Advice needed on expressing

[SpongeBobControlPants]

DD is 3 months, feeds pretty much every 3 hours during the day, and (luckily) goes through from about 9pm until about 3/4 or even 5am. I've been expressing using the Medela mini electric for a while now, but I don't feel very satisfied with how it's going.

DD usually feeds from both breasts (mostly from one, then a bit from the other). I tend to express about an hour and a half after her feed (so that it's mid-way between feeds) and I express from both sides, in a similar way (mostly from one, then a bit from the other). I seem to get a fair quantity (about 2oz in total after about 10 mins). I'm wary of not leaving enough for her next feed, otherwise I'd try to get more out, so does this seem a good method?

Ideally, I'd love to be able to just express from one breast once a day and get enough for a full feed (she takes about 4-5oz EBM from a bottle). Is this possible? Should I try getting DD to feed from just one breast at each feed instead of both?

I usually only express a couple of times in the morning, as I really can't be faffed with doing it throughout the day. I tried it this morning, but for some reason I got the tiniest amount only.

Basically, should I just focus on morning expressing, is there a way I can get 4oz or so all in one go without leaving nothing for DD's next feed?

I did have quite a few bottles in the freezer, but they're all used up and somehow I haven't been able to replenish supplies. I suppose I had a notion of this all going swimmingly, so I could pop out in the evenings to the shops or whatever on my own, but it's not happening.... so any advice/pearls of wisdom would be appreciated. Feel free to point out if I've missed anything crucial - brain is not functioning too well today!

hi there,
not really got any great advice, just to say with feeding/pumping it is supply and demand, so if you want to take more out, carry on pumping: you should be able to replenish within an hour (i think thats what ive been told! im totally not an expert.
i could never get more than a tiny bit out myself, so would pump for a couple of days in a row before an evening out. it meant planning loads, and also you never know if your baby wants a full feed or just a swift drink, so its hard to know how much is okay....not that my baby would EVER bother waking for a bottle. the second i came in from an evening or day out he would be starving, but quite uninterested with other people.
i would say to try that,and just accept that while your little one is so little, managing to get out about once or twice a week is a success.
my lo is 8 mo now, and his last feed is at 7, so i can go out after i put him to bed then! and i usually get 2 or 3 hrs in the day a couple of times a week.
sorry i couldnt bemore help, hope someone else can!

Thanks for your reply - yes, I think I've been unrealistic in hoping DH can give a bottle of EBM every evening (even if it's just so I can luxuriate in the bath).... but my 'routine' of expressing, in so far as I'd got one going, is a bit pants, really.

Anyone else got any thoughts?

I wondered whether it might be an idea to feed her slightly less often so then I'll have a good boobful to express all in one go?

Hi SBPC,

i normally express first thing in the morning from boob LO hasn't fed from. I can now get 7oz out of one boob in about 10 mins, but to begin with it I could only get a couple of ounces out of each.

I have a medela mini electric and an avent hand pump, but i can get double out with the hand pump in less time so I have stopped using the electric pump.

if you keep at it then you will find that over time you will be able to express enough for one feed in one go. I then sometimes express in the evening after Lo has gone to bed to build up a freezer supply, but I can usually only get out 4oz max at this time of day.

HTH

a bf counsellor told me she thought you could sometimes get more from a hand pump. I have a 15 wk old ds and I express about 2-3 times a week getting btw 6-9 oz from one breast using an avent breast pump. But my baby feeds way more often than yours.

So... when you get these mammoth amounts, are you not worried baby will have nothing left at next feed? Do you express halfway between feeds? this is the bit I'm concerned about - if I express a bit longer, surely there will be nothing left for DD an hour or so later?

Or am I being dim??

Milk doesn't work like that. The more you take out the more is produced and milk production is at its fastest when you are feeding/expressing, you're never really empty.

it varies. To begin with I did it straight after I fed off one breast and he appeared satsified. Now I express at some point after he has had a bottle of ebm or one time in the evening as my partner was going to do the first night feed. I think I have an oversupply cos my baby feeds every 2 hrs or less sometimes. And he was pretty much feedign all the time in the first few weeks

Once I did it first thing in the am as was very engorged as he had a very unusual lie-in. After I had put it in the freezer he then woke up ravenous. I ended up feeding him all morning as my supplies had obviously gone down!

With my first child I used to do it most mornings as I was obsessed at having a freezer full!

I never do more than 10 mins a breast on the avent isis pump.

Yes, I'm obsessed at having a freezer full too!

This morning I tried feeding her from just one side, then about 1 hr later I expressed from the other for about 6 mins and got about 3oz. So far she's not hungry again yet, and I will go back to feeding from both sides for the rest of the day, but no more expressing, and I will try to stick to that every day, and maybe I'll extend the time spent expressing by a couple of mins.

I suppose I just need to stick to this system for a while to see if it suits, rather than my usual tendency to give up and try something else!

Thanks all.

hi spongebob, it took me quite a while to get my expressing technique right but here is what i did. used an avent isis hand pump, my dd was mostly a one sided feeder so wud express from other boob about hour after. run a facecloth under warm water and place on boob to open milk ducts, then massage down using palm of hand, manipulate nipple for a couple of seconds between fingers and you should feel your let down reflex, then pump. i used to ba able to get anything from 2-4oz each sitting doing this.

its worth bearing in mind that freezing milk changes the taste of ebm, and research has shown that you can keep ebm for longer in your fridge if its the right temp. LLL website or breastfeeding network site will give you more info as i dont have mine at hand at the moment.

dont be worried about milk running out because it wont, and it may be worth expressing before you go to bed because you would certainly have enough time to replenish before your LO's next feed. hope this helps xxxx

I would really recommend the Avent hand pump, I found it brilliant - I used the horrible huge hospital pumps when ds was in SCBU and think the Avent is better. If you're coordinated enough (I'm not!), try expressing from the opposite breast whilst your dd is feeding - I think this is meant to be more effective. I certainly found double pumping much more effective than single.

Don't worry about not having any milk left, you're constantly making milk. I would just go for it and pump as much as you can, if you keep it in the fridge then you can always give it to dd if she still seems hungry after her next feed. If you pump at the same time most days your body will very soon adapt and start producing more milk. Good luck!