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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Expressing milk from engorged breasts

18 replies

DadAndy · 25/10/2008 22:30

First post from first time dad, so please bear with me

Ds is 4 days old, and dw's milk has started to come in today. So much so that her breasts seem too big for ds to latch onto; and when he does, he takes a couple of gulps and stops. We couldn't get hold of the midwife, and the NCT bf line wasn't much help either - basically repeating what was said in the NCT bf classes.

As a result of a day spent with ds crying pretty much constantly, and dw upset about being unable to feed (coupled with baby blues), we tried reducing the amount of milk in the breast by expressing using a pump. This seemed to work, ds then latched pretty much straight away!

But, there seem to be posts on here that suggest expressing this early will store up problems for a later date, is that what we're doing?

As first time parents, without our parents nearby, this site seems to be just what we need when we're struggling!

TIA

OP posts:

RottenOtter · 25/10/2008 22:34

please dont worry

I have b/f six babies effectively and have pumped from day one with 4 of them ( incidently the four that b/f was most successful)

If it helps then do it

soon he will learn to latch on better annyway - even if it is a little engorged

at 4 days they may still get a bit bigger so dont fret - just pump a wee bit off then pop it in the freezer for some 'time off ' later

congratulations by the way!

CarGirl · 25/10/2008 22:36

I engorged really badly and for quite a while I used to have express just enough to make the area around the nipple soft enough for baby to latch onto. Is that the problem that the boobs are too hard and baby bounces off or that the let down is too fast? Either way just try expressing a little bit rather than lots. The more you feed/pump the more milk you produce but eventually your body gets the knack of supplying on demand rather than it buiding up/engorging.

I could be completely wrong but if you express as little as possible (freeze it for later on - you never know!) it shouldn't interfere much in the overall scheme of things.

My NCT counsellor described my boobs as cannon balls when she came around to help me out.......

CarGirl · 25/10/2008 22:37

x-posts!

With my youngest 2 I expressed from day 1 because I learnt that once I stopped engorging/being heavy that I couldn't express! So I expressed early donated some to milk bank and kept the rest for when I went back to work/had evenings out etc

Ceolas · 25/10/2008 22:39

Agree that expressing a little just to soften breasts and allow baby to latch on will not cause problems.

Good luck!

Original poster

DadAndy · 26/10/2008 00:11

Thanks guys, good to know we're not causing problems next week in order to get some peace now!

How about giving ds some of the expressed milk, on a one off? Is that going to cause nipple confusion?

OP posts:

LackaDAISYcal · 26/10/2008 00:16

yoou could feed him the expressed milk from a spoon or cup or syringe if you want to avoid bottles, but bear in mind that in order to get breastfeeding established your DW should express any "missed" feeds given as previously expressed milk.

congratulations by the way

Original poster

DadAndy · 26/10/2008 10:18

thanks daisy

i'm confused (which seems to happen a lot in this fatherhood lark )
i only thought we'd try the expressed milk in a bottle when no milk would come from the breast, or if dw was so tired that i just wanted to give her an hour off
in those cases, there wouldn't be a 'missed' feed as such, no?

sorry if i'm asking basic questions, i'm trying to get as much info as possible to help dw, and i'm starting from a position of knowing pretty much nothing

still, managed our first night with 'proper' breast milk last night.....small victories!

OP posts:

tiktok · 26/10/2008 10:26

Andy - see the midwife, and call her today if there is no scheduled visit.

All these questions have answers that depend quite a lot on individual circumstances. I am an NCT bfc - sorry the bf line didn't help, not sure why - and I can confirm that expressing is sometimes necessary in these very early days for comfort.

At the moment - day 5 - giving the expressed breastmilk is not necessary if everything else is fine, and it does have the drawback of giving the body the wrong messages. Baby takes ebm, baby does not want to feed 'direct' as now full, mum (in the short term) has breasts that are even more uncomfortable and (in the longer term) makes less milk (the body does not 'know' the baby had the ebm).

Hope this helps.

Original poster

DadAndy · 26/10/2008 10:42

hi tiktok

i'm certainly not critisiing the NCT, they've been very helpful, it's just on this topic where i can't help dw.
i think the problem with the NCT bfc was that it's hard to give solutions to specific problems, as you've said; they could only give general advice - which was much the same as what was given in the NCT bf class

i was only asking about bottle feeding ds the previously expressed milk as it's sat there in the fridge, and seems a shame to waste it, and i thought it might give dw a break to have an uninterrupted sleep/go for a walk/ring back the many family members that i keep taking messages from! i wasn't sure whether one off bottle feeds this early would cause the confusion people keep telling us will occur.

ds seems to be happy with the breast now, and when he's not, dw just expresses away about 10ml, and he then latches pretty well; knowing that this isn't a "bad thing" (my original question) is a big relief

the midwife is coming today for the heel prick test, i think we'll have a chat then

thanks ever so much guys, you've certainly put my mind at rest (although, it means i'll probably be back with more inane questions )

OP posts:

ilovemydog · 26/10/2008 10:47

Please don't worry! You have to keep in mind that in the span of a week your DS has gone from being inside, being fed colostrum, and now milk. Huge changes.

It does get easier, but the first week can be really difficult.

I really wouldn't go down the express route at the moment, and try and encourage the baby to feed off the breast. Am not sure what the advice is re: expressing, but what worked for me was having an established supply, which was around 6-8 weeks.

Have you tried pillows? Nursing pillows can be really helpful, especially for positioning.

Could you call the on call midwife and ask for help? I needed help with the latch with DS and this despite having b/f DD until she was 13 months...

ilovemydog · 26/10/2008 10:50

get lansinoh bags (at Boots) and freeze

JoyS · 26/10/2008 11:38

I had pretty bad engorgement with both babies, an NCT counselor and the www.kellymom.com site had loads of good advice.

I found block feeding really helped, offer the same side each time the baby feeds until that side is empty. Pump off just enough for comfort on the other side. Cold compress after a feed feels heavenly and helps slow down overproduction. The supply sorted itself out in a few days this time and I haven't looked at the pump since.

tiktok · 26/10/2008 12:44

Andy - the ebm in the fridge is not wasting. You can freeze it for later use or just chuck it - the supply is, after all, unlimited

I didn't think you were criticising NCT, and still unclear about why it was not helpful. The line counsellor is capable of giving specific support and info...but sometimes, individual face to face contact is, indeed, better.

Original poster

DadAndy · 26/10/2008 21:04

Thanks guys, I've been out & bought some of the milk bags, and we'll be using them to freeze any excess that's expressed, as you say, there's plenty in there .

The midwife reassured us too, and I even managed to bottle feed some of the expressed milk, so I'm a happy daddy!

Now, off to post a question about reusable nappies...

OP posts:

ilovemydog · 26/10/2008 21:14

Ooh - my advice prevails!

Will be ready for the resusable question

Original poster

DadAndy · 26/10/2008 23:27

Thanks ilove, but we DID have a go at feeding him expressed milk by the bottle, sorry

I was just going to ask whether anyone could recommend a reusable nappy to go for? I know that's a bit of a vague question, but any tips would help.
We're looking at buying a bundle, as the resuables seem to work out a lot cheaper than the disposables.
We're using disposables at the moment, while we learn what to do!

OP posts:

AuntyViCtimoftheZombies · 26/10/2008 23:49

Oh don't buy a bundle till you have tried them out!! It seems to vary SOO much which ones suit you and your baby; we tested loads with our son and found only two sorts that didn't leak badly when he was small, unfortunately all the sorts I liked best on paper and probably would have bought were among the ones that leaked! So I was glad we hadn't bought loads of them upfront. If you have a local "nappy lady" or similar you may be able to borrow a trial kit and try lots of different ones, otherwise see if you can borrow from friends for testing purposes, or maybe buy a few individual ones of different kinds to try before you shell out on more. Would hate for you to waste loads of money on ones you can't use!

ilovemydog · 27/10/2008 09:08

I meant my advice re: milk bags.... I didn't mean don't give your DS expressed milk.

Start another topic under nappies section. Ask what you've asked here; what is the best resusable, and much depends on the size of your DS, what type of material you want, but essentially it falls into catagories of:

One size - birth - potty. (needs a wrap)
shaped size 1 - 3 (needs a wrap)
prefolds (needs a wrap)
and an all in one - (doesn't need a wrap)

There are lots of different brands.

Both mine worse Motherease Sandy's extra small when they were newborns up until about 12 lbs (and I sold them for about a third of what I paid!)

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