expressing help - not sure if i should post this in bf or ff so here it is!

[htaylor]

Hi!
I've been exclusively BFing but the past few days LO has been going mad, starving alll the time, crying constantly and never being content.
i spoke to my midwife about and she suggested expressing so i can have an hour to myself (Harry would feed every 2 hours for about an hour - with lots of screaming and nipple biting) so i literally didnt have any time to do anything at all!

so i got out my breastpump and he seems happy and content and ive managed to have a hot cup of tea and a shower!

there are loads of things i dont know tho - i never planned on expressing/sterlising or anything like that!


1. how do i get more hindmilk out? his poops have been green since i started expressing
2. how long does a bottle stay sterlie for?
3. if the milk cools 'cause he hasn't drank it all - can i reheat it?


thanks

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Might be better posting in BF but I'll see if I can help a bit:

Pump after a feed or during a feed. That way, you will get hind milk as well.

I haven't bothered with worrying about keeping a bottle sterile. I sterilize once and use the bottle when I need it. Other ladies might have better advice.

You cannot reheat milk once it's been heated once Bummer, I know!

 

[katlin]

I exclusivly express so i think i can help you.
Your cups and valves should be steraized once a week and washed with hot water and a soft brush after every use
You should steralize bottles before every use and milk can be stored in the fridge for 24hours
It can only be heated once and is then good for no more then three hours and then should be dumped if exressed and not cooled use within four hours
Punping can be done while breast feeding or afterwards or you can do short pumps inbetween feeds which will increase your supply so u can then start pumping more. My daughter eats 1oz every 2 hours and because i express every three for 25mins ech breast i get 6oz from both and freeze whats left over. Because i do this i actually have over 150oz of frozen milk n my lo is 12days old

 

[Ozzieshunni]

It's actually up to 5 days in the fridge.

 

[katlin]

My ped told me 24hrs after that the nutrients start going bad.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Rule of thumb is typically 5 hours at room temp, 5 days in the fridge, and 5 months in the freezer. The nutrients and antibodies are reduced by freezing anyways. I suppose it's different in different places

 

[tootyfruity]

Rule of thumb is typically 5 hours at room temp, 5 days in the fridge, and 5 months in the freezer. The nutrients and antibodies are reduced by freezing anyways. I suppose it's different in different places

this is correct!!

 

[patch2006uk]

You've probably just hit the 1 month growth spurt! I wouldn't recommend expressing just yet really, as you could jeopardise your supply and actually prolong the cluster feeds, as well as risking nipple confusion. You're so close to 6 weeks, when things really start to settle down. If you can tolerate another couple of weeks, you'll be over the worst

 

[shambaby]

how often are you expressing? it probably isn't the best solution in an ideal world, but if it helps keep you sane and gets you over what is probably a growth spurt, it hopefully won't do any harm now and then. but do remember the reason for the frequent feeding is to increase your supply, so to keep up with demand by expressing would probably actually be more time consuming than just breastfeeding.

to answer your questions:

1. if you express until the milk stops, then continue for a few minutes more you should be getting plenty of hindmilk, and hopefully keeping your supply up in the process (this can take a long time - i exclusively expressed, and sometimes it could take up to an hour). double pumping increases the release of hormones, which provides better stimulation of your supply than pumping one breast at a time. pumping from one breast whilst feeding from the other would have the same effect, plus save you time, but i imagine it must be rather fiddly!

2. depends on the method of sterilisation, and on the steriliser itself - check the instruction manual. personally, i washed and sterilised everything (bottles, pump parts etc) after each use, although i had read the advice about not needing to sterilise the pump parts so frequently. i just couldn't get my head round why the bottles needed to be sterile if the milk was passind through a non-sterile pump on its way to the bottle, taking any germs which might be lurking there with it

3. no. you can only warm the milk once, then anything left over has to be discarded. i could never find any advice on how long it was safe to keep, but my rule was to throw it away after an hour, unless he was still drinking it! even if you have expressed it, kept it at room temperature and then given it to him, you can't save any milk left over in a bottle he has drunk from - bacteria from his mouth will get into the milk and then happily multiply in there. anything left in a bottle which has been drunk from must be thrown away, and milk can only be warmed once.

i hope you get over this difficult period and continue to bf. although expressing worked out for us, it was HARD and i wouldn't recommend it unless you really have to.

 

[lisaf]

I believe the 24 hour rule is for thawed milk, not fresh.. fresh is good for 5 days in the fridge, once you thaw frozen stuff it has to be discarded after 24 hours.

If you aren't sure how much he will take, keep the milk in 2 containers.. one that he is drinking out of and just add fresh milk from the other container to the drinking one as needed. Pour however much you're willing to risk if he's done (for me, I would do 2ounces at a time). I passed that tip onto another mom who found it saved her SO much milk that she was having to toss with her finicky eater. This works better with fresh milk since its already warm/room temp and you don't have to worry about heating up small amounts etc.
I've given my guy some milk cold at times and he's taken it just fine.

If you have a double pump and plan on continuing to pump, buy yourself a pumping bra.. Simple Wishes makes a great one.. it is a LIFESAVER for pumpers. Wish I had bought mine sooner!

The best way to get the hindmilk is to do breast compressions while you are pumping (much easier if you're using a pumping bra). You basically push down on your breast and squeeze it towards the nipple... you'll get a good idea if its working by seeing more milk coming out.
Also make sure your pump is turned up high enough. My lactation consultant said to turn it up until it hurts, then turn it down 2 notches from that.
Relaxing while you pump does help more come out too.. sit back in your chair, don't hunch forward and watch tv or read or something to take your mind off of it when you're not compressing etc.

Also remember to shake your milk to mix in the fattier layers. Mine doesn't heat as quickly when the fat is floating on top.

Ways to increase your supply - taking fenugreek (it will make you smell like maple syrup, just a heads up, lol), eating oatmeal, staying hydrated

I had a lot of latching issues initially and even when we got him latching he was hurting me so bad that I'd pump for some feeds and nurse when I could. I greatly prefer to nurse, but I'm glad he's so flexible on going from bottle to breast back and forth since I'm back at work now.

 

[membas#1]

i don't sterilize my bottles before every use. but my LO is quite a bit older...not sure if it's necessary or not...i just throw them in boiling water when i sterilize my pump parts. i am back at work so i pump all day at work for LO to have milk the next day. i'm just pumping enough, so don't have much frozen milk. the few times i tried to use frozen milk with her she refused as freezing changes the flavor some. that being said, i freeze mine in ice cube trays when i do have extra, and if i need to supplement i throw an ice cube (which is about an ounce) in with a few ounces of fresh and warm it...she hasn't noticed this when I do it.

freezing does destroy some of the nutrients and antibodies, so best if you can provide fresh but providing frozen milk isn't a bad thing if that's what you have.

everything i have read indicates milk is fine in the fridge for 5-7 days (i've read 5, 6, 7) so chose your source and go with it. never heard 24 hours though..if my LO drinks part of a bottle but not all, i try to get her to take the rest within a few hours and if she doesn't, it gets thrown out after 2-3 hours.

i think the flavor changes also with time in the fridge...my LO is picky picky and if the milk has been in the fridge for a few days she will sometimes refuse, so i try to just pump for the next day. not all babies are this picky--but my LO didn't have anything but from the breast for the first 5 months so this month has been a lot of trail and error with going back to work and pumping.

good luck with whatever you decide you need to do.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

The 24 hours is for thawed milk

 

[katlin]

Eh whichever is your choice i pump enough for 6 feedings every 3hrs right now so hers is always fresh anyways im freezing cause i am choosing only to pump till my little one is three months adjusted age so nother three and a half months n i want enough stored for till shes six months i may decide to pump longer but we shall see.

 

[crazyguider]

Are you using a hand or electric pump
I have the medala swing which is amazing it has a let down feature

 

[Hellymay83]

I exclusively express for katie as she wouldn't latch.

To get hind milk I place my hand on the back of my boob and that encourages it to come out.

A sterile bottle will stay sterile for 24 hours.

You can leave freshly expressed breast milk out at room temperature for 6 hours.

You can store it for 3 days in the fridge.

You can store it for a month in te freezer.

If taking it out of the fridge for a feed, leave it out for an hour to get to room temperature. After that you can leave it out for 4 hours before it needs discarding.

You can feed them the ebm at room temperature so when you warm it up from the fridge (if needed) just warm it to room temp.

I wa told to pump 8 times in 24 hours, this includes once through the night just to keep your milk from drying up.

I've been following this plan for 2 weeks and I can get two 90ml bottles of ebm to one half an hour expressing session, I have started to increase it to 120ml as she grows.

I have lots stocked up in the fridge and freezer

Hope this has helped you.

 

[htaylor]

Thanks alot ladies!
Ive got an electric advent pump!
i dont pump for every feed - just ones where i need a bit of a rest, and one just before bedtime when he gets really fussy and over-tired but wants feeding.

im pumping during and after feeds so he's still getting boobies and im still getting milks!
we're keeping a big bottle full in the fridge and dispensing and warming as required!

honestly, expressing these few feeds has saved me from insanity! i feel like myself abit again! theres no 'HANNAH!! He's hungry!!!' coming from DH while im on the toilet! sooo much better!
plus theres none of the unhappy biting on my nipples when he doesnt want to be put on his side, but still wants to be fed!

yay!

 

[georgina.miss]

Heya my lo is now 11 weeks and expressed since week 3 and given him a bottle since then once day and hes absolutely fine- i bf most of the time but always express a bottle for either the last feed or to top him up when hes extra hungry - theres absolutely nooo harm in expressing and letting your other half feed him or even yourself for just a little break
Its not the be all and end all if u dont bfeed on every single feed and if u want to give him a bottle now and again go for it.........my lo is more than happy and it definitely keeps me sane

xxxx

 

[katlin]

I use a medelapump in style and i pump every 3 hrs and every 4-6 during the night i find rubbing from the top of my breast down gets all the hind milk and i pump for a
Min of 25mins sometimes longer during the night because i become full so fast.

 

[membas#1]

i have the medela pump in style too--it's great. i also pump about every 3 hours at work but BF otherwise. i only pump one side at a time...so i can have a hand free for BnB and it takes me about 20-30 min...so about 10-15 min on each side. i also press the top of my boob for hindmilk...and after all the milk is expressed, or it quits flowing i should say--i pump a few more minutes then i'm done.

i wish i got more milk, but it seems to be enough for LO.

 

[Mrshoffie]

If it helps, it's recommended to sterilse bottles in the uk before every use. Just use a large plastic container and add cold water and Milton fluid or tablet. You can leave bottles in there and they will then be sterile when needed. It takes 15 mins to sterilise and needs changing every 24 hours.
And the constant feeding is normal - it's called cluster feeding! It will get easier x