new mummy & struggling to deal with the leaking and expressing times. Tips..

[hawalkden]

I'm a first time mummy of a 35 week gestational baby. He was born on Bonfire Day at 11.29am. When he was born we tried him on the breast but he didn't take to it and then tried a bottled but that neither.

This is when he was taken to NICU due to his breathing and his blood sugars not going above the 'safe' level. I'm Type One Diabetic.

I was sent home last night and all he needs to do now whilst in NICU is finish a full bottle and have his feeding tube taken out . He takes about 40ml bottle over 30 minutes and the rest is tubed.

Main reason I'm doing this method. Expressing but using bottles is because I've tried him on the breast he takes 2/3 suck and the latch is taken away then he gets frustrated. I know he's 3 week early and needs to learn just like I'm getting to learn about him but I don't like seeing him getting frustrated and then the nurses (because I know they are busy and can't be feeding a baby for 45 minutes) ending up tubing him.

My main worry or more like frustration today is whilst I was in hospital I expressed using the medela symphony and everyone was amazed at the amount of milk I was producing. My right breast always gave out 110ml on the high setting for 5 minutes and the left around 40ml.

Whilst I was in I'd express every 3 hours due to them leaking or being super painful. Which was okay to do and I'd store the milk in the NICU fridge. With him being on 80ml every 3 hours the amount is going down well. So supply isn't a problem..

I need some huge advice on what to do about expressing. Due to Isaac being 35 week and 3 weeks early so I didn't buy a breast pump. Before leaving the hospital at 3 I did a final express and got 120ml out of me and by 6pm my breasts started feeling really heavy and aching. I went for a bath and hand expressed for a little. Due to my breasts being so big I had to just let the milk go into the bath and use both hands.

When I got out the bath my last resort was to phone my sister-in-law for her breast pump she doesn't use anymore. It's the Tommee Tippee hand held one and I think it's okay but I had to have a jug under one breast whilst pumping the other.. any tips on that at the moment just whilst I get the money for the double pump I know I need now!

I went to sleep at around 11. by 2am I got woken up with my breasts leaking through my bra and breast pads. I got undressed and sat at the end of the bed trying to express but the milk just leaked from the breast sucker so started getting frustrated then again the breast I wasn't pumping kept just leaking.

I went back to sleep and got woken at 5.45 with my pads, bra, top and the duvet/pillow soaking wet. I just burst into tears. The milk had leaked though the other side of the duvet and everything was just sticky.

I tried to clean it up with the towel I was using to stop the leaking from previous pumping. I just gave up in the end and ended up starting browsing BnB (not been on over a week!!)

I just need some advice on how I can keep up with the pumping. Due to money issues at the moment I can't just go and buy the medela electric pump. Even if I did buy the single one I don't know how to control the other breast from leaking.

Sorry long winded story to my problem which is the leaking and the timing of expressing but just need some advice really.

 

[Elmo5]

Speak to HV/local surestart they might have one you can hire in the interim.

There is nothing wrong with being tubefed and it will be the besy way to give bf a start.

Bottle is the quickest way to FF.

You need to be expressing regularly through the night as this is when your prolactin is highest.

 

[hawalkden]

I want him out of NICU asap and the only thing stopping him from coming home is the tube feeding. He's just being lazy.

I'll be bottle feeding him when he's home with my milk hopefully. I just don't want to waste all the milk I've produced already. All the staff on NICU are saying I'm Daisy the Cow at the moment .

 

[k8y]

Why did you have to have a jug under the breast pump? Did she not supply the bottles?

I just bought a tommy tipee closer to nature manual from asda for £16 and found this great.

 

[hawalkden]

Been doing the jug thing.. my breast just about fits inside it though to get all the milk dripping inside of it..

The pump is okay i suppose but with me producing 110ml at a time once my flow starts it takes a full 20 minutes on each breast. I'm thinking if the pump is okay later on I'll buy another and do them at the same time.

See how today goes and see if I've got time to go and get one after seeing monkey in NICU x

 

[k8y]

sorry just reread and saw it was for the other boob. hope you get sorted soon. just saw your announment in 3rd tri hes gorgeous !!!

 

[patch2006uk]

You need to express every 3 hours or so, through the day and ideally the night. Seriously, expressing and bottle feeding are the quickest way to formula. If you want to BF longterm, express, tube feed and keep trying to latch LO on. It may mean he's in NICU for a couple more days, but if you want to BF, it's easier to do it when you've got the support and you haven't caused nipple confusion! My LO wouldn't latch for the first 8 days, but he never got given a bottle - he was cup fed.

If you're leakin through everything, you need to be expressing a bit more often I'd guess. Leaks are inevitable, but extreme leaks can probably be reduced by removing the milk more often. Sleeping on a towel or with muslins in your bra might help too for damage control!

Ask your hospital for a pump-we hired a double pump for free when LO was born. Have they not given you a pump for while LO is in NICU?

These early days are critical if you want to BF.

Congratulations on your LO

 

[hawalkden]

I just want to express and give via bottle. He seems to stick to that and getting there slowly and least the bottles are pre made just need to add the teat when feeding.

Pump hire at the hospital is at a push due to high pump demand. I can hire one from Mothercare it's just getting one asap and not the delivery waiting time. Whilst he's still in NICU I can use their breast pump and I'll store some in the freezer and I've got enough for when he's home..

Just wondering.. whilst he's been in NICU the staff have been leaving the milk at his bedside in the express bottle i've collected it in and then just using when needed. Once home and hopefully still good supply can I do that during the night and day? Just taking milk out the fridge when the bottle is running low? No need to heat it or going downstairs etc though the night?

 

[patch2006uk]

If you can get him latched on, you'll probably have a longer BFing journey. Exclusively expressing is hard and not the easy option it's thought to be. Like I say, I expressed for 8 days and was struggling to keep up. When your LO is home, spending time pumping when he needs changing or he's crying, when you could just latch him on, is frustrating.

If you do want to go down that route, read the thread at the top of the BFing forum 'the ins and outs of exclusively expressing' to see what you need to be doing and how to cope. It isn't the easy option though!

 

[DarlingMe]

I agree with latching him on! Many of the studies for benefits of breastfeeding t
Do not include that the babies are breastfed majority of the time, not just EMB. so it is not known if all the benefits are the same with just EBM (although many are still there)

you might find your LO drinks better at the breast. The milk flow is more natural that way. The warmth and smell will help too. He has been smelling the amniotic fluid feelings warmth for several weeks so giving him this again will encourage him to eat. They should
be able to weigh him before and after to see how much he is getting.

Plus with pumping & EBM you will have to carry a pump with you if you leave your house longer than 2 hours, a cold pack, and your milk. You still have to clean & steroids bottles, plus all the time you will spend pumping. Moms who pump stop BF much sooner. If you are nursing you only need you and your baby.

>>>> Another thing you can do to encourage LO to drink is have the nurses put the tube in her mouth, latch her on, and have them use the feeding tube. She will learn how to latch if you can do both at the same time without getting frustrated. Then you can slow the tube feed down depending on how she is doing. Or feed her a bit through the tube then have her suck DR jack Newman uses this technique If you google him.<<<

As for your pump issue in the US in a case like this insurance would purchase a pump or
pay for you to hire one. Can they purchase one for you? Or you can purchase a manual pump for cheap. if you still Plan on pumping frequently then it is worth the money for a
double electric. I hope you find a solution that works for you. Don't mean to offend about the latching on, but I think breastFEEDING is just as important as BM!

 

[Ozzieshunni]

It took Alex a couple tries to latch. He initially had a tube which made it harder. We never needed him to be tube fed (he was 39 weeks) so as soon as they took the tube out, latching became so much easier. Try expressing a bit before latching.

COMGRATS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kanga]

Haven't read all the replies so apologies if its a duplicate, but my hospital has a 'baby cafe' twice a week which is a drop in for bf mums, to go and get help/advice. They also lend out pumps free of charge until you can get yourself sorted (I lent one for 2 months) with either bf or renting a pump.

The baby cafe was also a great way to get help and support with the latch after baby had been discharged. Your hv should have details of baby cafes near you, or similar events.

I pumped for 8 weeks and boy is it tiring in the beginning but so worth keeping up. You want to keep every drop of milk, as your supply won't stay as good as it is now without baby latching on.

Persevere with skin to skin and trying to get baby to latch. Its so difficult but will be so worth it if you can crack it x

 

[Elmo5]

You need to express every 3 hours or so, through the day and ideally the night. Seriously, expressing and bottle feeding are the quickest way to formula. If you want to BF longterm, express, tube feed and keep trying to latch LO on. It may mean he's in NICU for a couple more days, but if you want to BF, it's easier to do it when you've got the support and you haven't caused nipple confusion! My LO wouldn't latch for the first 8 days, but he never OT given a bottle - he was cup fed.

Similar to above post I was also in hospital 7 days as she wouldnt latch and she was tubefed and cup fed in the meantime.

If you can get him latched on, you'll probably have a longer BFing journey. Exclusively expressing is hard and not the easy option it's thought to be. Like I say, I expressed for 8 days and was struggling to keep up. When your LO is home, spending time pumping when he needs changing or he's crying, when you could just latch him on, is frustrating.

Also to back up the above post, expressing is hard. I had to do it last week due to a nursing strike and I was shattered. I found it time consuming, physically draining and to be honest felt like I was a cow being milked.