Help ... need a quick answer re pumping/storing please!

[Millie1]

I think the answer is yes but ...

I've milk in the fridge which I expressed last night and this morning ... can I add to it milk which I've expressed this evening? I know I can do this with frozen milk but can't remember about fresh. It's already in sterilised bottles - is that okay?

TIA

Yes you can. I always waited till it was cold before mixing it though. Then would freeze it as a batch once 1st catch of milk was no more than 48 hours old.

Thanks Mears ... and for pointing out about waiting til it's cold ... I was thinking about that earlier this evening but had momentarily forgotten . I'm off for a haircut tomorrow and leaving DH with the twins for the day so have been pumping like crazy for the past week ... hope they all survive!!

When did you have your twins Millie?

They're 13w tomorrow Mears. We tried them with a bottle at the weekend and they had no trouble in taking it so hopefully they'll be okay for the day.

How do you manage to feed them and express? Do you feed them together out of interest?

Generally feed them together but during the night just tend to take whoever wakes first into bed with me. Can get one back into her own cot but the other, once snuggled in, is loathe to leave ! During the day, tandem feed although am finding now that they both like the odd feed alone - bit less fussing and nicer for one to one.

Re expressing ... have surprised myself! With DS's, I'd difficulty even expressing 1-2oz at a sitting although did manage to donate to local milk bank. With these two, I've been getting 4-5oz after breakfast and before bed. Both times, they feed soon after but seem content so I assume they're getting enough.

Does what I'm doing sound reasonable enough?

Sounds absolutely brilliant

My sis had twins in April but has found feeding a struggle. She mainly formula feeds now but they have a breastfeed in the morning. She expresses throughout the day and bottlefeeds formula and EBM.

She hasn't had the experience of breastfeeding before and she had very painful nipples in the beginning (despite my expert help )

She prefers feeding to be structures hence the default to formula. She doesn't get vast amounts expressing but it did improve.

She has never experienced the lovely feeling of breast feeding but that is because she always fed them togetehr I think.

Sorry your sister has found it hard going Mears ... starting b/f is a learning experience anyway but with twins first time round, it would be tough going. It does sound as though she's got the balance right for her now though - I know what you mean about feeding them together ... you don't get the same eye contact and the goofy grins as they feed . I'm sure you were, and still are, a great help to her.

Mine did okay today ... DT1 took 3 x 5-6oz bottles, DT2 took two and refused the third which was just about an hour before I got home. Thankfully I'd taken the pump with me cos by 3.30pm I felt like I was about to pop so was able to take some of the pressure off ... although it wasn't a good feeling to dump it!!