Breast feeding question

[sleepybee]

I'm planning to breast feed & express/pump so my husband can feed or if needed I can leave baby with family members. I've read a lot about expressing but wondering if it's possible to express whilst feeding? I.e pump on one side baby on other simulating twin feeding

Yes it is

Can take a bit of practise but yes - can often be easier to get a let down whilst feeding

Ah that's good to know. I was wondering how I would fit in expressing if I might be feeding every 2 hrs or so

Research the rugby hold. I found it quite comfortable with dd on a pillow down the side of me whilst I pumped the other side. I used to do it first thing in the morning when I was quite full from overnight.

Just bear in mind that expressing is not easy for everyone. I only did it to relieve engorgement or to let nipples heal and for rare occasions. Feeding direct from the breast is a lot easier and quicker ime. I really didn't like the pump and the hassle of cleaning.

It's possible, but when you are learning to breast feed, you might find it really hard. mist people can express if they really need to, but for some people, it is very hard, and means less freedom rather than more.

Lots of women successfully express exclusively or combine expressed milk with direct feeding or FF.

However, lots of women also find they can't get a drop out via pump despite having a perfectly adequate supply. It can also be a lengthy and draining process. I don't want to be negative about it, but it's not necessarily easy or liberating. Lots of women (me included) find it more work than it is worth and limits the convenience of bf. Also, if you miss a feed and DH gives baby a bottle, you may get very uncomfortable as your body wants to give that feed so you get sore and engorged.

I would just advise you leave it until baby is 5 or 6 weeks, just so your supply is settled. Until this point your body isn't sure how much milk you need to produce (ie how many babies you need to feed) and if you pump as well as feed you may end up producing enough milk for twins which could cause engorgement/blocked ducts/mastitis etc.

There's an Infant Feeding topic under Feed The World. I'd advise you ask there for other people's experiences.

Reading this back it sounds really negative and I don't mean it to - but it's vital to successful bf that you respect your supply and recognise some of the potential difficulties. You may not experience any of these issues.

Yes. When my baby fed from one side I used to get a let down in the other side and that milk was just wasted. I never really bothered thought as it was a bit of a juggling act. That wasn't in the first few weeks though, more like after 2 months or so. Expressing is a bit of a pain for most of the women I know though.