Exclusive expressing Bf

cupcakex · Mar 30th, 2012, 14:44 PM

Is anyone else out there doing this. My little man gained 60g the second weekr and 40g on his third week. He still hadnt reached his birth weight so health visitor said to express and give him a top up after a feed. So I decided to do this only to find I had no milk. This scared me so I expressed fully for next feed and only got 2oz. He was only 6ib 14oz when born so really paniced and decided to exclusivly express this week until the health visitors next visit on monday. Im having to top up his feeds with formula as advised by consultant as he also needed bloods checked due to prolonged jaundice.
Im so exhausted I hope I can keep it up

youngwife20 · Mar 30th, 2012, 14:56 PM

Hun sorry your finding things hard.
I am expressing mostly and bf for snacks etc.
To get more milk to express drink more water.
When expressing do it around your little one. when my lo crys my milk leaks out!.
Okay. Start of expressing by squeezing your boob i press them to get more milk out! okay and then when you have all you can from one. swap over do the same to the next. then go back to the other boob and hand express and squeeze around the nipple i somtimes have lots of milk around that area. the massaging will help so then i pump alittle bit again and that helps me get more milk. I express because i like to know how much she is eating n my nipples are sore at the momment. hope your baby gains the weight xx

youngwife20 · Mar 30th, 2012, 14:57 PM

Also look at the sticky above plenty advice on exclusive epressing i like the break from bf xx

starnicole · Apr 1st, 2012, 17:52 PM

My boy was born 6lbs 6oz and after losing more than 10% of his weight we had to supplement with formula whilst I started expressing. It took a little while to build up my supply, but he now has only the occasional formula (almost 12 weeks old). It is a lot of effort, but I think it's worth it. My goal is 6 months, not sure if I will get there though.

ellie27 · Apr 2nd, 2012, 03:16 AM

Hi there

You said you only got 2 oz when you expressed - thats great!!! That is probably what a 2/3wk old would take per feed, and do remember a baby can get more out than a pump can!!!

My LO was still under birweight til 3wks too, I was told to supplement with formula with my LO- I resisted this time. Same thing had happened with my first LO and I done what they told me - topped-up with formula but within a couple more weeks any milk I did have had given way to formula and that was the end of bf that time. It can be a slippery slope.

If you got 2 oz expressing I say you have plenty milk and I would just have LO on the breast as much as you can - no top-ups and no expressing either

cupcakex · Apr 2nd, 2012, 03:33 AM

Thanks Ladies for getting back to me, its good to know that it can be done as at the minute Im so tired and therefore would be so easy to just go with the formula. Health visitor is coming today so I cannot wait to see if there is weight gain.

Cee108 · Apr 2nd, 2012, 04:57 AM

My LO was 6lb 2oz (2272gms) at birth, so pretty low on the weight scale too. By his 5 day appointment he had gained 22gms (which I understand is pretty rare) and I wasn't even getting a complete 2oz per feed!

I don't exclusively express - only when he has consistently not been latching properly and my nipples are sore, or we need to go out and he's cluster feeding and I don't want to be stuck in a Mothercare feeding room :P But even now, at 7weeks old, I'm only getting 3oz EXACT from a full breast and he feeds every 2 hrs during the day, and sometimes up to 5 hrs apart at night (I demand feed) and his weight gain is fine.

Its not just the amount of milk, but the consistency that matters too. I was told massaging my breast when half way through expressing and putting a hot compress on it will encourage the creamier hind milk to let down. I don't know if its true but it seems to be working

Good luck with it.. hang in there!

cupcakex · Apr 2nd, 2012, 05:55 AM

well ladies the health visitor has just left and my little man has gained 1ib so now im going to give up the formula. I cant believe it so happy for the first time in 4 weeks of feeding him. it has definitally been worth all the effort.

pachamama · Apr 2nd, 2012, 13:59 PM

Yay! great news

Hope you're able to get your lo back on the breast, if that's the plan. If it works out for you it's so much easier than expressing. Having said that, my lo had a posterior tongue tie, a lip tie and recurrent thrush, so I exclusively expressed from 6 weeks old. I still express a bottle a day for him! xxx

youngwife20 · Apr 5th, 2012, 04:06 AM

Pach - why do u find expresing dificult if u dnt mind me asking? Ive been doing it since she was born and just bf snacks shes 5 weeks old i find it easier than bf ?? At night instead of needing to warm milk etc when shes stiring il pump it fresh n give it to her i find it easy and il pump when im out and about if i need too x maybe itl get harder as she gets older? I can see uv been doing it a yr! Thts amazing

Mar 30th, 2012, 14:44 PM	#1
cupcakex Trying to conceive (TTC) Active BnB Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 153	Exclusive expressing Bf Is anyone else out there doing this. My little man gained 60g the second weekr and 40g on his third week. He still hadnt reached his birth weight so health visitor said to express and give him a top up after a feed. So I decided to do this only to find I had no milk. This scared me so I expressed fully for next feed and only got 2oz. He was only 6ib 14oz when born so really paniced and decided to exclusivly express this week until the health visitors next visit on monday. Im having to top up his feeds with formula as advised by consultant as he also needed bloods checked due to prolonged jaundice. Im so exhausted I hope I can keep it up

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Mar 30th, 2012, 14:56 PM	#2
youngwife20 Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Manchester Posts: 6,042	Hun sorry your finding things hard. I am expressing mostly and bf for snacks etc. To get more milk to express drink more water. When expressing do it around your little one. when my lo crys my milk leaks out!. Okay. Start of expressing by squeezing your boob i press them to get more milk out! okay and then when you have all you can from one. swap over do the same to the next. then go back to the other boob and hand express and squeeze around the nipple i somtimes have lots of milk around that area. the massaging will help so then i pump alittle bit again and that helps me get more milk. I express because i like to know how much she is eating n my nipples are sore at the momment. hope your baby gains the weight xx

Status: Offline

Mar 30th, 2012, 14:57 PM	#3
youngwife20 Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Manchester Posts: 6,042	Also look at the sticky above plenty advice on exclusive epressing i like the break from bf xx

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Apr 1st, 2012, 17:52 PM	#4
starnicole Pregnant (Expecting) Active BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Posts: 424	My boy was born 6lbs 6oz and after losing more than 10% of his weight we had to supplement with formula whilst I started expressing. It took a little while to build up my supply, but he now has only the occasional formula (almost 12 weeks old). It is a lot of effort, but I think it's worth it. My goal is 6 months, not sure if I will get there though.

Status: Offline

Apr 2nd, 2012, 03:16 AM	#5
ellie27 Mum (Mom) BnB Elite Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: uk Posts: 10,559	Hi there You said you only got 2 oz when you expressed - thats great!!! That is probably what a 2/3wk old would take per feed, and do remember a baby can get more out than a pump can!!! My LO was still under birweight til 3wks too, I was told to supplement with formula with my LO- I resisted this time. Same thing had happened with my first LO and I done what they told me - topped-up with formula but within a couple more weeks any milk I did have had given way to formula and that was the end of bf that time. It can be a slippery slope. If you got 2 oz expressing I say you have plenty milk and I would just have LO on the breast as much as you can - no top-ups and no expressing either

Status: Offline

Apr 2nd, 2012, 03:33 AM	#6
cupcakex Trying to conceive (TTC) Active BnB Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 153	Thanks Ladies for getting back to me, its good to know that it can be done as at the minute Im so tired and therefore would be so easy to just go with the formula. Health visitor is coming today so I cannot wait to see if there is weight gain.

Status: Offline

Apr 2nd, 2012, 04:57 AM	#7
Cee108 Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: London Posts: 729	My LO was 6lb 2oz (2272gms) at birth, so pretty low on the weight scale too. By his 5 day appointment he had gained 22gms (which I understand is pretty rare) and I wasn't even getting a complete 2oz per feed! I don't exclusively express - only when he has consistently not been latching properly and my nipples are sore, or we need to go out and he's cluster feeding and I don't want to be stuck in a Mothercare feeding room :P But even now, at 7weeks old, I'm only getting 3oz EXACT from a full breast and he feeds every 2 hrs during the day, and sometimes up to 5 hrs apart at night (I demand feed) and his weight gain is fine. Its not just the amount of milk, but the consistency that matters too. I was told massaging my breast when half way through expressing and putting a hot compress on it will encourage the creamier hind milk to let down. I don't know if its true but it seems to be working Good luck with it.. hang in there!

Status: Offline

Apr 2nd, 2012, 05:55 AM	#8
cupcakex Trying to conceive (TTC) Active BnB Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 153	well ladies the health visitor has just left and my little man has gained 1ib so now im going to give up the formula. I cant believe it so happy for the first time in 4 weeks of feeding him. it has definitally been worth all the effort.

Status: Offline

Apr 2nd, 2012, 13:59 PM	#9
pachamama Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: South UK Posts: 752	Yay! great news Hope you're able to get your lo back on the breast, if that's the plan. If it works out for you it's so much easier than expressing. Having said that, my lo had a posterior tongue tie, a lip tie and recurrent thrush, so I exclusively expressed from 6 weeks old. I still express a bottle a day for him! xxx

Status: Offline

Apr 5th, 2012, 04:06 AM	#10
youngwife20 Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Manchester Posts: 6,042	Pach - why do u find expresing dificult if u dnt mind me asking? Ive been doing it since she was born and just bf snacks shes 5 weeks old i find it easier than bf ?? At night instead of needing to warm milk etc when shes stiring il pump it fresh n give it to her i find it easy and il pump when im out and about if i need too x maybe itl get harder as she gets older? I can see uv been doing it a yr! Thts amazing

Status: Offline

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