expressing between feeds...

[kitten1102]

hi guys,

i'm thinking about starting to express some milk for OH to be able to feed tim, but i'm not sure when is the best time between feeds to do it?

we generally go 6 hours between feeds at the moment.

any help would be greatly appreciated...

Liz

 

[Nicky_Jones]

6 hrs between feeds is a long time. I wouldn't be suprised if you suddenly find your LO feeding a lot more frequently in the next few days. They are normally very sleepy in the first 2 weeks. You may also find your body struggles to keep up when that happens, so I wouldn't worry about trying to express when it does. However I found the best time to express was on the morning as I had more there. I used to give Ellie her first feed of the day then express afterwards. However Ellie was 3-4months at this point and I was building up a supply in the freezer for when I was returning to work when Ellie turned 5months.

 

[Fluffy Bunny]

Its best if you can wait until round 6 weeks before you start expressing as this will mean your milk will be in properly. It will confuse your body if you express before your milk is established.

I found expressing in the morning is the easiet, like Nicky, just after I'd done the first feed of the morning. When you first express just do it for 5 mins max and gradually build it up. To begin with you'll probably only manage to get a few ounces off, this will increase with time so don't be alarmed!

Good luck!