Urgent advice needed EBM & bottle feeding.

[Wishart87]

I have an 11 day old son who I have been expressing my milk for & bottle feeding him. I have been giving confusing advice from MW and HV about how much I need to pump and how often.

I have very sore engorged breasts today & a hint of a fever (I've called my MW about this, I'm aware of Mastitis) I believe it's down to my ill knowledge on how much to pump & how often.

Please tell me there is someone out there who also does this? I really want to carry on expressing. I just need to know how much & how often to regulate my supply.

I have been doing 3 large pumps a day (9oz off one breast in 10 mins, an idea of my supply) but have since been told I should be pumping 8 x a day and only 3oz a time..

I am a hot mess today, I haven't stopped crying since 5am & these engirged breasts and fever are grinding me down :(

Please help :(

I am exbf number 2 who is 16weeks and from week 13-15 he refused to feed during day and I was syringe feeding him as refuses a bottle also.

Anyway I was advised by both hv, paed nurse and lactation consultant to express 6-8 Times a day I only ever managed 3 times but my baby was feeding overnight fine.

I agree with doing smaller pumping sessions more often including during the night, if you want to continue exclusively expressing.

community.babycenter.com/post/a31446073/top_10_frequently_asked_questions_about_exclusively_pumping_and_other_tips_-_updated

Pumping more frequently and less mill is prob best and would mimic a new born feeding pattern so prob 2-3oz every 2-3hrs

I pumped until DD was 7 months , I found that in the early months pumping as often as I could was best. I just pumped until each breast was empty! Remember to keep your fluids up and good luck

Please ring one of the Bfing Support Helplines now.

It sounds as if you may need more information and suopport than a forum can offer

Thank you all for your replies. It's good to hear that I am not alone & some monster who gave up on BF to use a bottle. I don't think I have any tears left to cry ??

I'm going to call the national BF helpline once I've burped DS.. Who is currently milk drunk on my shoulder

Thanks again

You could also try the families and babies helpline they're excellent!

Not heard of that one. Is it staffed by fully qualified BFCs too?

The la leche league also support people who exclusively express - you can contact them

www.laleche.org.uk/content/telephone-helpline