so how easy is it to express a lot?

[misdee]

with dd's i gave up breatsfeeding early on (6-12weeks) but really want to carry on for longer this time. was thinking about trying to express more, so if i did want to go out with the girls etc and leave baby with dh or someone else i'd be able to without worrying.

what pumps are recommended now? i had the avent hand pump which i didnt get on with. are electric ones better?

I found expressing really easy and generally got plenty. I think its important that you are relaxed whilst doing it. I got on all right with the handheld one but I think electric ones are supposed to be better - there definately easier on your hand muscles! It takes practice though so dont be disheartened if you dont get much to start with - you can always give a bottle of formula until you manage to increase your expressed amounts.

there's a mini medela in the for sale section misdee...they are quite good...I didn't get on with it cos the noise stopped let down for me...but everyone else i know who's had one has been fine.

ps- for 6 months I expressed 7-9 ounces easily every morning before feeding ds....6 from one side and a bit off the other....it was easy! had about 60 ounces frozen before i returned to work!!

and I used a hospital grade pump rented from NCT...could never get that amount with a non-electric pump!

See this thread and this one . Throckenholt expressed for her twins for months, so I think she's an expert on the subject.

i could get upto 7oz in one lot of expressing, but found the hand pump hard work.

really want to avoid formula as long as possible, and will be breastfeedign for as long as possible hopefully.

i used the amdega? pump and expressed for my ds for about 3 months five days a week, cannot say i enjoyed it but got up to ten ounces if had not fed ds for 6 hours, used to store it up in the freezer - pleased i did it though and still sad gave up bf at 19 weeks...

I am trying to express, using an electric but not getting a great deal out. What can I do to increase supply ?Any tips.

fenugreek tea works wonders, keep at it it does get easier - what type of electric pump? picture of your baby to look at is a classic suggesion though never worked for me

The more ypu pump the more you'll get.
Keep at it a bit every day for a while and you will see a change.

Use an electric pump.

Do it first thing in the morning when your supply is at its best.

I would get between 3 and 5 oz. from each side each time. Initially I expressed every 3 hours then cut down gradually. Never tried a hand held pump. Mine was an Ameda Purely Yours, very quiet.

i have until march to make up my mind on pumps. but ow can i try them b4 i buy one?

Do you offer both sides when you feed? If not you could express from the other as you feed - I found this helped enormously with let down.

i usually just fed my dd's from one side. am guessing i'd do the same this time round.

Hi misdee. I'm the person selling the mini medela so this is going to look like a hijack. But what I wanted to say really is that I got on very well with mine and was expressing a lot because I was donating milk to the prem babies in scbu. At the risk of undermining my sale, there are some cheap medelas on e-bay too, so you could try one of those and see how it goes. I found that the advantage of the medela was that there weren't that many bits to faddle around with and it really worked. Good luck, whatever you decide!

Definetely the electric medela is good one also is quicker then hand one...
In my case I couldn't express much as I didn't have enough...just right amount for each feed...

So be careful...I think I stop producing milk as soon as I start expressing...GR didn't get much...

I was doing after feeding him....

With next baby I think I will only breastfeed...and give also a bottle of formula a night...

Good luck anyway!

John Bell & Croydon hire a double, very quiet expresser machine. Tel 020 7935 5555. £100 deposit and £1 per day. Fabulous. I used to express 9oz in 20 mins. Really recommend it.

tips for expressing more - massage before and during pumping, double pump, pump regularly, max 20 minutes pumping, fenugreek capsules can increase supply. Attitude of mind is key - if you worry about how much you are getting you will not get much (in my experience) - taking my mind off it surfing the net was best !

If hand expressing do 5 mins on each side, then 3 mins, then 2 mins, then 1 min. Pump soft and fast to begin with and then once the milk starts flowing pump slower and stronger - apparently that mimica a babies feeding.

Just to hijack for a mo...ds2 is 10 days old and BFed. IF I was to express, which Im not sure about as I did it with ds1 and gave up bfing too quickly, when should I start?

I would like him to drink from a bottle so that it isnt a struggle later on but am just not sure as I got a bit lazy with the breast feeding of ds1 and then gave up. Am enjoying feeding ds2 so much but Dh wants to feed him too.

Do I have to establish breast feeding first or something?

Sorry to hijack.

probably best to wait until about 6-8 weeks after the birth - that way breast feeding should be established and you should be a bit more settled.