breastfeeding/expressing

[Dozeyland]

Just looking on Kellysmom website, some good info on there regarding breastfeeding.

Quick Q:

When expressing, how do you know how much is foremilk and the other milk in each pump??

anyone who's combined breast-feeding & expressing, when did you start expressing and how did you combined them both???

Hi Dozey,
I breastfed for 7months and started expressing using an electric pump at around 4weeksish?
Whilst you're doing it you don't know whats foremilk but once its settled in the bag or bottle or whatever you're storing it in you will see it separates and has a creamy "lid" Mine varied as to how much was creamy and how much was more watery?
I usually expressed a couple of times a day am and pm and froze my milk. It just meant I had more freedom to go out when I wanted to but my DS didn't have any expressed milk in a bottle until he was about 6weeks? It took us a while to get to grips with breastfeeding so I wanted to wait until we were both happy with what we were doing before introducing BM in a bottle!
Hope that helps

Like Kity says you will see how much foremilk and how much hindmilk there is when it has settled in the bottle. Don't get too worried about it though because if you were giving the milk to the baby directly you wouldn't be able to see how much your baby was getting of both.

I was too tired to express for the first few weeks and then got into it a bit more but quite honestly found it much easier to just bf without expressing.

Did you guys use a routine or on demand?

Im just going to go with the flow. I would like to BF and express at some point. but just unsure about amounts/when to express if i do/ routine/ or demand etc etc

am i the only one thinking this? lol

With DC1 I fed on demand.

With DC2 I woke her at 7am on the first morning and fed her, again at 10am and went on like that, every 3 hours for the rest of the day. Of course, I fed her anytime she asked for it. She very quickly fell into her own routine. So really I fed on demand with both but DC2 was much more predictable.

She was a much more relaxed baby than DC1 though, don't know if that was because she was born in the caul or because she was my second or because I'd read Babycalming. It just could be though that she is a more relaxed child

I'm sure you aren't the only one thinking about it. Did you know that you can go along to your local Breastfeeding Groups while you are still pregnant and have a coffee and a chat? Try La Leche League, Baby Cafes or your local NCT. Many o the groups that the NCT run aren't Breastfeeding Groups, they are mixed, but you can usually find a good mix of bfing Mums there and get to meet some local Mums and Mums-to-Be.

Hi Dozey,
I am a first time mom to a 7 week old and am just starting on the whole expressing thing - it is unsettling because you aren't sure about quantities, when and how much to express and feed, so you aren't alone!

At the moment, I am expressing when I know I will need to be away from him for a while e.g. going to the hairdresser tomorrow (yipee!) so will leave milk for my husband to sort the little man out. I am trying to get into expressing once a day, and I usually get between 3 and 5 ounces at a go. I think that as I get into this, my supply will increase accordingly.? here's hoping...

I do feel like I'm just bumbling along....
but I refuse to get stressed about it. :)