The ins and outs of exclusively expressing

[shellideaks]

Hi ladies, can I join?

DS2 is nearly 5 weeks old and I have been exclusively expressing since he was born due to him being premature. I was hoping to start breastfeeding one he came home but it turns out he has a tongue tie and really struggles on the breast. He has an appointment at the end of this month to get it cut but I'm kind of expecting to keep expressing given how long he's been having bottles.

I pump at least 5 times a day but aim for more. 8 in a day if I can manage it. I don't keep complete track of what I pump but I think it's around 35oz per day. LO only drinks around 18oz a day at the moment so I've got a pretty good freezer stash built up

 

[missbabes]

Hi ladies, can I join?

DS2 is nearly 5 weeks old and I have been exclusively expressing since he was born due to him being premature. I was hoping to start breastfeeding one he came home but it turns out he has a tongue tie and really struggles on the breast. He has an appointment at the end of this month to get it cut but I'm kind of expecting to keep expressing given how long he's been having bottles.

I pump at least 5 times a day but aim for more. 8 in a day if I can manage it. I don't keep complete track of what I pump but I think it's around 35oz per day. LO only drinks around 18oz a day at the moment so I've got a pretty good freezer stash built up

Hi there, sounds like you've got to grips with pumping really well, I was about the same at that stage

I've heard that it's not impossible for babies to go onto breastfeeding after so many weeks of bottle feeding, so fingers crossed to you. If not good luck in continuing pumping

 

[Mimzy3]

Hi ladies, can I join?

DS2 is nearly 5 weeks old and I have been exclusively expressing since he was born due to him being premature. I was hoping to start breastfeeding one he came home but it turns out he has a tongue tie and really struggles on the breast. He has an appointment at the end of this month to get it cut but I'm kind of expecting to keep expressing given how long he's been having bottles.

I pump at least 5 times a day but aim for more. 8 in a day if I can manage it. I don't keep complete track of what I pump but I think it's around 35oz per day. LO only drinks around 18oz a day at the moment so I've got a pretty good freezer stash built up

DS was tongue tied too. After getting his tongue clipped we still had problems because he had been using the bottle for several weeks as well. I'm impressed that you can already at 5 weeks only pump 5 times a day. I just started to go down to 5 pumps. Up until about 12 weeks I pumped 7-8 times a day in order to make sure my supply would stay up. But sounds like you have a good amount. I would suggest getting an app on your phone though to track how much you produce that way you know if your supply drops and you can start doing something about it asap.

 

[shellideaks]

Thank you missbabes

Mimzy I actually downloaded an app the other day. I was finding it difficult to remember when I last pumped/when the baby had last had a bottle. I kept getting the 2 mixed up lol. Yesterday I pumped 37oz and that was pumping 7 times. I do try not to only do 5 pumps but sometimes it's impossible. Need more hours in the day!

 

[Mimzy3]

I agree, not enough hours in the day!! Pumping is very time consuming! Luckily I was on maternity leave when I was doing 7-8 pumps a day. Don't know how I would do it now that I'm back to work.

Which app do you use? I use iBabylog it has everything on there so you can keep track. I would be lost without it lol.

Just a little tip for you ladies that may get clogged ducts often like me I started to have a heating pad on it all day while I was at work and by my evening pump it was completely unclogged. Just a little info I thought I'd share.

 

[seaweed eater]

I'm weaning. My supply totally tanked while we were traveling, and it just didn't seem worth it to spend two hours a day getting 6-8oz. The trip was a lot of why I wanted to maintain my supply anyway, so I felt ready to stop now that we're back. I dropped to about 1 oz per day almost immediately and now I'm just slowly extending the time between pumps. I'm on 48 hours now, will probably do another one or two of those and then hopefully every 3-7 days and then done. It's been kind of a shock to see my supply disappear when I've worked so hard over 15 months to keep it up, but I do feel ready.

 

[shellideaks]

I agree, not enough hours in the day!! Pumping is very time consuming! Luckily I was on maternity leave when I was doing 7-8 pumps a day. Don't know how I would do it now that I'm back to work.

Which app do you use? I use iBabylog it has everything on there so you can keep track. I would be lost without it lol.

Just a little tip for you ladies that may get clogged ducts often like me I started to have a heating pad on it all day while I was at work and by my evening pump it was completely unclogged. Just a little info I thought I'd share.

No me either, I barley manage to leave the house at the moment lol.

I'm using an app called Baby Care Tracker. I have a Windows phone so my choice is limited but it had a bottle log and a pumping log so that'll do me

I'm weaning. My supply totally tanked while we were traveling, and it just didn't seem worth it to spend two hours a day getting 6-8oz. The trip was a lot of why I wanted to maintain my supply anyway, so I felt ready to stop now that we're back. I dropped to about 1 oz per day almost immediately and now I'm just slowly extending the time between pumps. I'm on 48 hours now, will probably do another one or two of those and then hopefully every 3-7 days and then done. It's been kind of a shock to see my supply disappear when I've worked so hard over 15 months to keep it up, but I do feel ready.

Well done on pumping for so long

 

[missbabes]

I'm weaning. My supply totally tanked while we were traveling, and it just didn't seem worth it to spend two hours a day getting 6-8oz. The trip was a lot of why I wanted to maintain my supply anyway, so I felt ready to stop now that we're back. I dropped to about 1 oz per day almost immediately and now I'm just slowly extending the time between pumps. I'm on 48 hours now, will probably do another one or two of those and then hopefully every 3-7 days and then done. It's been kind of a shock to see my supply disappear when I've worked so hard over 15 months to keep it up, but I do feel ready.

Good luck to you, it must be so strange to have gone for so long. I don't plan on going for as long as you have, but the thought of stopping is an odd one. I plan of being down to 2 pumps a day by the time DS is 6 months, and possibly having stopped altogether by the time he's 9 months.

 

[missbabes]

I agree, not enough hours in the day!! Pumping is very time consuming! Luckily I was on maternity leave when I was doing 7-8 pumps a day. Don't know how I would do it now that I'm back to work.

Which app do you use? I use iBabylog it has everything on there so you can keep track. I would be lost without it lol.

Just a little tip for you ladies that may get clogged ducts often like me I started to have a heating pad on it all day while I was at work and by my evening pump it was completely unclogged. Just a little info I thought I'd share.

I didn't feel free in the day at all until I went down to 4 pumps a day. That strict beginning to get my supply up was such a time consuming thing, just glad Hubby was around to help out look after DS (even now DS has the habit of wanting something while I'm in the middle of a pumping session). He gave good encouragement to keep me going during my darker days of wanting to quit.

Thankfully I've not really experienced any blocked ducts, I did have a sore area on my right boob but a change of bra sorted that out. Can't imagine suffering that frequently, must make it hard.

 

[Mimzy3]

I'm weaning. My supply totally tanked while we were traveling, and it just didn't seem worth it to spend two hours a day getting 6-8oz. The trip was a lot of why I wanted to maintain my supply anyway, so I felt ready to stop now that we're back. I dropped to about 1 oz per day almost immediately and now I'm just slowly extending the time between pumps. I'm on 48 hours now, will probably do another one or two of those and then hopefully every 3-7 days and then done. It's been kind of a shock to see my supply disappear when I've worked so hard over 15 months to keep it up, but I do feel ready.

Good job pumping for so long! You give me hope

 

[Mimzy3]

I agree having a supportive DH in the beginning makes a world of difference.

Do you pump once before night and then in the morning, two in the afternoon? What is the longest stretch you do at night time without pumping? I can go 9 hours but I'll leak and sometimes end up with a hard lump on one of my breast. Also I get the most in the am 10-15oz then my supply drops gradually all day and by the last pump of the day I get 5oz. Is that normal?

 

[missbabes]

I agree having a supportive DH in the beginning makes a world of difference.

Do you pump once before night and then in the morning, two in the afternoon? What is the longest stretch you do at night time without pumping? I can go 9 hours but I'll leak and sometimes end up with a hard lump on one of my breast. Also I get the most in the am 10-15oz then my supply drops gradually all day and by the last pump of the day I get 5oz. Is that normal?

At the moment I pump at midnight, then I get to sleep through until 9am (if DS lets me!), then again at 4-5pm, then back to midnight. I think I could get away with lasting 10 hours now before my boobs end up rock solid, but haven't tried that yet. Was about this time last month when I found I was able to go a maximum of 9 hours.

My supply is fairly regular, but also depends on how much fluid I've had during the day. I pump anything from 10 to 14oz per session. On a bad session I do about 8oz. I think the amount just differs from person to person.

I'm still leaking a little, but very recently that seems to have died down particularly at night, so here's hoping that I can finally sleep without a bra and breast pads soon!

 

[missbabes]

Just a mini update from me, that I've been pumping for just a tiny bit over 4 months now. Can last comfortably to 10 hours without my boobs turning into boulders, so can safely say that I'll be down to 2 pumps a day by the time DS is 6 months old.

I'm actually surprised that my AF hasn't returned as of yet.

 

[eve89]

I really like your post. This is truly inspiring and helpful. Thank you very much for sharing this.

 

[Mimzy3]

missbabes
Sorry can't answer your questions but I'm also at 4 1/2 months pumpinp. I'm down to 4 pumps a day. If I go 10 hours I still get rock hard boulders Do you leak a lot? I still tend to leak in between pumps.

So when you pump do you just have to pump for longer periods? I've noticed since I cut down my pumping sessions that I still get 40oz a day but my pumping sessions are longer. Takes about 30 mins each session.

Also side not are you ladies exhausted?!?!?!?! I'm soooo tired all the time, I think its from breastfeeding.

 

[seaweed eater]

Mimzy, it's quite normal to have to lengthen your sessions as you drop pumps

It is normal to be exhausted as a new mom, but not from BF. If you are getting enough sleep and still feeling tired, I would maybe go in for some blood tests and get your thyroid and iron levels checked. It is not uncommon to have issues with those postpartum.

 

[shellideaks]

Ladies, when is it okay to start spreading the pumps out? I'm still mostly puymping every 3 hours during the day and I pump around 40oz per day. I pump 5oz every 3 hours but if I miss a pumping session, I'll pump 10oz at the next one. So it seems my supply stays the same? Nate sleeps for 8 hours some nights and I don't get up to pump unless he wakes. After those long sleeps, I can pump 15oz.

Do you think it sounds like I can spread them out a bit more?

 

[missbabes]

Ladies, when is it okay to start spreading the pumps out? I'm still mostly puymping every 3 hours during the day and I pump around 40oz per day. I pump 5oz every 3 hours but if I miss a pumping session, I'll pump 10oz at the next one. So it seems my supply stays the same? Nate sleeps for 8 hours some nights and I don't get up to pump unless he wakes. After those long sleeps, I can pump 15oz.

Do you think it sounds like I can spread them out a bit more?

That's more or less how it was for me just before I started to expand gaps between pumping.

 

[missbabes]

missbabes
Sorry can't answer your questions but I'm also at 4 1/2 months pumpinp. I'm down to 4 pumps a day. If I go 10 hours I still get rock hard boulders Do you leak a lot? I still tend to leak in between pumps.

So when you pump do you just have to pump for longer periods? I've noticed since I cut down my pumping sessions that I still get 40oz a day but my pumping sessions are longer. Takes about 30 mins each session.

Also side not are you ladies exhausted?!?!?!?! I'm soooo tired all the time, I think its from breastfeeding.

Seaweed Eater answered most of this, but I'll throw in that I'm still leaking. Was only last week that I woke up soaking

 

[eve89]

Wow... This is really brilliant and interesting. I learned a lot.