Do I need to express?

[Penguin27]

I'm planning to exclusively breastfeed for around six months when my baby is born. Do I need to buy equipment to express milk? I know that if I don't, it means that others won't be able to feed the baby and that I won't really be able to have any space from the baby until s/he is weaned... but if I'm happy with this, I guess there is no need for me to worry about expressing? Please let me know your thoughts and experiences on this!

You don't need to express so it's probably something to wait and see how you feel once feeding is established.

Can't help you I'm afraid but I'd also love to know opinions as I'm in the same camp as you. My friend who is 36 weeks did say to me the other day that she's been told to still get the expressing equipment as if you have 'too much' milk left over it can be very painful to not express it. Maybe others will back that opinion?

No need to express at all :)

If you feel enogorged it is better to hand express a little bit. If you pump it will encourage over supply

You don't need to. I did a bit with DD1 but with DD2 CBA. I find BF much easier (if all goes well)

For the odd time I needed a bit of time away she has had formula in a bottle (and either drank it or didn't depending upon her feeling about bottles at the time)

Thanks for your quick replies! I hadn't thought about the issue of have too much milk, so thanks for the tip about hand-expressing Albus (great username )

I would personally get a sterilizer and bottles just incase (plus 1 bottle of readymade formula) as if you need these you'll want them in a hurry. Then I would do some research and pick (but not buy) a pump incase you end up needing one (as long as you're close enough to a boots or similar to be able to pick one up the same day).

Fwiw, I did a lot of expressing and I think it was more hassle than it was worth (esp if you're just doing it to avoid night feeds rather than actually being out of the house), but everyone is different. And I needed to express to get my supply issues sorted so had to buy the pump.

Looking at the rest of the thread, by supply issues I mean undersupply. Expressing will stimulate overproduction as someone else said so it's a bit of an all or nothing - you either get into a routine and do it every day or just don't bother. In my experience, you'd only need to express for oversupply if you choose to miss several feeds and bottle feed (e.g. if you need to go out for the day).

It's good to have the option and also so that you can get them used to the bottle early on. A bottle of expressed milk can give you peace of mind if you want or need to go somewhere for a bit. I found expressing super boring and it had a tendency to give me blocked ducts. It's possible that because it is a hand held pump, I push on the boobs a bit too much to make it come out faster.

That's a good point, Danger, if it doesn't go to plan then I'll need to be able to feed my baby! And also I guess when it comes to weaning, the baby would have some kind of follow-on milk from a bottle? Not really sure how this whole thing works!!

There's no need for follow on milk at all.

Follow on milk, for babies over 6 months, was only developed because it became illegal for formula companies to advertise formula milk for babies under 6 months. The first stage formula milk is fine for an older baby to drink.

But on the main point, I don't think there's any need to buy breast pumps etc unless you're successfully breastfeeding and need / want to leave baby with others. And then the expressing would be helping to keep your milk supply up as well as providing milk for baby to drink while you're away.

I would wait and see with regard to breast pumps (but would have bottles and ready made f)because they're so expensive. I think my Lansinoh electric double was around £110, it made me feel queasy so I only used it a handful of times.

You don't need to express. But...... With ds1 I waited til 7 weeks to try him with a bottle of expressed milk. He wouldn't take it, ever. So I was stuck with feeding him myself. I was hospitalised at 7 months, he took a tiny bit of formula (I'd had medication not suitable for bf on) but basically went hungry. I was worried sick when I had to return to work at 9 months, that he still wouldn't take a bottle. He coped, he was eating well. But with my second, I introduced a bottle of ebm at 5 days. He was offered a bottle once a day most days, and still had one now at 5 months though he has formula now as I can't express enough for him. It's such a relief knowing I could leave him if I needed. In fact I do, once a week, while I take his brother swimming. So although you don't need to, I would really recommend offering a bottle as you just don't know when you will need it

We're still breastfeeding at 7 months now and I've never been able to express more than a drop. I have plenty of milk but only the baby can get it out!

Re follow on milk, ds1 had no formula at all. He started drinking cows milk.at 12 months, from a sippy cup.

I breastfed both of my children. One for 14 months, the other for 12. I never once pumped or used formula and a bottle. Wasn't even a problem.

My experiences have been baby feeding fine in hospital, get home on day 2 or 3 and bam, massive engorgement and baby can't latch. Having quick access to a pump in those circumstances was important for me. So maybe don't buy one now but find out exactly where and how quickly you can buy or rent one at short notice. If you need one in the early days, you need it right away. Or if you can spare a few pounds, buy your preferred one and keep the box sealed so at least you can pass it to a friend if it really isn't needed. But it can be panic-inducing trying to deal with engorgement and protect supply with a non-latching baby in the middle of the night.

Absolutely do get a few bottles, something to sterilise and some ready made just in case. Remember huge majority of women begin breastfeeding and the numbers fall of - not because women are lazy or whatever but because difficulties can and do arise unexpectedly and no matter what happens, the baby needs to be fed. With mine, I sometimes found a small formula feed was enough to calm them and give them enough energy to get a proper BF latch afterwards

Best wishes.

I bought one. Waste of money. Baby refused bottles and bf'ing is soooooo much easier than messing around with bottles and sterilising etc. If you're a bit full you can stick the baby on and they'll sort you out.

If you do buy one "just in case" leave it in the box and keep the receipt!

Four babies. 10 plus years of breastfeeding. Couldn't express much more than a few ounces... but didn't really ever have to.
Certainly didn't have a steriliser or bottles "in case". Isn't that like having chocolate in the cupboard whilst on a diet "just in case" ? Not really setting up for breastfeeding success. Unless planning on mixed feeding or expressing which OP said she isn't necessarily wanting to.

Though OP I'm wondering why you're thinking 6 months- you can begin to intoroduce food for your baby from then but breastmilk remains the optimal milk for them til 2 (WHO recommended) or at least til 12 months when you can introduce cows milk as a drink.
By 4/5 months baby will go longer between feeds and once weaning onto food will go even longer so you won't be tied to baby forever just because you're breastfeeding- honest!

All the best to you.

i wouldn't bother. my baby is 10 weeks old and EBF. I'm his mummy - i don't want anyone else to feed him, or to be anywhere else other than with him! strange thing, this having a baby!
it easy enough to pop to john lewis should the need arise, otherwise... enjoy having a unique relationship with your baby is my advice!

I bought one bottle, cheap single use microwave sterilising bags and a couple of cartons of pre-made formula for my hospital bag 'just in case' DC1 didn't take to it. The hospital made clear that they couldn't supply formula. Luckily for us bfing came easily so never needed it and I gave the cartons away to formula using friends (out of 4 of us who met at AN classes the other 3 all formula fed for various reasons). I didn't buy a pump straightaway as All the advice I read said to establish feeding first. But around 8mths when starting to think about returning to work and starting to regain a social life I invested in an electric pump. Really wish I hadn't because I really struggled to express and dc was not thrilled with expressed offerings. By the time she started nursery at 10mths, she was drinking cows milk or water during the day and then bfing first thing in the morning and before bed. Now pregnant again and while I'm more relaxed/confident about bfing, DH still feels we should have the same 'just in case' pack for the hospital just in case things go differently with dc2. We still have the bottle and sterilising bags so just need to dig these out and buy a couple of new cartons. I think he is right and sensible, you can't guarantee what the baby or the birth will be like, and it gives a back up in case anything doesn't quite go to plan...

The hospital made clear that they couldn't supply formula

The hospital my DC were born at also has a policy of not supplying formula. But they do have formula that they will give out if there's a medical reason why baby needs it. DC2 and DC3 both had hospital supplied formula top ups on the postnatal ward due to jaundice.

Also, the hospital shop sold ready made cartons of formula. I'd guess they're not the cheapest place to buy it though, and not open 24 hours.

Thanks all, so much to think about!

Isadora, I was thinking 6 months to allow time to wean and get the baby used to other food (formula, I guess) before I return to work.

I think I need to do more research on weaning etc, but I can definitely understand the 'just in case' emergency pack!

Breastfeeding promotion has gone too far. Hospitals refusing to provide a safe, nutritious food to a patient in their care is immoral and disgusting. If a mother wants or needs to give formula to her baby, there is no excuse for the hospital not helping her.

For the "just in case" argument, it is irresponsible not to have some other method available in case breastfeeding is not possible - either as a once off or permanently. I have given my example of massive engorgement in the middle of the night preventing a previously-latching baby from latching. Hours of attempting to latch led to a starving exhausted baby. Post birth is also a high risk time for the mother's health, making an unexpected and sudden hospital readmission a possibility - I had post-birth complications at three weeks that needed me treated in a high-dependency unit at a general adult hospital and the baby was advised not to stay with me due to infection risk from other patients. Readmission to hospital isn't always to a maternity ward which is a safe place for babies, it can often be to a general medical or surgical ward and the mother can be too ill to feed on any case. Not to mention babies born with perhaps undiagnosed congenital issues that can make the complex process of latching effectively difficult or impossible - it is ablism to suggest these babies should have to continue hungry when a simple safe alternative is available. Breastfeeding has become an all-or-nothing for no good reason. By all means, yes choose breastfeeding and aim for that but if the baby is hungry right now and breastfeeding isn't working right now, then the loving and healthy and responsible thing to do is to have a back-up plan that can mean the baby is fed and buys you time to work on improving breastfeeding if that's what you want. It cannot be compared to dieting while having treats in the press - except in the literal sense that failure to provide enough food will make the baby lose weight and that is not a good thing for babies.

Sorry OP for ranting like this but I was exactly like you. I fully believed all the messages about breastfeeding being best and easy and natural and women who "gave up" were just not trying hard enough. The messy complex reality of it messed with my mental health when I realised that there are masses of factors affecting the mother and the baby that can have an impact.

I really hope breastfeeding works exactly as you hope, for you and your baby. But being prepared for alternatives is no bad thing.

For the "just in case" argument, it is irresponsible not to have some other method available in case breastfeeding is not possible

I disagree respectfully. The chances of actually being unable to breastfeed are far smaller than it would appear from reading Internet forums. And I would have seen it as preparing to fail had I had a backup plan. Actually I did have a back up plan for child 4 as I had a previous haemorrhage after child 3. So I had my friend whose baby was six months old on standby to deliver expressed milk to DH if I had had surgery and my milk didn't come in on time eg was delayed. She would have fed from source if needs be as a newborn needs millimetres not ounces.

Not everyone has such an accomodation friend (or would be happy to accept unregulated donor milk). For most people buying a couple of bottles, some Milton cold sterilising tablets and and couple of cartons of pre made formula (all of which you can get for about a tenner). Shove it in a cupboard and it's there if you need it. When I needed it I needed it and I hated having to drag our exhausted selves to Boots to get it!