Exclusive express pumping help!?

[mammy6911]

I’m looking for some help and advice
I’ve looked online but can’t seem to get all the answers.
I have two sons who and they where bottle fed
There is just something about breastfeeding I feel uncomfortable with, Im very sensitive there and don’t like them been touched at the best of times and not knowing how much milk there getting panics me, I like routine and I have two other children so I don’t want to be latched on all the time as they would like to help feed him to also my partner is happy to help with night feeds

But this time I really want to try it as I no how good it is for baby
so I would like to express exclusive but where do you start, it’s like a minefield and I feel so pressured to just breastfeed!

I’m looking at double electric pumps for quickness but are cheap ones just as good as ones that are hundreds?

can you do it straight from birth? how long after birth do you do it?

Would you get enough colostrum to keep them full or would bottle feeding formula in the first few days be better untill your milk comes in?
Can you store colostrum and save it up if you formula feed in the first few days ?

How much do you store each time per feed as I wouldn’t want to waste loads?
I can’t remember what a newborn requires it’s been 8 years for me lol

What if you don’t get enough milk? Can you formula feed extra? Or can you mix breast milk and formula in the same bottle?

How many times a day/how often do you pump?

After a few weeks if baby is sleeping through do you still have to pump through the night or can you skip that pump?

Is there things to take or eat that can help you get a good supply?

Milk can last 4 days in a fridge and 6 months in a freezer is this correct?

How long does the milk last once out the fridge?

I’m finding it all so over whelming and just looking for some help xx

I exclusively pumped for a few weeks for my first child. I found it very time consuming and hard but I know other people do make it work. You would need to stimulate production in the first few days by either feeding or pumping. Volumes of colostrum are small so hand expression at that point can work better. I was recommended to mimick my babies feeding pattern so pump after each feed they wanted, I've also read that it needs to be done 8 times a day including overnight. Volumes per feed vary from baby to baby and over time so what volume to offer is best gaged at the time. If I was freezing it I would do 4oz in a bag. Mixed feeding is certainly possible and can work well, probably better to do formula in separate feeds to breast milk or offer formula if the bottle of breast milk is finished. Personally I found direct feeding much easier as even with a double pump it took half an hour to pump then had to sort all the bits out etc so took up a lot of time.

I'm pumping this time as my second baby sadly never latched. Breastfeeding for me was much much easier however I'm finding pumping ok at the moment (admittedly only three weeks in!).

I pumped from 1 day after he was born and as it wasn't my first I had milk straight away. In the beginning I pumped 8 times a day, there are a million schedules on pinterest but i did every 3 hours. I pumped then woke baby during night feeds and fed him what I pumped. I'm down to 7 pumps per day now, I personally do most at night because I don't really mind night wakenings and I want as little time pumping when my older DS is awake. I generally pump when he is having his lunch or a bath. I have an oversupply so I always make enough for a feed, usually a lot more so have quite a bit stored in the freezer for him.

You need a good quality double pump. You will become very attached to this thing so you dont want to go cheap...will be cheaper than formula. I have medela swing maxi but I wish I had gone for a spectra as they are apparently much more powerful and quieter. The swing maxi is great for chucking in your bag in case you need to pump when out and about. If I do I generally find a nursing room/semi private space and tie a giant muslin round my neck. I'm not particularly comfortable in public yet.

I exclusively pumped as my DD was premature and in special care. I would definitely recommend a double electric pump, mine was £135 and fully worth the money.
I pumped every 3-4 hours including during the night but DD had to have some formula at first as my body took a couple of weeks to catch up with what she needed. I pumped within hours of her being born and my supply was best when I was in the same room as her. In terms of how long it lasts I’d look that up on nhs or ask a midwife but you can freeze it for a certain amount of time if you end up with too much.

My DD is 10 days old. Since she was born I have been expressing as her latch is so painful and she shredded my nipples within the evening she was born.
So on the advice of the midwives, I started pumping and she started formula feeding via bottle.
Initially we borrowed an Ardo pump from the matty, and now have bought our own (about £140) . For the last 48 hours she has had exclusively expressed breast milk, however I don’t know if that is sustainable. Initially I pumped every 2-3 hours during the day and once at night ether before or after she woke for a feed.
I started breastfeeding yesterday evening with nipple shields, also on the advice of the midwives, as she will not latch on at all, however I am still pumping after every feed , so even more time consuming than before.