Breast milk from bottles?

[newnest]

Hello, I'm torn between trying to breastfeed or to express my milk in to bottles so baby is still getting the breast milk but from a bottle so my DH can feed baby in the night too?

Please can I have pros and cons of doing this? Thank you!!!

I’m exclusively pumping for my 4 month old DD. She had quite a rough birth and came out bruised all over her head, including a C shaped one around her ear which affected how wide she could open her mouth in the early days. She couldn’t latch so ended up pumping, she wouldn’t take the breast after that 🙄

Pros -
You can see how much they’re getting
DH/others can support with feeds
Satisfaction of knowing they’re having breastmilk
No weaning off the breast

Cons -
It is TIME CONSUMING. In the early weeks I was pumping every 2-3 hours to build supply and it was exhausting. I’ve managed to drop to 4x per day now which is more manageable.
You may need to supplement with formula anyway (my DD has 1-2 bottles of formula per day)
It can be painful, especially if you have elastic nipples
If you have a contact napper/clingy baby it can be really hard to find the time to pump, then end up engorged/with clogs.

It is by far the hardest thing I have ever done but also the most rewarding. Would I do it for DC2..? Don’t know. But I’m proud of the journey we have been on when the odds were stacked against us at the start.

How supportive is your DH? I think a supportive partner is key tbh. Washing/sterilising the pump parts for you, feeding baby while you’re pumping the next feed makes a world of difference. My DH went away for a weekend and it was really hard work! If you don’t think your DH would pull his weight in this respect I’d definitely reconsider.

@MrsB2019x

I’m exclusively pumping for my 4 month old DD. She had quite a rough birth and came out bruised all over her head, including a C shaped one around her ear which affected how wide she could open her mouth in the early days. She couldn’t latch so ended up pumping, she wouldn’t take the breast after that 🙄

Pros -
You can see how much they’re getting
DH/others can support with feeds
Satisfaction of knowing they’re having breastmilk
No weaning off the breast

Cons -
It is TIME CONSUMING. In the early weeks I was pumping every 2-3 hours to build supply and it was exhausting. I’ve managed to drop to 4x per day now which is more manageable.
You may need to supplement with formula anyway (my DD has 1-2 bottles of formula per day)
It can be painful, especially if you have elastic nipples
If you have a contact napper/clingy baby it can be really hard to find the time to pump, then end up engorged/with clogs.

It is by far the hardest thing I have ever done but also the most rewarding. Would I do it for DC2..? Don’t know. But I’m proud of the journey we have been on when the odds were stacked against us at the start.

How supportive is your DH? I think a supportive partner is key tbh. Washing/sterilising the pump parts for you, feeding baby while you’re pumping the next feed makes a world of difference. My DH went away for a weekend and it was really hard work! If you don’t think your DH would pull his weight in this respect I’d definitely reconsider.

@MrsB2019x Hats off to you for doing it for so long 😳😅 @newnest I would completely agree with what MrsB has said - I only exclusively pumped for 1 month but by DH works offshore. He was here for the first 10 days or so and it was tough but it was manageable then he went to work and I was having to find time to do everything on my own with refluxy contact napping baby and I just couldn’t do it. I lasted 3 weeks on my own then cried in the face of the shop assistant while I bought a tub of formula at the local shop with my baby in my arms and a giant leaky boob patch on my top 🤣🤣🤣👏🏼

@PanettoneSeason I definitely wouldn’t have lasted 3 weeks on my own! Well done you 👏 I’d be proud of that!

[quote MrsB2019x]@PanettoneSeason I definitely wouldn’t have lasted 3 weeks on my own! Well done you 👏 I’d be proud of that![/quote]
@MrsB2019x Thank you ❤️ we made it to 3 months breast feeding and then it all went to pot with the reflux and breast refusal so went to expressing for a month but I just couldn’t sustain it at all on my own. At the time I was devastated because I’d put so so much importance on breastfeeding but he’s now 1 and beyond thriving so I’m finally ok with how our feeding journey went!

Have a look at haakaa type suction pumps, they catch the leaking milk from the other boob while you breastfeed. You don't get loads but it can add up to the occasional bottle feed without being on a pumping schedule.

I'm in awe of mums who pump, the physical demands of BF, the practical work of bottles and the time to pump is a lot of work!

@Babyiskickingmyribs

Breastfeed and just express for those times where you want to go out without your baby for a bit. Put your husband in charge of baby baths instead. Nice way to bond, and actually saves you work rather than creating more.

Completely agreed!

I expressed once a day with DC3, dad would then use the expressed milk for the first night feed. That way I got a decent chunk of sleep at the beginning of the night and felt well rested the next day. I would definitely recommend doing it, it makes life so much easier. A bottle refusing baby can be a big problem, as I found out with DC2.

You could also do one formula feed a day if you don't want to express (which isn't always easy).

There is a lot of misinformation and scaremongering around mixed feeding and expressing. It is not true that you need to express for every single feed that your baby has. Just like one bottle of formula a day will not endanger your supply. Breasts aren't that inflexible - luckily, because a baby doesn't drink the same amount every day. I have also yet to meet a baby in real life that had nipple confusion.

I spent 12 weeks exclusively pumping. It was hell.

Baby wouldn't latch and I got one session with a LC who vanished into thin air.

At 12 weeks I had enough, I tried BF again and my baby finally took to it.

I keep a stash of milk in the fridge so times where I'm completely drained or having a bad day my dh can do a feed.

I use a haakaa first thing in the morning and catch the milk while mu baby feeds on the other breast.

I have a Hakka pump - I place it on my other breast when feeding and the bottle fills with any milk coming out. Depending on time of day I can get anywhere between 20-90mls per feed. My partner can then feed baby with bottle whenever I am napping, etc. I’ve found the Hakka pumps a godsend. I got a manual pump and haven’t used it because there are so many parts to it. And the Hakka is also super cheap on Amazon!

I’ve been expressing one bottle/day for my 4 week old which my DH gives to him as the first night feed so I get some guaranteed sleep. It’s working well for us but as others have said it’s a very individual thing. I live in fear of nipple confusion but it’s not been an issue so far…

I feel fairly comfortable with expressing as my DS lost a big amount of weight early on and so was on a triple feeding regime (BF, then express then top up with expressed milk every 3 hours) which was extremely hard work so anything that’s not this is a bonus!

Intake my hat off to anyone who exclusively expresses for any length of time let alone for the first 6months! I did 2.5 weeks when DD2 was in NICU and it was honestly hell. Pumping every 2 hours to mimic her feeding and build supply, by the time I'd fed her, washed everything and got sorted it was time to start again!

In terms of support a lot of la leche groups are running online sessions and you can go to whatever one suits you best not just the one for your local group. You can go whilst pregnant if you like.

They also run free online antenatal classes which will give you an idea of what to expect and how to deal with some of the more common issues

I was considering expressing because I am so scared of clogged ducts and thought getting more out would mean there is no chance for any clogging
Unfortunately it doesn't work this way. The more you remove, the more your body will make. So then if you miss a feed or express session, you're more likely to end up with engorgement and blocked ducts.

When mine was tiny I started expressing to get a stash in the freezer for future use - so I would feed her on one side and express on the other. The problem was then my breasts supplied twice as much and I ended up with an oversupply issue.

Generally if you're able to, the best way is to just follow babies lead completely regarding when and how much they feed, and just hand express for comfort if you start to get engorged.

I would suggest it’s fine to express for the odd bottle, but generally it’s a very difficult and time consuming way to feed a baby.

You won’t get any more rest because you will still need to wake up to pump when the baby is feeding in order to maintain your supply. You will essentially double the workload - you’ll have to pump and also have to bottle feed. And it will most likely have a negative effect on your supply because the pump is much less efficient at extracting milk than your baby.

I would pump for a few minutes after your baby feeds and save up what you get in the freezer so that your partner can give your baby the odd bottle now and then to give you a break or if you’re away from your baby, but generally it’s a million times easier and less effort to breastfeed than to express.