Breast Feeding or Expressing

[Becci_Boo86]

HI ladies i need some advice for a first time mum

Hubby and i have been talking and he wants to be able to feed baby and have that bond right from the beginning. He asked what i thought about expressing and then bottle feeding.

What would you do? I really dont mind if i'm honest aslong as baby gets milk and is healthy

i would rather baby have my milk then formula.

what are your ideas?

thanks xx

 

[mummyosborne]

I've thought a lot about this too but can't decide so I'd like to hear what other people say xx

 

[Tryingbabyno1]

I was thinking the same, I'm going to breast feed and express milk so OH can bottle feed

 

[catty]

I like the sound of this idea but iv heard lots of people who say they can only express quite small amounts and it can take a while so realistically it could be quite a bit more work doing this. i would like to do a bit of this at nights or weekend though

 

[funinthesun]

I'm a first time mum also. I really like the idea and am hoping that my husband can give the baby at least one bottle of expressed milk a day. As I haven't done it before I'm not sure if this is easy to do.
My brother and his wife do this with their baby and it is really lovely to see the strong bond that my brother has with the baby. Their baby is clearly very comfortable with my brother and he will often be looking after the baby, holding it and soothing it.

 

[Quailpower]

Im planning on BF and going to switch to express and bottle after a month or two so OH can feed. Hes happy with that (I think hes secretly glad he has a little while to get used to baby without the pressure of feeding)

 

[Smiler82]

I'm a first time mum and am thinking of doing the same. It would be brilliant for DH to have that time with the baby to bond so I do want to try expressing.

I've heard mixed things - one friend said it took her over an hour to express enough for just one feed so she gave up as her day just revolved around expressing then feeding and nothing else. Another friend said it took her 15 mins to express so I suppose you just don't know til you try I suppose an alternative is to BF during the day, then just do 1 or 2 express sessions so DH can do a couple of feeds in the evening. But then again, you don't know if your baby will take to doing breast and bottle. Again, I know some people whose babies had no problem but others would onyl do one or the other.

I found out this week that you can hire a breast pump from Mothercare. I think this is probably what we're going to do. You get it for 2 weeks initially so you can see how you go, then either carry on renting it, buy one or give up depending on you and baby x

 

[ShirlWirl]

I didn't get on with expressing - I hated doing it and it took at least 1hour tto get enough for a feed. But everyone is different so you just have to try and see how it goes

 

[karenh24]

my cousins gf tryed to breastfeed and then express and bottle feed when out for long periods of time, baby just wouldn't take to a bottle at all.me personally i want to breastfeed and start using bottles when baby gets teeth but im a ftm as well so see how it goes

 

[Athena]

You really need to establish a good feeding pattern before you think about expressing tbh, it can mess up your supply and then you might feel as though you don't have enough milk and give up. It's best for you to feed on demand for the first few weeks, from the breast hun. There are plenty of other ways for your husband to bond with your new baby.

Good luck x

 

[iiTTCii]

I'm going to breast feed first and then express so OH can give a feed at about 6 weeks. Don't want to do it too soon as I've heard the baby can become confused between nipple and bottle.

 

[CatherineK]

Expressing too early can really hurt your supply sometimes, I hate to say. And believe me, it's much more comfortable to nurse directly than have to attach to a pump every two hours, which is about what you need to do, 24 hours, at the beginning to keep supply up. It's really best to wait about six weeks.
Ther are SO MANY WAYS for dads to bond other than a bottle! Holding, changing, cuddling, reading, eye contact and cuddles. I hate that so many people seem to think that bottle feeding is the best way for a dad to bond. My husband is closer to his kids than anyone I know, and he never fed them before six weeks old.

 

[Anderson8]

I'm with Catherinek, you need to wait till your supply is established before thinking about expressing, this is one of the main reasons women can't get a lot from expressing. Ds took expressed milk from around 6 weeks but then suddenly refused a bottle at 12 weeks and didn't take one again till he was 6 months old.
Hubby's job was and still is bath time, there are so many more ways to bond than feeding

 

[embeth]

Like others have said you will need to feed for a little while before expressing, it will establish your supply and get baby used to feeding etc. Once you've done that then express a little for your hubby to feed as well. There are loads of ways for him to bond with bubs in the very early days, my oh used to wind my second son after a feed or there was a time when the only way he would settle once fed was if he stood up with him and had his cheek touching the baby's check was so cute!

I only ever breastfed with my second, never had a bottle and I think oh felt very bonded with him from very early on despite not doing any feeds xx

 

[xsadiex]

Expressing is quite a bit of effort. I prefer breastfeeding really. You can always express sometimes but doing it 2 times a day would be a hassle I think! More washing up, having to time it right so you don't do it just before a feed.
Just for ease I'd stick to breastfeeding! Daddy can do baths Etc.
x

 

[krysb]

My son started getting the bottle of breastmilk at 4 weeks. Before that my wife was pumping and storing, but it is my understanding that it is not a good idea to bottle feed before 4 weeks. This is information from a lactation consultant we took a class with.

 

[LockandKey]

for breastfeeding mothers, I think it's typically not advised to introduce a bottle until after 4 weeks to first establish your supply, and to avoid nipple confusion. And since my DD was exclusively breastfed, she decided that she didn't want to take a bottle, but there are still many babies who may take both bottles and breast without a problem. There are still plenty of ways for dads to bond with baby, like cuddling, reading to baby, singing, playing, bathing, dressing, etc.

 

[MindUtopia]

I would bf and encourage your dh to find other ways to bond. Expressing is HARD WORK. It makes feeding take 3x as long (time to pump, time to feed and time to clean/sterilise all the equipment). It can also affect your supply as a pump doesn't work like a baby, causing over or under supply. I unfortunately had to express after 8 weeks for medical reasons (recurring mastitis, breast dermatitis and a baby who couldn't latch well enough to get enough milk). I was spending as much as 6 hours a day attached to the pump (to get 1-2 bottles), not able to hold my baby, and my body just didn't respond to the pump. After 2 weeks of pumping my milk was just gone and now my daughter has to have formula. If you can bf easily, enjoy it and don't mess around with the pump early on. If after 6 weeks, you want to do it occassionally so you can get some rest, great. Otherwise, I'd focus on bf and let your hubby enjoy bathtime and daddy snuggles while you take care of feeds.

 

[Amberyll23]

I may be an aberration of nature here, but I was able to successfully breastfeed and express for my DD for 1 full year. I waited for my milk to come in, breastfed her exclusively for the first 2 weeks, and then began expressing along with breastfeeding without any problems. She took to the bottle without any issues at all and continued to have no issues nursing, either. DH was able to feed her from a bottle of expressed milk at 2 weeks.

At three months, she went into daycare full time, so I was only able to breastfeed her in the mornings and evenings when at home. During the day, I expressed while at work, and would provide the expressed bottles the following day to daycare for use, so she was always exclusively on breastmilk.

I rarely had issues with supply, and it was usually around the time I would get my period (it returned when DD was about 6 months old). So I would take fenugreek supplements, which helped me, and I was still able to keep up.

Every woman and baby is different. Some women encounter supply issues, others dont. Some babies get nipple confusion, others dont. I was fortunate I believe to be able to do exactly what I wanted to when it came to breastfeeding and expressing. I am hoping that this baby will take on just like DD1. If not, I will adjust my plans according to her needs.

 

[sue_88]

Expressing too early can really hurt your supply sometimes, I hate to say. And believe me, it's much more comfortable to nurse directly than have to attach to a pump every two hours, which is about what you need to do, 24 hours, at the beginning to keep supply up. It's really best to wait about six weeks.
Ther are SO MANY WAYS for dads to bond other than a bottle! Holding, changing, cuddling, reading, eye contact and cuddles. I hate that so many people seem to think that bottle feeding is the best way for a dad to bond. My husband is closer to his kids than anyone I know, and he never fed them before six weeks old.

I'm with Catherinek, you need to wait till your supply is established before thinking about expressing, this is one of the main reasons women can't get a lot from expressing. Ds took expressed milk from around 6 weeks but then suddenly refused a bottle at 12 weeks and didn't take one again till he was 6 months old.
Hubby's job was and still is bath time, there are so many more ways to bond than feeding

This. Yes you body might take to expressing, and your baby might take a bottle.

But I know that I will not be risking my breastfeeding routine and my supply before 6 weeks so that she can be fed from a bottle.

Some babies point blank refuse bottles from the word go anyway.

I don't understand why people think Dad MUST feed the baby to bond how about cuddling, skin to skin, bathing, nappy changing....feeding really isn't the be all and end all.