expressing- advice please!

[izjscott]

Getting a breast pump tomorrow (medela double swing) and just after some advice.

My DS is 5 weeks and fully breast fed, feeding roughly every two hours, how often a day should I be using the pump? And for how long? If I use it will it matter if he needs to feeds soon after? Are these silly questions?

What would people advise I do to get him used to the bottle? A little taste a day for a week or so?

Thanks in advance!

Are you getting a pump just because you want him to take a bottle?

Are you having issues with bf?

Do you intend to EBF? If so, ideally for how long?

If he is EBF & you plan to still put him to the breast, you'll increase milk supply by pumping but you're body doesn't really need to produce that much milk. It's an extra pain to express if you don't need to is all I'm saying. Some pumps work better than others & for different folk etc.

I had trouble with my DS with latch & not putting on weight etc so had to pump but after 5-6 weeks gave a ff at nighttime which for me made things easier.

You could pump when he's finished a feed to make sure each breast is drained and see how you get on. It depends on your reasons for expressing as above as to how often you do it.

Good luck!

Sorry-I missed some of your points before. Just try once or twice a day with the bottle I'd say-when you give the bottle make sure the ebm is body temp as that will be more appealing to him as that's what he's used to.

I had no bother & then gradually added a little formula to the ebm when I was ready....

Hth

Thanks so much. Not sure if ebf is exclusively breastfeed? If so then yes I'm going to do that and would like to have DS having expressed milk from the bottle and still feeding from the breast.

Want a pump so my husband can take on a few feeds and so when my mum or mother in law eventually mind the baby he can be with them and have a feed. To share the load really, hope that doesn't make me sound selfish!

Thanks for the tips!

I did this for the same reasons. We've introduced one EBM (expressed breast milk) bottle a day. I express in the morning (when I seem at my fullest). Once I got the hang of it I was able to feed one side and express the other. I tend to get about 3-4oz on a good day and we generally give DD about 3oz in her bottle (she's 11 weeks). If I get any extra I freeze it for another time. This came in very handy last weekend when I was ill, she had frozen milk for a couple of of feeds with DH so I could sleep! :)

Oh and it's not selfish! It's the only thing that's saved my sanity at times. DH does bath and bottle around 6.30. It gives then quality time and me a break! Sometimes I go for a walk, watch tv, get the washing in...just 'me' time. DD cluster fed most evenings and it broke that up for me. It also meant I could have an hour to get my hair cut! :)

Yes EBF-exclusively breast fed.

Agree morning is best time to pump or if DS sleeps really well you could waken a couple of hours before first feed to empty boobs & all them to refill-this is probably a bit optimistic though good if you want to build a stash!

it gives you a break but then you are spending time elsewhere expressing instead of feeding. Good luck!

Thanks for the tip about doing it in the morning. Got my medela double swing yesterday and had alittle try- really easy to use and DS took a little from the bottle last night so I'm thrilled that I can start sharing the load. Just going to introduce it gradually and get him used to something that isn't me!