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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Breastfeeding - urgent advice needed

36 replies

newmum234 · 02/05/2020 15:49

I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last Friday. Sadly the birth was a tough one and I’m still in hospital recovering while the baby is at home with her dad and grandparents.

Because I was so unwell after the birth I wasn’t able to breastfeed, and she’s been feeding on formula (plus a few syringes of colostrum) since birth.

I was worried my breasts would stop producing milk because of this, but have just tried hand-expressing in my hospital bed and I have lots of colostrum (or would it be breast milk by now?) coming out.

I’m hoping to be home in around five or six days’ time but would really like to give her the breast milk asap if I can. At the moment I’m expressing into those 1ml colostrum syringes but I only have five and think I could fill a lot more.

What is the best way to do this - would I need to store the syringes at the hospital until my husband can pick them up? Should they go in the fridge or freezer? Do I need a bigger container to express into and presumably it will need to be sterilized?

If anyone could help I’d be most grateful!

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Original poster

newmum234 · 02/05/2020 15:53

Sorry - just to clarify, by “last Friday” I mean eight days ago!

OP posts:

FraterculaArctica · 02/05/2020 15:57

Congratulations on your new baby and sorry you have had such a difficult start. You are on day 8 by now is that right? It will be milk that has come in by now and yes you will likely get much more than 1 ml if you express. Has the hospital not suggested you use a pump? That is shocking if not. Collar the next midwife who comes.by and say you want to be shown how to pump. Expressed milk can be stored in the fridge for 48 hours or in the freezer for up to 6 months. The hospital should also help you with this. No need to sterilise the milk but you need to sterilise the pump parts between each use and the containers.

Pinkflipflop85 · 02/05/2020 15:57

Speak to the midwives. They will be able to give you a hospital pump and the small sterifeed bottles to pump into.

Breastmilk can be stored 6 hours room temp, 6 days at the back of a fridge and 6 months in a freezer.

I wasn't able to directly breastfeed my son for the first few weeks but we soon moved to exclusively breastfeeding once I was well enough.

KellyHall · 02/05/2020 15:58

Have a read of the NHS advice

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/expressing-storing-breast-milk/

Well done for sticking with it

NotInTheMorning · 02/05/2020 16:01

Sorry to hear you've had such a difficult time. You would need to store it at the hospital, yes. You can get special bags to store it in, but any sterilised container will do, whatever you can get your hands on.

Can you speak to one of the midwives at the hospital? They should be used to situations like this and will probably have somewhere to store the milk and a pump you could borrow. Even if that's not possible (I don't know if coronavirus restrictions will effect things) they should be supporting you to breastfeed.

Hope you're on the mend and can go home soon!

Dowermouse · 02/05/2020 16:03

It sounds super tough op. I hope the hospital can supply you with a pump and storage. It's a couple of years since I pumped, but at the time the advice was that the equipment doesn't need sterilising, just keeping in and airtight container /zip lock bag and giving a hot soapy wash every 24hrs.
Good sources of online information are Kellymom, Le Leche League and Milk Matters. X

greenemerald · 02/05/2020 16:05

Hello. Congrats on your new baby and hope you make a speedy recovery! I had a baby myself a week ago and was given a hospital grade pump to use whilst there. They provided all the equipment include bottles to collect the milk in. So do ask your midwife on the ward!

ForeverBubblegum · 02/05/2020 16:06

Talk to a midwife, they should be able to lend you a pump, and show you how to express. Can your DH get some milk storage bags (from supermarket), they come stabilised and you just pour the milk from the pump bottle.

He'll also need a cool bag to take milk home in. Refrigerated it will last 5-6 days, so as long as he keeps it cold for the journey it can go from ward fridge to home fridge.

greenemerald · 02/05/2020 16:06

I've also been loaned a pump for free to use at home since discharge, by the way. I'm not sure if this is due to my baby being on the SCBU though.

Original poster

newmum234 · 02/05/2020 16:16

Thanks everyone! Can I hand express the milk do you think? There seems to be quite a lot - I even had a spurt of milk spray out earlier! The hospital have given me some bigger syringes (10ml) but I’m having trouble collecting the milk from my nipple into the syringe. We have some plastic food box containers at home - could I ask my husband to sterilise one of those and bring it in so I can express into that, then use the syringes to suck it up?

OP posts:

Delbelleber · 02/05/2020 16:37

You can express the milk in to food storage bags and freeze it. You'd be better using a pump, which will come with a bottle then pour it in to the bags. Get your husband to have a look in baby aisle at the super market to purchase a pump for you.
Sorry you are having such a crap time after birth

user1573829 · 02/05/2020 16:56

Hi op, what a horrible time you're having I hope you're getting better.

I'm very surprised you've not been offered a pump by the midwife, I would be asking for one ASAP and also order one off amazon for when you are discharged. It's bad of the hospital to not support you here especially given your situation!

I would advise against hand expressing as you will make yourself sore. You should really be using an electric or handheld pump if you're planning to breastfeed when you and little one are reunited. I use the madela swing as I was loaned a madela on the ward.

You can also buy extra bottles with screw caps off amazon too which you can attach to the pump and then keep in the fridge and send them home with your partner to feed the baby, having them washed, sterilised and brought back to you to re use.

Hope this helps! Sending hugs I hope you're out and reunited with your baby soon.

addictedtotheflats · 02/05/2020 16:58

Its not unheard of for milk to come in after 8 days, especially after a traumatic birth with blood loss. Your maternity ward should definitely have a pump for you to use and somewhere to store milk. You will have to pump 2-3 hourly days and night to ensure you keep supply increasing for your growing baby. Dont be aftaid to ask for bottles to store the milk in and sterisling equipment for pump parts (they usually give you a tub of milton) Good luck! We had a rough start with infections and prolonged hospital stay (for me) and still breastfeeding now at 13 months. Also I would advise you to ask your husband and mum to look up pace feeding as it is possible for your baby to get bottle preference and you might find it difficult (but not impossible) to get baby back on the breast.

Selfsettling3 · 02/05/2020 17:01

Every hospital, even ones without maternity wards, will have a breastfeeding coordinator. Ask to speak to the the breast feeding coordinator for advice. Are you well enough to have the baby stay with you in hospital. It might be easier in the long run for you to get the your baby on the breast if possible.

NurseP · 02/05/2020 17:02

Congratulations!ease ask the midwife to supply a pump for you to use, the bottles that come with the pump are used for storage too. They should offer you this! Once you get pumping, you will need to do so every few hours. Please ask!

SagaBauer · 02/05/2020 17:02

You can hand express if you don't have a pump, it shouldn't make you sore if you do it right. Definitely ask the midwives for a pump, I'm also surprised they haven't sorted one for you.

Keep expressing regularly to stimulate/keep up your supply. Try and express at least once overnight too as that is when milk production hormones are highest.

Hope you get well and home to your little one soon!

june2007 · 02/05/2020 17:03

Express using a hand pump see if you can borrow an electric pump and whilst in hospital use there electric pump. Use a picture do breast compression. You can do this. I started combined and pumping ended up feeding both to 4 yr.

Original poster

newmum234 · 03/05/2020 14:15

Thanks all.

He'll also need a cool bag to take milk home in.

We don’t have a cool bag but live a 10 minute drive from the hospital - will it be ok for DH to take it straight home and stick it in the fridge?

Once you get pumping, you will need to do so every few hours.

Will I need to wake up during the night to pump? I’m feeling very weak still and would ideally like to sleep through the night if I can.

Not feeling well enough to have baby with me unfortunately

OP posts:

june2007 · 03/05/2020 14:45

If you can wake up do so, but if not last thing at night first thing in morning. Dn,t think I woke up at 2 in morning to pump. Yes milk will be fine for 10 mins with out a cool bag.

TinnedPearsForPudding · 03/05/2020 14:50

Is there a reason that your baby is not admitted with you? It's unusual to separate mum & newborn babies

FraterculaArctica · 03/05/2020 14:54

Yes, I'm afraid you really do need to pump at least once between midnight and 6 am as this is when prolactin is at its highest. Try and make everything as easy as possible - can you keep the pump permanently by your bed? Enlist help of staff for sterilising pump parts. Sleep whenever possible (hopefully this is one advantage of not having baby with you).

A 10 min journey will be fine for your DH to transport milk at room temp. He should then stick it in the freezer immediately if it's not going to be used in the next 48 hours.

Pinkflipflop85 · 03/05/2020 15:39

You will need to pump every 3 hours to build and maintain supply. This is particularly important at night.

Milk is ok at room temp for up to 6hours, so a ten minute drive home would be fine. It just needs to go straight to the back of a cold fridge. Dont keep it in the door.

The kellymom website has lots of great advice for pumping and storage.

Bol87 · 03/05/2020 15:58

How come baby has had to go home? That seems quite unusual, especially if you want to breastfeed.. is it a covid thing?

I had to go back into hospital after my first & baby came with me for a few days.. I’m not sure I could be apart from my newborn. It must be horrible 😢

Hope you can find a pump OP!

BlueBlazerBlack · 03/05/2020 16:57

I was told you don't need to sterilise the pump parts or bottles with breast milk, just give them a wash in hot soapy water.
Expressing every 3 hours would be ideal but maybe if that's too much for you, you could try every 4 hours and at least once through the night?
Midwives should be able to store your breast milk in the fridge. Is your partner coming into visit and could he bring the baby so you could try her at the breast?

Original poster

newmum234 · 05/05/2020 08:08

I had two further procedures yesterday that lasted from about 9.30am-3pm, then felt so ill that I slept through the rest of the day on strong painkillers. Needless to say I didn’t manage to pump anything and wouldn’t be capable of looking after my baby even if they were here.

I feel like I’ve already failed as a mother and my child is going to be a formula fed baby I feel so guilty and down

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