Expressing milk

[babe2ooo]

Hey girls,

Just wondered if anyone was using an electric pump?? i've been using one but just wondered how often do people pump and how much milk do u get each time u pump??

i feel like since i've started pumping that my milk is coming less but might just be me, cause b4 i couldnt tell how much breast milk Jack was getting....when i was BF


thanks

 

[Carolyn]

i'm supposed to pump after every feed, even at night. she cries if she has to watch me pump and if i go into another room she gets niggly faster. i get 25 to 40 ml each time, but that's after she's had her fill. all the little bits i pump in the day go to a big bottle at tea time which daddy gives her. usually 6ozs worth. (she won't go to my boob to feed at this time) this happens about half the time, some days she'll just scream if i put her down, i don't feel i can pump then!

 

[angie0235]

Carolyn - where do you store the expressed milk during the day? I've just started abd managed 1oz but not sure if i can put pump and bottle in fridge and do more later?

 

[Ragirl]

For me, it depends on the type of electric pump and the time of day I am pumping. Twice a day, with my dual-electric big pump, I can pump approx 300 ml/10-ish oz and the other times I pump about 150-200ml. With my little battery operated/electric pump I get about half that. I pump every 2-3 hrs to keep up supply. It's not unusual for milk supply to go down if you are exclusively pumping, but it does not necessarily have to go down. Just like with bfing, the more you pump (and make sure you pump yourself dry), the more your body will make. And yes, you can pump, put it in the fridge, and add to it later. I combine all my milk from the day in one bag and freeze at the end of the day or keep in fridge if it will be used the next day.

 

[jenstar]

Using an electric hospital-grade medela pump I can pump max 2 1/2 oz each side. I have weighed my baby before and after a feed, from this I think he gets around 3 oz each side.

About storing milk- don't put your just-expressed milk into the same container as your previously-expressed milk in the fridge, let it all cool down to fridge temp then mix it in your storage container. (Just like you shouldn't reheat your dinner leftovers again and again don't bring the temp of the expressed milk up and down by putting warm milk into the cold stuff.....hope this is explained ok!)

 

[babe2ooo]

thanks guys

 

[angie0235]

Thanks very much x

 

[Carolyn]

i store all the liitle bits in breastmilk plastic pouches that are pre sterilised. then i put a few together to heat up under a hot tap. don't know if this is 'good practice' or not. tbh i don't care about good practice anymore! i've been told such conflicting things from the so called professionals.

 

[babe2ooo]

yeah same here