expressing

[Lisa_85]

Well my pump didnt arrive but i have borrowed one from thew hospital until mine does arrive.

So when and how long do i express for?, Im trying to feed Issac every 2hours as he isnt able to latch properly so to stop him from becoming to hungry i offer his feeds and he is more that happy to take them... So how can i fit expressing into the day?

I have tried to express after a feed and nothing but a few drops come out but if i squeeze my boob it squirts out! im so frustrated.

Thanks for your advice x

 

[pinkyprincess]

I'd PM Ish if she doesn't see this, she's the express queen!

I'm not hugely sure as I seem to have a load of milk and can pump a bit before my feeds and still have plenty. Did they give you no advice in the hospital?

 

[BevG]

lol i can squeeze milk all over my hand on one side but it seems to leak out the pump but the other side i can get 1oz easily

 

[Lisa_85]

I'm on my Mobile so its a pain to on... hope she see's this.

I wish i was back at the first few weeks where it just poured out lol x

 

[ISH]

Oh yes, I express as if my life depended on it

Do persevere with pumping, there won't be much to start with, but it does increase over time I found it very frustrating in the first weeks, I'd pump for half an hour and get about 20 ml, but now OH's beer fridge is loaded with bottles of milk.

 

[Lisa_85]

I've just pumped, its been 4hours since he went to bed and fed at 7 i got 20ml but nothing more came out but when i squeezed my boob it squirted loads... y won't it just come out? How much Does V normally feed and how often? Z

 

[ISH]

V can feed up to 200 ml in one go, he likes to have a big meal in the evening (I could swear he had 400 ml in a couple of hours last night). But he only has little top ups during the day.

Back when I BFed him exclusively it was a nightmare, because my milk supply was lowest in the evenings, when he was at his hungriest, and he'd cry, then I'd start crying because I couldn't feed my baby, etc.

Don't worry about quantities, just persevere (I do it every 2 hours), you'll notice a difference in no time.

 

[jojo_2012]

When I had to express for my LO I was told every 3-4hrs 15mins on each side unless it runs dry obviously. A good bit of booby massage helps too.


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[Lisa_85]

Can i just top up other milk i express into the milk i previously expressed and stored in the fridge? I will keep going i have the machine on loan for a week x

 

[pinkyprincess]

Yes. This sites amazing for info

http://www.mother-2-mother.com/ExclusivePumping.htm

 

[Dustbunny]

Just to add different types of expressing work better for different people. So for example I found an electric pump absolutely useless for me but others swear by them. Different brands also make a difference too so it can be trial and error to begin with.

I try to pump every 2 hours and go for as long as is needed. Once the flow has stopped continue to pump for a couple of minutes for a second letdown and to help keep supply up. There's nothing wrong with hand expressing so if you can express a lot that way go for it