked goats and cows,know it would be so much quicker than using a pump.

Original poster
TrinityRhino · 15/02/2007 21:36

goodness, I really must preveiw before I post or at least skim it, I'd be surprised if anyone can understand my first post. must have been all the excitement....well that and the fact that I can't type very well at the best of times

OP posts:
Original poster
TrinityRhino · 15/02/2007 21:38

need some other people to share my joy

OP posts:
Original poster
TrinityRhino · 15/02/2007 21:42

cough cough

OP posts:
shonaspurtle · 15/02/2007 21:42

TR - have you any tips for getting the milk to go into the container if that doesn't sound too odd?

I was also impressed at how easy hand expressing was when I got the nack, and much less painful than the pump, but it seems to go everywhere..

lulumama · 15/02/2007 21:42

happy dance of joy for trinity , mother of gecko!

Original poster
TrinityRhino · 15/02/2007 21:46

thanks lulu

shona, I know exactly what you mean, I did have alittle trouble with that and really the only way I could do it was to be sitting on the couch and then leaning right over with my legs open so that the I was holding the container low down between my legs and then the milk came out and dripped right off the breast(cause I was leant right forward) rather than dribbling down the nipple and boob and not going in the container

impossible to explain, sorry

OP posts:
moondog · 15/02/2007 21:47

Try a funnel in the top of the bottle?

FrannyandZooey · 15/02/2007 21:49

Oh Trinity congratulations! I am sorry I missed hearing about it. How old is she? You have to give her a name

harpsichordcarrier · 15/02/2007 21:51

cooooooooool trinity.
hand expressing can be very effective I've heard
did someone show you?

Original poster
TrinityRhino · 15/02/2007 22:26

franny- she is 8 days today

harpsichord- my friend is an NCT breastfeeding counsellor so she taught me yesterday

not introducing a bottle of EBM yet but going to freeze some for another time
thought it would be good bto practise

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 16/02/2007 08:46

I am very happy for you, and the expressing sounds wonderful. I never ever managed it myself - always felt bizarrely squeamish about it I would definitely like to get the hang of it if I was breastfeeding again.

workstostaysane · 16/02/2007 13:49

ooooohhh. soo excited to find this thread. my cousin is still producing breast milk. her youngest child is now 13 (..ok she's going to see a doctor about it..) anyway i was so fascinated by that that i asked her to show me and she did, by hand expressing. i tried myself later on and was sooo thrilled when i could do it. i don't hand express too often cos i can't get the let down to work so i'm pretty slow. not sure how you get yours going trinity.. but in a warm bath i sometimes have a go just cos i feel like some kind of total earth mama and its also less painful than using the hand pump.
am i a total fruitcake?

JillyBeansNW · 16/02/2007 14:01

Hey trinity - am happy for you. Well done. I might give it a go too (have to go back to work in april )

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