Expressing

[Rachel]

I must be doing your head in with all these BFing questions now

I tried expressing some milk today to see how it went and if I could do it etc. I could only get out one ounce of milk and that took me ages, about 45mins I tried a couple of times throughout the day and still got hardly anything

This is making me worry again that Kieran isn't getting enough because if I can only express one ounce then that's surely all he's getting before it stopps aswell?

My milk did flow better when I put Kieran on my other boob at the same time as expressing but still only managed an ounce

Does how much you express mean that is all baby can get when they are feeding? Any tips on how to be able to get more milk out when I do express? Why did I only get 1oz, surely I should be able to get alot more out than that and in a shorter time too?

Again, sorry for all the questions

 

[kalia]

Babies are far better at getting the milk than machines - and he would be telling you about it if he was hungry!

If there's a reason for you expressing now that's OK but if not I think they suggest you give it another couple of weeks so that your supply has settled down before expressing.

I've been expressing since day 3. Did you use a manual or electric pump or did you hand express. Personally I kind of hand express at the same time as using a pump as it speeds the process up.

The best times to try are first thing in the morning or after a bath.

 

[Sherlock]

Ditto what kalia said

Your baby will get plenty more off your boob than you can expressing. Hence letting them boob feed those first 6 weeks to establish your supply. Unless there is a real reason for you to express I'd say leave it a few more weeks and let your LO sort out your supply. He is the best thing to get it right. Don't fret he isn't getting enough. He is. If he seems to want more it could be down to a growth spurt so switch him over to the other boob if he empties the first one. His weight gain when weighed should show you he is doing well. Expressing so early is more likely to stuff things up supply wise than help.

Expressing is misleading as to your actual supply. Please remember that. I can express off about 4ozs average, occasionally 6 but LO gets more than that from my boob.

 

[Rachel]

Thanks I thought a pump would get out the same as a baby can, that's why I was worried about only getting one ounce thinking that's all Kieran was getting. Glad to know that's not right and he is getting more than that

I do need to express, got a funeral to go to on Monday, was told about it today. I will be leaving Kieran for a few hours so need to express a decent amount off but looks like I will have to do it everyday and freeze it until Sunday night to have enough if im only getting one ounce

Will need to express again in a couple of weeks aswell because im going out

Kalia - I used a manual pump, the Avent Isis one

 

[DebbieM]

God no. A pump will never get as much as a baby. Babies are much more efficient!

 

[Rachel]

Another question

I've got enough milk in the freezer stored for Monday now, should I defrost it in the fridge Sunday night so it's ready for Monday? Is that ok?

Also, because I won't be feeding Kieran from my boob will I have to try and express some milk roughly around the times he would usually feed so that my supply dosen't go down?

 

[Misslarue]

Ditto everyone
You will never get as much milk as a baby can! I was told to express (while trying to get my milk up) at least 7 times a day and 1 in the night to keep my milk up..................in addition to feeding. I was always told too, to feed baby and to then express for at least 20 mins after, to mantain flow. I felt like a cow for the first 3 months!!

This advise was given to me when breast feeding hasn't been established from word go (prem, illness) for whatever reason.

 

[Squiglet]

lil miss is 6 months and I work between 8:30am till around 3pm... I express at 3:30 after a feed with lil miss and get 4oz and at 8am in the morning and get 2oz... I get around 6oz in milk and that serves lil miss for the approx 6 hours I'm away so approx 1oz an hour.. She drinks the lot and has a huge feed when I come back in... I don't express at work and my supply hasn't really gone down, thats been over a month now... I think you will be alright for a few hours Plus smaller babies drink far less, just more often.. if you can get an oz a day for the next few days and you are away for 4 hours you should be fine... although you might want to consider expressing at your LO's feed times, as you might become quite engorged as you are only just establishing your supply.

To defrost milk, I always put it in the freezer overnight... even if its not fully defrosted by the morning, it has to be heated before you give it to the baby anyway and that will defrost anything left over... Its much safer to defrost boob milk slowly than rapidly due to the fragile nature of the chemical balance in boob milk.

Remember you are not missing a feed. so getting a whole feed from expressing is going to be hard.. If you had a carton of milk... say 10oz and you gave 4 feeds of 2oz a day....you'd only have 2oz left in the carton... think of your boobs as the same... you may only get a small amount of boob milk from expressing BUT you are feeding a baby so at times when you are expressing there won't be loads of milk left in your boobs...... your boobs only make enough for your baby.. not your baby and expressing... You're LO is just fine...

 

[kalia]

You can defrost it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours. When we have used frozen milk we have just thawed it out in a bowl of hot water when we needed it (I froze it in breastmilk freezer bags).

It would be best if you could express around the times he would usually eat. If you don't your breasts will feel like they are going to explode. It may reduce your supply a little - my friend went away from her LO for a day to a wedding (she was away for 24 hours) and didn't express enough so her supply dropped. This does not mean your baby won't get all he needs though so don't panic! It just meant he was eating more frequently until the supply was sorted out again.

In case you don't manage to express, make sure you are wearing very absorbent breast pads and take quite a few spares. The tommee tippee ones are really absorbent and they have a large circumference but I find them uncomfortable - they feel like disposible nappies. They are really thin and are individually wrapped so could be packed discretely in a handbag. The johnson ones are comfy but not as absorbent as the tommee tippee ones and have a smaller circumference. Those are the only ones I have tried as I like the Johnson ones so use them.

 

[Rachel]

Thanks

I will probably defrost my milk in the fridge overnight because it will be used before 24 hours anywy so that will be ok

Hopefully I will be able to express abit of milk but not sure if I will yet so I will take extra breastpads. I use the tommee tippee ones anyway so I know they are good for me, used tescos before but they were too padded and you could see them through my clothes

It will be strange if I can't express and my boobs feel full, they never feel full lol always feel normal like how they used to be even when not BFing.

 

[Xena]

I'm crap at expressing. It takes me about 2 hours to get half a bottle expressed (and then Alex doesn't eat it anyway!) - he guzzles loads from my breasts though. I know I am capable of producing a lot of milk, I'm just not very good at expressing.