Expressing and storing

[catwoman75]

Okay - so I'm ready to start expressing milk to store in the freezer. When is the best time to express and can I do it more than once a day?

I did best in the mornings, expressing on one side while dd fed on the other.
Be warned you may not get much at a time - it's fine to keep the little bits in the fridge and put them together to freeze once you have 2-3oz or so.

If you do express more than once a day, you can keep the pump in the fridge inbetween times and just sterilise it (or dishwash) when you're done for the day.

Have you got storage bags for the freezer?

Yes bought some today. Have expressed a couple of times in the morning when Ineeded to go hairdressers etc and got about 4oz so hopefully will be able to get this much again.

Thanks for the advice. Dd is almost 6 weeks so do you think it's okay to express regularly now?

If you're happy and your supply has settled to meet her needs then I can't see why not.
I'd be wary of expressing to (eg) give a bottle every night as that can leave a long gap between feeds and you may find you get engorged or uncomfortable.

Yeah, it's more for when I go to the gym or out for the evening (and I guess I'll have to take the pump and express if I'm away for longer than 3 hours)

or just dash back like a mad thing, dripping

I did this when dd was 10wks or so for a concert in London - I wore Lilypadz and a padded bra and had a great time but I was exploding by the end of the night.
Didn't hurt as a one-off though.

Bugger, when I tried expressing a couple of weeks ago, I could easily get 5oz. This morning when I tried I got less than 1oz. Sods bleeding law that when I actually need to express there 's nothing there. Why?

It depends how much dd's feeding - tbh only getting 1oz is a good thing as it means your supply is exactly calibrated to her demands.

If you pump at the same time every day for a few days, your body will assume dd needs an extra feed then so will up production accordingly.

Can you feel a letdown when you pump? Some people find it helps to see or think of dd when they pump - I find the opposite and need to relax with a drink of water and a book before I get letdown.

My name has changed by the way!!

Yes, have just recently started to feel the let down - it's quite painful isn't it?

Will just keep plugging away at it and hopefully will be able to express more in a couple of days!!

Hi, I'm going to express milk for the first time this weekend but have a few questions before I start (they may seem daft to you experts out there but it's all new to me!!).

Firstly, once I've sterilised all that needs to be, do they need to be stored in a special way?

When I give my baby the expressed milk, at what temperature should I give him it?

Thank you for your help!! (I told you these were silly questions!)

If you aren't going to use the pump straight away, then put it in a new plastic bag (like a freezer bag) and seal it till you are going to use it.

You can try the milk at fridge temperature, or at body temp. Most prefer it at body temp though.