breastfeeding help!!! to express or not??

[coco2303]

I have a 6 week and 2 day old daughter and am breastfeeding. I don't actually know what I am doing lol. I enjoy breastfeeding but am finding it hard work. Any advice on expressing milk and maybe feeding from a bottle from time to time?

yes express by all means :-)

this is a good time to start as your supply should be well established

a good time to express is whilst you are feeding or straight after the first feed in the morning

theres great advice here:
kelly mom

Thankyou :). Have you expressed and would u recommend a particular pump to help?

I had to do this as my DD didn't feed well at first so I breast fed and expressed so I could give her top ups without using formula (she lost a lot of weight after birth so I had to practically force feed her).

When I stopped doing the top ups because her feeding improved I kept expressing before bed and nearly 8 months later I have a great supply of milk in the freezer. I'm shy and don't like to breastfeed in public so give her expressed milk from a bottle and if I'm feeling sore or busy she can take the expressed milk from a bottle (and DH can feed her too!) So I can have a break.

It's really helped me and I would do the whole expressing thing again if I had another child but it will increase your milk supply so I am now at the point where I express before bed just to stop leakage, but if I stopped expressing, my supply would go down and I wouldn't leak anyway.

If BFing is working well for you, and you don't mind BFing in public, there is no need to express. Personally, I would get a pump and do it a little bit every now and then so I have spare milk in case you have to leave your baby with someone else or incase you get ill and your supply decreases (which has happened to me) but I wouldn't do it every day or anything if you don't need to. Because your milk is produced based upon supply and demand you can stop and start with the expressing; after a few days of expressing your supply will increase and after a few days without it will decrease so you have enough to breastfeed but no excess.

I had a manual pump and it was awful. I got an electric tommee tippee one and it is much better but I have gone through two pumps already (almost 8 months of using it at least once a day). If you can find it on offer I would get one as the tommee tippee bottles fit it and they sell them in most supermarkets so if you suddenly need a new bottle/teat etc. you can easily get hold of one. If you go for Medela (which hospitals use) or Dr Browns, you can't buy all of the compatible bottles so easily (as far as I'm aware; could well be wrong).

i did express and used the tommee tippee manual pump which was great

however DD never took a bottle!

good idea to get expressing I think, so baby gets used to a bottle and you can get a break!

I had an ameda lactaline dual pump (but never used the dual function), but then got a medela swing and found it better for extracting the milk, quicker and more comfortable.

useful to know that pumps come with standard size flanges but depending on size of your nipples you may need to do as I did and get additional supersize flanges!

Thankyou for your advise. I wanted to express as like you jammee I don't like just whacking it out in public haha. I also wanted to start swimming (leisure centre 5 mins away) and although I am confident I could be there and back before my daughter woke up, I don't want to risk it as she is in a kind of routine but still unpredictable lol. So wanted as back up just incase so my partner could feed her

And mustbeduesomebetterfeet I have heard good reviews about the medela swing aswell is it worth the money?

I do enjoy breastfeeding but also find it difficuly in public I start to get really stressed etc

I bought a feeding apron; they are a rip-off really but could you try one of those for when out and about? I have used it in the corner of cafes etc. and I have felt a lot more comfortable. That said, I rarely use the apron as I have to feed with nipple shields because DD can't suckle properly due to tongue-tie and high pallet. It makes feeding messy and less discreet, even with an apron so I mostly express and bottle feed.

I too, have heard good things about the Medela. I use their shields and they're the brand hospitals use so must be good.

I haven't used it yet as I'm still pg, but I've got the Medela Swing on the recommendation of DSis (Bfed 4 kids including premie twins) and DSIL (BFed 2).

I have seen mothers who can literall shove their babies up their top and bobs your uncle. But I don't find it that easy, I have to guide my nipple into my daughters mouth and most of the time struggle to get her latched on properly and that's why I find it difficult out and about so maybe the apron won't work for me.

At home I am fine I pop her on a pillow and we are ok but can't really do that out and about