has anyone exclusively expressed breastmilk?

[Izzy82]

So my Ds was born 17 days ago. he had a severe tongue tie which wasn't snipped until day 10. this meant 10 days of expressing breastmilk. However, after the snipping, it appears I have very flat nipples. couple that with only learning to suck a bottle, we have yet to master breastfeeding.
the constant expressing is killing me, (I have to do it every 3 hours around the clock) but I so want him to have breastmilk and not formula.
has anyone got any tips of how to survive! if you did this, how long did you keep it up?
many thanks for reading
Xxx

Would/could you consider bf?

Can you speak to your hv and ask if there is someone in their team who could help you kick of bf?

It's hard but I found expressing even more difficult. And time consuming and dull.

Would you consider offering formula alongside breast milk? That might give you a breather.

Sorry havent answered your question but hope I've helped a bit.

Hi,
I expressed for 6 weeks exclusively until my DS's tt was clipped. It was hard going. I expressed about 15 minutes each side every time.

My tips are -
Buy a cheap crop top style bra and cut slits in it for the flanges so you can have your hands free while pumping.

During the night, my DH fed him expressed milk while I pumped. Otherwise I'd have been up most of the night. DS was a very regular 3hr feeder so he was easy to predict at the start.

I took fenugreek capsules from holland and barret and they massively increased my milk supply though did make me smell faintly of curry.

If you're thinking of keeping it up, buy or hire a double pump, it'll half the time you express when used in conjunction with the diy bra. I ended up using one I bought and one I borrowed and it worked OK.

I did a mix of bf and expressing once the tt was clipped to make sure DS was getting enough while he learnt to bf. I had fairly flat nipples to start with but they've sort of been shaped a bit now so there is hope!

Oh and DH gave him formula sometimes while I slept, it didn't harm my supply and I'm still feeding him now he's 11 months.

Don't exhaust yourself, it'll be fine no matter how you feed him!

Have you tried nipple shields? DS was prem and had a TT, tried for a long time to breastfeed with no success. then a midwife suggested these and they were amazing - turned everything around. I would have moved to formula if the shields hadn't worked as the expressing was just too much for me.

I had also had luck with nipple shields with my premature twins, would definitely recommend trying them.

It's also well worth hiring a hospital-grade double pump. It significantly increased my output and cut down the time needed to pump.

thank you all for your advice- I'll definitely hire a double pump. I've tries the nipple shields before but he just doesn't seem interested in my boob... I'll keep trying. I'm determined not to give up with this!

I expressed exclusively for 9 months then mix fed for 3. It can be done! It's really big in America because women tend to go back to work earlier.

There are exclusive pumping groups on facebook for the best support if you choose to do this long-term.

Good luck and congratulations!

I did it for 10 months for DS. I had a hospital grade double pump and it took around 15 minutes 8 times daily. If I could turn back time I would have given up sooner or not done it at all as I feel the first months were very stressful having to spend so much time at a pump, then feeding then sterilising bottles and equipment. I do however feel I gave DS the best start in life and am proud of what I achieved.

Congratulations on your baby - sounds like you are doing an amazing job already.

I second everything sharond101 says - I wish I'd given up sooner, and I only did it for 12 weeks. I'm sure it massively contribute to postnatal anxiety that I have only recently got over.

However, a double pump is a must, as it cuts down massively on the time spent expressing. Mixed feeding was the thing that worked for me - I started mixed feeding from 7 weeks and it was much more manageable. I still felt that I was giving my DD a good start with 2/3 feeds being breast milk, but it meant I wasn't as much of a slave to the pump as I cut down from expressing 8 times per 24 hrs to 4-5.

Best of luck with everything OP.

I managed about six weeks but had twins and one of them had reflux so every time I sat down to express he would cry. Have you considered a supplemental nursing system? You can get them on Amazon and although they sound fiddly if you haven't used one, I'm sure they're not that bad.

I exclusively expressed for 10 months, and over that time managed to get enough in the freezer to see my daughter through until 1 year on just breast milk. Like others, I kind of wish I had stopped sooner, but for me, each day/week/month was such an achievement, and I felt so proud that she had only had my milk, I pushed myself to keep going.

It does get easier, that I promise. Get a double pump. You will gradually be able to drop pumps. By the end, I was only expressing twice a day. When I think back to the beginning, I do remember being miserable at times, but I am glad I did it (despite, like I said previously, kind of wishing I'd stopped sooner). Good luck to you!

thank you everyone who has taken the time to reply. I have a double pump on order from medela (which arrives Monday) and I've bought a nipple enhancer (which scares me a little!) so I can keep trying to get him to latch on my pathetic nipples (he is fine with the shields- if in the right mood!). Thank you for hose websites- they were very useful and it's great knowing that others are/were in the same situation as me... It feels like everyone in the world can successfully breastfeed!
Xxx

I expressed exclusively for around 6 weeks. As pp has said, in the nights my DH would feed ds, while I expressed. We kept trying to bf, and at around 6 weeks old ds just seemed to get it, at first with nipple shields. Then at around 9 weeks he seemed to be rooting around on my chest while we were having cuddles, so I tried without the nipple shields and he managed to latch on fine. The constant expressing was really hard - I found it exhausting, so I can sympathise, but once he did get the hang of bf I was really glad I'd expressed to keep up my supply. Hang in there - it just seems to take some babies a while to get the hang of it. You're definitely not on your own!