Getting anxious about expressing milk for Christmas visits - how and how much

[Jellybabie3]

I need to express milk for visits to family over xmas. My ds is currently 7 weeks old so 11 weeks by xmas. Two questions....

How much do i need to express per feed?

Secondly I'm worried how best to stock up. Ds has just fed and fallen asleep in carrier (i cant put him down). Ive just managed to express with him in it but only managed 1oz.

How best do i ensure i have enough? I will need enough for xmas day, boxing day and another.

I'm already stressing

WIll you be away from your baby over xmas?

Why express? - presumably you will be there too, so just feed him. The joy of bf is that you do not need to faff about with anything when you are travelling or visiting - you have the perfect food right there on your chest!

The problem with a baby so young is that you will need to express while you are away to make up for not feeding directly. Is it feeding in front of family you are worried about? Just excuse yourself and go to another room. I was happy feeding almost anywhere except the Christmas assortment of elderly uncles etc!

Hoping you aren't doing it to avoid other people's opinions op....

But to answer your question at that age i’d have needed 4-5 ounces per feed. It’ll be a nightmare managing frozen and defrosted milk, travelling with it etc. Honestly feeding yourself is going to be vastly easier if you can manage it.

I will be there yes. But dont fancy having to usher off and sit somewhere. We arent staying over night just days but feeding on demand means he feeds on off all the time. I bf in public but ironically am not feeling comfortable in front of my whole family and their children

I dont know why i cant get my head around it. My sister used to sit in another room but with ds i feel like i may never come out!

If this is alcohol related then I think it’s generally fine to have one or two drinks and still feed your baby. I always did
The amount of alcohol that passes is so incredibly minute.

Oh no i wont be drinking i dont think

Have you actually confirmed that he will take a bottle? If he's not had a bottle yet, I'll be amazed if he will.

Honestly, OP. Just feed in another room if you're not comfortable doing it in front of family. So much less faff than expressing!

Also feeding will be much less random at 11 weeks than at 7. Honestly. Even if you bring expressed milk you will still have to express while you are there if you miss more than one or two feeds to keep you supply consistent. So you’ll be excusing yourself to sit with a breast pump in another room anyway.

You may actually like the chance to escape and chill whilst feeding. Or you could look at feeding in front of children as a really valuable experience for them to see a baby being naturally fed. The case in point being shown my the fact that when I type “baby” my iPhone suggests a bottle- society norm for a baby is seen to be a bottle. So wouldn’t it be nice to help your nephews/nieces etc who are the parents of the future to see you breastfeed?
I dont know if you already use a vest under your top to feed- a basic camisole in a larger size can be pulled down over the boob so your body remains covered- if that makes sense.

He did take a bottle yes as i had to give formula top ups for a couple of weeks after birth as he lost weight. I have just expressed milk to try him again as its been 4 weeks now. If he doesnt take it then yes i have no choice

I mean this nicely OP, but get over it. Just feed the baby. Get some clothes for discreet breastfeeding if it makes you feel more comfortable. Sit in a quiet corner to breastfeed. But for goodness sake don’t stress about expressing milk and bottle feeding just out of embarrassment!

If your baby is a fussy feeder it can be awkward but if they are just feeding normally their head covers your boob anyway.

Yeah i use camis whilst out. Maybe i just need to brace my family first as such....i know i am being ridiculous btw just feels of in front of father in law, dad, bro etc

So you’ll be excusing yourself to sit with a breast pump in another room anyway.

And there's this. A DAMN sight noisier and more attention-grabbing than a feeding baby, assuming you're using an electric pump. The children in your family will all want to watch!

RIght. If you want to minimise feeding while visiting then make a plan. Park up near your relatives house. Feed baby in the car. Then go inside. This will buy you some extra time. When you want to leave then drive a bit and park up and feed the baby in the car again. So only one to two feeds while there depending on how long you stay.

And don’t tell anyone you’re off to feed the baby. Just get up and slip away somewhere.

Odd sorry

And in my experience children just think you are hugging the baby. They don’t even notice you are feeding.

What have you been doing until now, surely they’ve been to visit you and the baby at home?

I felt a bit awkward the first few times I breastfed DS in front of male relatives but I soon got over it. They usually politely avert their eyes, anyway!

No i was thinking i would express the days leading up to christmas. But this does mean expressing over xmas which is depressing. Im not gonna lie after weeks having to express to top up ds from weight loss (stressful birth) the machine itself turns my stomach from bad memories.

Maybe i came on here for a kick up the arse.

Much more hassle to have to express whilst you're there and bottle feed the baby. Don't underestimate how much you'll have to express if you're not feeding the baby at all through the day. And y y to the poster who said your baby will feed very differently at 11 weeks compared to 7 weeks. Feeds could be more distinct by then.

Seriously, just bf direct. He's unlikely to be clustering at that stage and your family WILL get over it even if they initially have any embarrassment. Expressing and transporting frozen milk is going to be the most enormous faff.

Like a pp says, it's also worth normalising bf for the next generation of kids. This is how babies eat, it's totally normal. My little nieces used to cluster round and watch, they liked to stroke DS's head while he was feeding (which I allowed as long as they were gentle and didn't crowd us). By doing one up-one down with a nursing vest no-one will see a thing and if you really feel uncomfortable, a nursing shawl or cover will still be way less hassle than bottles.

The more you do it in front of family, the more you'll just get over it.

My FIL once kissed DS2's head while he was on the boob. That was....odd. But after DS1 followed by the equally continuous feeder that was DS2, everyone just got used to the sight of me with a baby continuously attached and thought nothing of it.

No one has stayed long enough for it to be an issue. They are all local so tend to pop in. As i had c section i have kind of been camped here. Xmas will be different with 6 hour stints here or there