to all of you that express how often do you do it first time expresser

[pregnantbabyelephant]

ive just ordered my first breast pump medela swing its only 70 at boots at the moment theres 20 % off quite a good bargin imo
incase any of you wanted to know
anyway what i was going to say is my dd is 6 weeks and i want to express some in the am when i seem to have lots of milk and give it to her in the eve when i def dont have as much as in the am
also i can have the odd night off etc
did any of you do this do you have any tips ?

also want to see if dd will even take a bottle ,but dont want to give formula just to try her on a bottle

Express when you feel the fullest. Some people do it really early in the morning. Some people do it on one breast while baby is on the other. Some people do it at whatever time suits them. You might feel a bi overfull if you have a day off.

I found that early on the only time I could get a full feed in one go was in the middle of the night- I'd usually wake before DS at some point, express from one breast then you can feed from the other when your LO wakes up. Early morning is also good but middle of the night is magic (just to get you started- not suggesting you do it every night!)

I found first thing in the morning easiest too - milk literally poured out! Or I would just only feed from one side for a couple of feeds so the other side was very full & then express the unused (full) side. Otherwise it can be very frustrating pumping away & not getting much if your boobs are a bit empty!