Expressing and Supply?

[Rooandtwo]

Hello

I’m wondering if anyone can help me feel even a bit more in touch with what is going on for me and my little one. DD is 5 weeks and we are exclusively breastfeeding. Since she was born we have googled and tried to make sense of all sorts of things, and in the end come back to that probably this is all par for the course. However, i have just started expressing in the hope that from next week DH can do one bottle feed a day. For this I am expressing 100ml every morning. We started yesterday. Since then DD seems to be fussing at my breast more often, and I am worried that she is finding the flow too slow. This is a change because previously I was worried about a fast let down and maybe oversupply connected with that. But I realise you can have fast let down and no oversupply issue. So I’m wondering if 100ml seems the right amount to express for one feed first of all, and secondly if my supply will increase in line with this over the next couple days, or if there is anything I should do differently (pump at different times of day not all at once first thing for example) to help this transition.

as always, any help so appreciated. HV appointment is in a weeks time so will ask then too if this continues.

I think 5 weeks is a little early to be expressing regularly. Assuming this is your first. Especially if you think you may possibly already have an oversupply. I did the same as id read somewhere that 4 weeks was OK, but later found out I should have waited until 6 weeks. I had to start block feeding to correct it.

But yes your supply will increase over the next few days. Spreading out the pumping throughout the day might be better so it's not always affecting your babys next feed at the same time of day. 100ml is a lot to express in one go so early!

Hi, thank you for replying. I was initially going to wait until 6 weeks to express having worried about nipple confusion, but then read about babies refusing the bottle if it’s introduced too late, and also supply settling around 6 weeks, and I worried that maybe if we left it that late it would be harder to get anything or increase supply at that point. All the advice does seem overwhelming and contradictory 🤯 I have to keep reminding myself that overall we are so lucky and things have been going well I think.

So if 100ml is too much - would it be better to express 50ml for example, either twice a day, or just once a day for now and maybe increase to more in a week or so? Also, will 100ml be one feed for her for sure or might she only want 50ml when we actually come to offer her the bottle?

You should be able to increase supply when necessary after your milk is established with regular pumping. Milk boosting foods and lots and lots of water make it easier.

I think 50ml a day is a better starting point for both expressing and offering. Might take a few attempts for her to take a bottle and if she refuses completely you don't want to waste all of 100ml. Then increase up to 100ml when she's used to it.

But yes I think 100ml is a good amount to work towards gradually, you'll soon see if she doesn't want to finish it, or downs it expecting more.

Ok, 50 it is for now. Do you know how likely it is that she prefers the bottle and starts to refuse the breast? This is probably my other big worry and again, advice seems so conflicting and largely just depends on people’s own experiences.

Yes, sadly its not possible to say, every baby is different. From what I've read I think the confusion is more likely with combi feeding too early, you're just talking about 1 feed a day so might be more safe.

Took me many weeks of trying once every 2 or 3 days for my first to take anything substantial from a bottle. Then I eventually switched to sippy cup when I realised it easier for us. That was about 8 months though.
My second I waited until 6 months and went straight to cup (though I had been building up a stock in the freezer).