expressing

[Jasmer]

I have been expressing since week 2 and my fridge is filling up

My son is 3 months and has dropped the night feeds that we used the bottle for. I am now confused as to when to express and when and if to give that bottle, or to add to the frozen stock? I feed hin about 5 times a day.

Jasmer - you might want to give EBM in a bottle once a day to keep him used to a teat. The best time might be in the evening. Personally I did not give EBM till I went back to work and my dh gave my babies milk out of a bottle when I was not here which was only twice a week. When I was home I breastfed - couldn't be bothered with messing around with bottles.

I have been given the bottle constantly, first at 10.30pm and then in the middle o the night after he skipped that feed, but now he sleeps through the night and therefor i am not so sure when to give him the bottle and so when to express

Jasmer - if your supply is well established (which it should be by now) then you can do the expressing whenever it's convienient for you, or stop altogether. I was very stupid and used to feed at 7, then wait up until 11 so I could express even when dd was sleeping through. I finally realised one day that this was completely unnecessary. As i wanted to feed dd only ebm (although I failed at that after i went back to work) I started expressing after the morining and evening feeds. I froze everything for use when I was out or had had a drink. the stores then came in very useful when I went back to work and enable me to not use formula for two more months.
I think I was lucky that it didn't matter if dd hadn't had a bottle for a while, she would always attack it voraciously. If I was around and able I would always bf - it was so much easier

Jasmer, congratulations on having a baby that sleeps through the night!! If you want to keep giving a bottle think about the time which is most convenient for you. It might be the last feed at night before bed, or lunchtime - then you could express while baby is sleeping. Whatever, just pick a time which is convenient for you - probably not the first feed of the day, as you don't want to be faffing round with bottles while baby is screaming for milk....

Thanks for your responses!
I think I will continue a bit longer to build up the stock in the freezer... and indeed keep on giving him the bottle once a day so he can stay used to it. Just need to get rid of the exploding breasts in the middle of the late night...