Storing expressed milk in the friidge?

[bowgumdrop2018]

So I have have been feeding my little baby since she Was born on Sunday feeding done but my milk has come in a my boobs has grown a lot and my nipple is so stretch hence breast feeding isn't an option. I have been expressing but am worried I have storenit currently ? I expressed 4 bottle yesterday and put them in the fridge and used them throughout night and keeping ? I have been heating them up by boiling water and putting them in a bowl to get warm ? Is this okay

I'm so sorry about the spelling ect I haven't had the best nights sleep 🙈

Hi bow, congratulations on you DD

You are fine to express and store, however you milk production is very high over night so if DD is not using that and is having a bottle instead then you supply will start to dwindle.

On the reverse, if you express a lot at this stage then your supply will increase meaning you will have to keep expressing.

Ideally, let DD feed as often as she wants from the breast. If your breasts are still incomprehensible by all means express a little to avoid blocked ducts and mastitis.

The picture is a Beastfeeding Network leaflet about safe storage of breast milk.

Good luck.

@bowgumdrop2018 congratulations! It sounds like what you're doing is perfect. If you need to continue expressing try to do so every 2.5hrs to keep supply up until baby can get the latch. It's so frustrating when there's too much milk but you'll get there.

Just realised how unhelpful my post is. Sorry.

One thing to try is hand expressing a little bit off. It can sometimes be enough to soften the breast up around the nipple meaning they can latch.

Might also be worth looking for a breast feeding support group in your area, most children's centres will have one.

Otherwise keep pumping, but make sure you express at night too to keep the supply going.

Thankyou for your replies ladies , the spelling is absolutely appalling I am sorry I was awake from an all night stretch with my new little one and clearly wasent completely awake 🤦🏻‍♀️ But yes I was breast feeding perfectly from the get go and untill Wednesday and then my milk came in and has stretched my boobs so much my nipple has gone and will only pop up and stay hard for about 30 seconds 😔 which you can imagine is very hard for me because I have had to stop something so beautiful o had with my baby and it's breaking my heart. I am producing so much milk it's ridiculous so next step was continue to try to breast everyday but pump regardless so my baby has my milk as I don't want to formula feed ( no problem with formula feeding I e had to give her about 5 formula bottles yesterday until my partner came home with my pump ...so I am storing the milk properly? And pump every 2 hours ish to keep supply up? Okay that's great I am so desperate for my nipples to pop back up 😪 My partner keeps telling me is not my fault and it's okay but I am heart broken especially when my baby is showing signs of hunger and nestling into my boobs 😔

Is it that your breasts are engorged which is preventing your baby latching? That's very solvable especially if you were breast feeding before. Have you had a go at hand expressing or pumping off enough milk to soften them? The pump should also "pull" your nipple out a bit? Hot compresses made of hot water on a nappy will also help to soften the breast.

More importantly, get some in-person support asap, I bet they can help you get baby re-latched. Did you midwife give you details of local bf support groups? If not, PM me where you are and I will look them up for you.

Ps. Stay calm, you're doing great. The engorgement will pass and this is totally fixable.

If you pump 8 times in 24 hours that will keep the supply up. So one of those has to be in the night, but they don't have to all be spread out evenly. At work we keep fresh milk in the fridge for 48 hours, and defrosted milk for 24 hours. The guidelines someone gave above are quite different!

OP, please get some face-to-face support ASAP. This problem you are having does not have to mean the end to your breastfeeding journey, I promise.

Have you tried pumping/hand expressing some milk off before a feed, to soften the breast for your baby. It's common for babies to have issues latching to a very engorged breast, but it is a problem that can be resolved.

I have noticed that after I pump a few ounces and remove the pump my nipple is very out and obviously a lot bigger than the normal nipple but goes down so fast 😔 So should I latch baby on after I've pumped so she can get a chance to suck on the nipple? As I am producing so so much I remove the pump then 2 minutes later the boob is leaking all down my tummy ect so knowing I have all this milk for my baby and I can't breast it to her hurts me so much I feel like a failure within myself and as I mentioned when she rubs her face against my boobs my heart shatters and I just break my heart

Yes, as soon as your breast is softer offer it to her and get her latched.

But do speak to some in-person support today. Go to a breastfeeding group/cafe or call any numbers you have.

La Lexhe have some info on inverted nipples that may be of help www.laleche.org.uk/inverted-nipples/ it is possible to work around it so persevere and you'll get there. I pumped for 2 weeks due to latching problems but we got there in the end!

Just to say I’ve beeen here - twice! First time I gave up and formula fed DS1, but with DS2, I had a much more switched on midwife who helped me get it sorted. I expressed with a hand pump before he fed each time - for about 2 minutes? As soon as I took the pump off, latched him on and he fed fine. I only had to do this for 2/3 weeks and then my boobs got used to what he actually needed and calmed down. He fed until 7 months no problems after that.

Yes, as soon as you've softened the breast, latch baby on and feed, feed, feed. Baby will empty your breast much more efficiently than a pump too.

Your boobs will calm down given time, it sounds like your milk is "coming in" at the moment and often there will be LOTS of it at this point. Once they've worked out how much they need to make the supply will calm down to a more manageable level.

Yes, you are storing the milk correctly, it can be up to a week in the fridge. Make sure to keep it close to the back of the fridge rather than in the door, I can't imagine it makes that much difference but that is what is recommended.

Have a read of the link the PP gave to the inverted nipples page. This might also help: www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/flat-or-inverted-nipples

And I agree it will get better as your baby gets bigger and if you can find real life help, breastfeeding network, la leche league, this will help you even more :) Google for the helplines or google "Breastfeeding support" plus the name of your town or nearest city.

And yes you can defo feed immediately after pumping. I used to do that because it means you can pump more usually.

If you're producing more milk than you're using you might want to buy breastmilk storage bags and freeze it. It can keep for 3 months in a freezer compartment or 6 months in a normal freezer.

If you haven't yet been discharged by the midwives to HV care, you can also call labour ward for support with this. They should send somebody out to you.

When my milk came in and DS was fussing because he couldn’t extract any milk the kindest woman in the whole wide world, who was in charge of the ward’s nursery, explained that he needed to be able to breathe and feed - obvious once she said it!!
She encouraged me to turn him round from the traditional feeding position so that his legs were under my armpit and to support him along my arm so that he was looking up at me and approaching nipple from the front. As he latched on I was to use my other hand to hold the breast down a little from his nose and away he went - what a relief for mother and son

I used this initially www.amazon.co.uk/Lansinoh-Latch-Assist-Nipple-Everter/dp/B00C93WS4C/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?keywords=nipple+everter&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1532003930&sr=8-1 to get baby latched as my nipples seemed massive and flat when my milk came in!