Expressing breastmilk advice :(

[Blueeyes91]

Hey all. I hope someone can give me some tips/help me feel better about this.

My littlw one is 8 months old just now. But 9 months in January when I go back to work and ahe goes to nursery.

I've been trying to practice express for a while and get a store. But I'm only getting 2 to 30z in half an hour each time. I'm using an electric breast pump and at the moment I'm only able to do it once a day.

When I go back to work I won't be able to do my daughters last feed of the day because I'll still be at work.

I really don't want to put her onto formula. So how can I make sure I'm able to give her enough breastmilk when I'm not with her?

She has 5 feeds a day... so does that mean she's having 5oz each time? Because if so she can drink that from me in 7 minutes.

Help please. Worrying first time mum!

Please don’t worry.

When I returned to work after both pregnancies I was able to express loads of milk but neither baby would take a drop of it, they simply weren’t interested.

With my first son he would have a breast feed off me in the morning and then have a bottle of formula mid morning, mid afternoon and before bed.

With my second son he won’t drink expressed breast milk or formula so in my absence he will only have water to drink l. When I’m at work he is away from me for 15 hours but he is fine just having water.

Although I wasn’t at home to do the bedtime feed with both babies they woke up within an hour of me coming home and have a monster feed.

How many days a week will you be working and what times will you be away from your baby?

Lean forward, massage your breast, firmly rubbing towards the nipple. Relax, smile and think of your baby. The let-down response is triggered by the oxytocin.

Also, have you got a silicone hakka pump? That applies suction and you use it on one breast while you feed off the other.

Have you looked into power pumping to ty and up your supply and build up a stockpile? Kellymom have some good info on it

I was in a similar situation to you and what worked for me was looking at a photo of DS and also having something of his to sniff. The let down reflex just happened then.

Has she ever had a bottle because she may not want it anyway and you will be stressing yourself out over nothing. I expressed and had a lot stored although I also only ever got small amount each time. It never got used for various reasons but one being that I couldn't get my baby to take a bottle anyway.

When are you expressing? I have heard that the morning is the best time, but I am a novice to expressing myself.

Yes yes yes to looking at a photo of your baby. Works a treat
Nursing tea
Fenugreek tablets
Lots of water
Best times to expresss are around 2am and in the morning as your prolactin levels are at their highest.
Make sure you’re eating adequately too.

All this works for me.

But not all breastfed babies will take to a bottle so it might be hit and miss
Although they might take one of someone other than you

Across three babies I’ve tried almost every bottle
MAM were the most “popular”
Hated avent, tommy tippee, dr browns
Nuk ok
The third one is the worst he loved the minby and is ok with haberman suckle feeder

I had to pump a lot with my first, as we had lots of breastfeeding struggles. Here is what helped me to produce more milk:

Power pumping (pump for 20 mins, rest 10, pump 10, rest 10, pump 10)
Using a double electric pump
Mimicking breastfeeding with the pump - I would start off on a faster setting until I got a letdown of milk, then would slow it down until the milk stopped, before repeating
If my DD wasn't near me, I would have a blanket or something that smelt like her, it look at a photo of her (this helps more milk flow)
Try to relax! I understand why you are worried, but if you are able to relax it will really help

If you do have to give some formula I really wouldn't worry. Pumping is hard work, and even following all of the tips I learnt, I had to supplement with formula in the end as I often still struggled to pump enough.

I’ve never used a pump but have had to hand express when I’ve had a sore boob, I noticed it was so much easier when I was in the bath, don’t know if this is recommended but could be worth a try...?

If baby won't take a bottle, couldn't you just bring the milk in a bottle to childcare and then have them pour it into a sippy cup when required?

The problem isn't that my LO won't take a bottle. She's more than happy to have a feed from a bottle.

The issue is I'm only able to pump 2 to 3 oz a time. So I'm not able to pump the 5oz for each feed... does she need 5oz each feed?

I've only got 3oz a time - I find it so much easier to pump when she feeds from the other side. A baby will always take milk more effectively than a pump so she's likely getting 4/5oz per time.

I have to pump twice for each feed - I like to have each bottle with just over 5oz as that's what she tends to want in a bottle

Baby will take more or less at different feeds - but a 5/6oz bottle is a safe bet and gives me peace of mind

If you’ve got an ebf baby that takes a bottle that great. Try not to stress over amounts you don’t measure their breastfeeds. Just express what you can and try some of the tips to encourage supply and let down. Your baby is old enough to have water now and fruit purée etc so will get hydration and calories that way but 5oz sounds ok to me