Help with expressing...

[helloeveryone]

Hi i need some advice about a few things and maybe a story or 2 about how your expressing went in the early days...

Right a little about me i am not having my baby early but my baby has a cleft lip and maybe palate, so i won't be able to breastfeed.
Anyway i need to deciede weather to express some colstum before i have my baby or try to get some after i have my baby..??..
My midwife has said i would need to able to get about 1 to half ml per feed to start with..
Does that sound about right??
Also is it best to try to hand express in the hosptial or pump??

Any storys and advice would be lovely as i am due in 3 weeks and starting to get a little bit worryied about how easy expressing will go..Etc..

 

[katy1310]

Hi hun

I expressed for Sophie for 9 weeks before going on to bf her, so I can give you a bit of info.

The midwives didn't ask me to start expressing till the Tuesday (Sophie was born on the Sunday) and I'll be honest, it was hard going at first! I thought I'd never get anything! The first time I tried absolutely nothing happened, so she said to leave it for now and not get stressed. The midwives were really helpful. I only got tiny, tiny amounts at first but they told me that was completely normal. Sophie was just getting 0.5ml every 3 hours (but she was a 27 weeker so couldn't cope with much to start with).

The midwife told me that in a day or 2 I'd be getting 4ml and then it would just keep increasing. I didn't believe her but she was right! I hand expressed for the first few days. Getting it into the tiny syringes was so hard but eventually they gave me some of the bottles from the neonatal unit and that was much easier!

They did try to get me to use a pump on the second day of expressing but after half an hour of nothing happening, and me getting totally stressed out, I went back to hand expressing for another couple of days and the next time I used the pump it was much easier because my milk had come in properly by then.

I would say to express every 3 hours day and night to get your supply going. Also having your baby near you when you're expressing should really help. I wasn't able to do that in the very early days with Sophie being in NICU, but after I was allowed to start having cuddles if I expressed straight after, I got so much more!!

Try not to stress about it, expressing will soon become second nature

If you have any more questions, we're all here to try to help.

xxx

 

[lozzy21]

Its easier to hand express at first since you will be getting tiny amounts of colstum. Niamh wouldent latch so id express with her infront of me onto a medcine spoon and then give her it straight away. Once your milk comes in a pump might be easier.

 

[25weeker]

Hi

Colostrum is full of fat and goodness so they do only need a small amount at the beginning because their tummy's are very tiny.

I would recommend you hand express until you are getting between 5-10mls and then you can use a pump. The hospital grade pumps are definitely the best.

It does take a while for your milk to come in and even then it will take time for the amount to increase but try not to get to disheartened as you will get there.

I expressed for about 12 weeks before going on to breastfeed and am still breastfeeding and my lo who is 17 months next week.

Good luck xxx

 

[Marleysgirl]

I never hand expressed, I started by using the hospital double pump about three to four days after Andrew was born. Like the others I only got a tiny amount to start with, but he was only on 1ml/feed back then as he was so tiny!

The amount increased (particularly when I dropped from 3hrly to 4hrly) but never got to huge amounts, even with domperidon prescribed to increase supply. We never did establish b/feeding and I pumped until Andrew was 7m.

 

[helloeveryone]

Hi thanks for getting back to me,,and thanks for your stories i think i will try to express a little bit before before and i have looked on you tube to see how to do it.....xxx

 

[25weeker]

Hi thanks for getting back to me,,and thanks for your stories i think i will try to express a little bit before before and i have looked on you tube to see how to do it.....xxx

Ask the post natal ward to supply you some syringes as this is definitely the easiest way to store it when small amounts.

It still makes me laugh thinking of me hand expressing and my oh chasing the milk so he could suck it up into the syringe. Who said motherhood isn't glamerous