questions

[mrsadair]

i'm not really sure where to post this... but i thought i'd try it here. i feel kind of uncomfortable about breastfeeding and i'm 99% sure i don't want to. however, i want my baby to have the benefits of mother's milk. if i chose to pump and then bottle feed, would that be the same as long as it was never frozen, etc? what is the pump like to use, does it hurt, does it take a long time to get the milk out?

i've read that your body goes a little faster to your pre-pregnancy shape if you breastfeed... does that still apply if you are expressing?

also - what kind of shape does breastfeeding/expressing leave your breasts in compared to not doing either one?

edit - found a lot of helpful info in the sticky thread above. still some unanswered q's though

 

[Mervs Mum]

What are your unanswered questions hun?

 

[Blob]

Your breasts change due to pregnancy rather that actually BF

I'm pretty sure that even if your BM is frozen your baby is getting the benefits, there are a few mums on here who only express you should try and PM them for more info on what its like etc...

I found that expressing didnt hurt but it did take ages to start with, but at the start i guess your LO wont need much so its a learning curve.

Your body uses more calories in making milk so yes in that sense whether it still tones up your tummy muscles i'm not sure

 

[asacia]

I exclusively expressed for 8.5 weeks, until LO manage to successfully breastfeed. If you've got any unanswered questions, I'll do my best to answer

Can I ask why you don't want to breastfeed directly? Some issues that ladies have with breastfeeding also cause problems with pumping.

 

[mrsadair]

thanks ladies. it's just a personal thing, nothing physical or anything that means i couldn't do it (that i know of)

 

[asacia]

thanks ladies. it's just a personal thing, nothing physical or anything that means i couldn't do it (that i know of)

The reason I mentioned it is that expressing is very demanding, timewise.

I had to pump every 2-3 hours. If I went any longer, I'd be very uncomfortable, and I'd risk not getting enough milk for the day. It meant I had to go somewhere private regularly - I couldn't express discreetly and I couldn't do it in front of OH's family for example.

If it is body issues, you might have problems with expressing too. I regularly got upset about the state of my body.

Don't know if this is any use, iuf it is something we can help with, feel free to talk. You can always PM meif you want

It is a tough descision to make, how to feed. Some obstacles can be overcome, some can't. If you would like to breastfeed and feel you can't, feel free to talk to us about it.

If not, let me know if you have any more exclusive expressing questions.

A great plan to build and maintain a supply with pumping:
https://www.hollister.com/us/files/pdfs/breastfeeding/establish_milk_supply.pdf

It is very important to have a decent plan and stick to it religiously for at least 6 weeks.

 

[mrsadair]

The fact that it is demanding would be alright with me. Currently I don't work, I sit at home and mess around on my computer or play with my kitten. I want my baby to have my milk and I want other people to be able to feed him/her as well. I suppose I do have a lot of time to think about it lol. Thanks so much for that link - I tried to open it but I just installed a new operating system on my computer and I don't have the right software to open it so I'll have to get that downloaded so I can check it out. Thanks!

 

[Jkelmum]

i chose to exclusively express from day 1 a little adviceive found both hv and mw unsupportive telling me my supply will dry up as baby as never been to breast ...this isnt true i managed for 4months last time....to start with u get little milk out but still go with it every 3 hrs includin the night your supply will soon be up ...also a great investment ive found is a double pump ...ebay is a good place to get one any ? pm me xx

 

[mrsadair]

thank you so much

 

[asacia]

Oh yes, my HV and the midwives weren't supportive at all.

You can do it long term, but it requires real commitment. If you put in the hard work in the beginning, you'll build your supply up and it will be easier in the long run.

A double pump is a great idea, there are various places you can hire them from.

About breast shape/size - there isn't really any evidence that breastfeeding or expressing has any effect - its widely thought that it is pregnancy that causes changes for some women.