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Infant feeding

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

when to start expressing and how

3 replies

hettie · 22/03/2007 12:01

I?m looking for some advice on expressing breast milk for the odd expressed bottle feed (probably once a week when I want a night off). LO is 4 weeks old and feeds every 3-4 hours exclusively breast fed from birth. He has surgery on day 2 and so I had to hand express and then use a pump to keep colostrum going and encourage the milk to come in (he was on a drip for 3 days and didn?t get to the breast until day 5). So I know I can express. My question is this, when (as in time of day before after or during a feed) should I try expressing again. He tends to feed off both breasts and certainly drains the first one and sometimes the second- so not sure if I would have any milk left to express after a feed. Might I just have to give it a whirl and hopefully supply will kick in to the new expressing demand? Any hints and tips grateful received. Want to give it a whirl if I can, but certainly don?t want to upset supply (or him). And would 5 weeks be an appropriate time to try him on a bottle (of ebm of course)?

OP posts:
yogimum · 22/03/2007 14:58

I expressed at several times of the day and found I had the most milk in the morning. I sometimes had to have baby on one breast and express on the other (other pair of hands needed) to stimulate the letdown reflex. my son is now 8 months and still won't take a bottle from me and I can't even be in the same room. It also took a long time for him to even take a bottle. It is handy though as daddy wanted to feed him himself. (and mummy can go shopping)

hettie · 22/03/2007 20:15

ok cool- so i guess i'll just have to experiment to see what works....

OP posts:
moondog · 22/03/2007 20:17

Morning best.
Feed off one,express off the other.
Don't worry about not having enough-boobs will adjust ot make more if need be.
Start in the next week-the longer you leave it,the less likely the babe is to take the bottle.

If you do it fairly regulalry (maybe onve every other day?) you can build up a nice little supply for the freezer.

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