Breastfeeding and Expressing

[kellylou]

Any one doing this who can give tips? How often does baby breastfeed and how often do you express and baby have bottle?

What bottles do you use and when did you introduce the bottle?

Thanks in advance

 

[Lau's]

Ooooh i am very interested in this thread, as i intend to express from about 3/4 days.

 

[shootingstar22]

Baby books suggest feeding every 3-4 hours. The ones I have read say do the first day feed at 7am and last feed at night is 22:30- you the do one night feed before 7am.

Anyway it says feed your babe for half hour on one breast ( you have to get past the fore milk as this hasn't got all the fat baby needs to make them full) then put your baby down for a kick about- thus is fir the 7am feed by tge way. Then it says express from your other breast for a bit, then offer the remainder of your breast to your baby bfore putting them back down. Book says to then bottle feed your breast milk for the evening feed (10:30pm) and you can express at thistime too if needed.

 

[shootingstar22]

The book I am Reading is a best seller an is supposed to have a really good routine. I don't think I am allowed to mention the book on the site?! But I can PM the book title to you.x

 

[kellylou]

yes please if u could x

 

[flexilexi394]

My ideal situation and how id like it to go for me is:
Breast feed for 2 weeks after baby is born.
Introduce one bottle during the day of expressed milk after the 2 weeks and breast feed the rest of the time.
Eventually be able to do all the during the day feeds of expressed milk then at night time breast feeds.

The tricky part is getting your milk to come at the right time i should imagine - as im sure it will take my body some getting used to of doing this. so er, thats my plan, whether it goes this way is another matter!! x

 

[shootingstar22]

yes please if u could x

Sent!

 

[JJ Mum]

I'm not sure if that would be too much bottle feeding in the day Flexi to get the balance right, or expressing and breast just at night. Oh it's soo tricky, not having done it, other than expressing before. I must start reading up on it actually, so I have it in my brain before D-day.

I am just gonna do breast if possible for a good while and then use expressing later on so the kids or OH can help too and be involved. I have got tommie tippee closer to nature bottles x2 , hope they are like boobs! (they are supposed to be).

 

[flexilexi394]

Thanks jj, I may need to change plan slightly. Maybe breast feed a majority of the time with the odd bottle if I'm out and about. So hard to know what to do! I've got about a thousand bottles that I got brand new with a second hand steriliser, so not gonna Ginsburg for a long time! Lol x

 

[Emmamb]

I just left expressing unless absolutely vital,especially for 1st few weeks. 1st time I left matt he was 3 weeks old,I'd expressed enough milk to allow me the evenin off but found after 4 hours my boobs were uncomfortably full,leaking and I had to come home anyway...I remember my drunken hubby announce to his work mates y we was leavin early (with action) *cringe* lol

I found the best time to express was straight after a feed. Xx

 

[Momma`Kat]

But if you express right after a feed, doesnt that mean you are just getting the fatty hind milk, rather than the nutritious foremilk? Or am i understanding this wrong? Lol

 

[flexilexi394]

think ill just express if i really need to then maybe lol (dammit!)
Momma kat i am not sure how it works, think you can express at any time, dont think it has to be straight after a feed, and if you let baby feed off one breast and express off the other youll get all the good stuff too x

 

[shootingstar22]

But if you express right after a feed, doesnt that mean you are just getting the fatty hind milk, rather than the nutritious foremilk? Or am i understanding this wrong? Lol

You have to express from a "fresh" breast. So feed baby on your left for 30 odd mins and then put baby down for a kick about. Express from your right for a bit and then offer whatever is left in your right breats after expressing I'd your baby is still hungry.

It's really important that baby gets the fatty milk as this will keep hunger at bay. So that's why they say it's best to feed for 30 mins on one breast, take a break and express from the other, then offer whatever is left to babe just to make sure they are full- if they are not then least they are not just getting too much of the fore milk as if they only ever drink this the will want to be fed all the time!

 

[lucylu87]

This whole feeding thing is soooo confusing... loads of different advice and i just dont no where to start !

 

[mumofmany]

when i expressed i did it straight after a feed and would use both breasts as i needed both to get enough. with my 4th and 5th i actually got the tommy tipee bottles which i found more like the breast and introduced when about a week old with my 5th because i knew i was going out for lunch with baby and i was not getting boobs out in the pub. occasionally my hubby could feed him then too, i found when i waited longer with my 4th she wouldn't take both and it was a real struggle for me to get her to take the bottle, so i think every baby is different, I think as long as its only the occasional bottle its no harm from a week old but if giving more bottles than breast i think thats when breastfeeding becomes a problem because its easier out the bottle personnlay i dont think they get confused i think they just very clever and if having more bottles they realise it comes out easier that way. again i'm not an expert thats just my experience.

 

[pinkymum]

This whole feeding thing is soooo confusing... loads of different advice and i just dont no where to start !

I was just thinking the same thing!!! Glad I have a good few months to read up on this. Although I bet when babies here all my plans will go out the window lol