When can you start expressing?

[Samemka]

Hi ladies

Until a few weeks back I was going to bottle feed, but I've decided to give breast feeding a try.

I don't think I'll feel comfortable breastfeeding infront of anyone side from my OH though. Will I be able to express milk straight away so I can bottle feed baby if we went out, or so that OH can do a night feed - or will I have to go into another room to breastfeed (I don't mind doing this) - I'm just not sure when you can begin expressing milk.

Thanks

Sam

 

[Mervs Mum]

Ideally you shouldnt pump for the first 6 weeks until BFing is established. The pump is a poor mimic of the baby's suck so you'll fine you get soul-destroyingly small amounts and then may start to doubt your supply - even though it's normal.

Of course some people have preemies or exclusively pump for various reasons and have to pump from early on but you need to know the draw back and what to expect.

Personally I'd wait. Another good reason for sitting and relaxing and just feeding is to give yourself chance to rest and recover. There are lots of other things your OH can do to help you. He can take the baby and settle them while you rest, bath, dress and change him. He can also keep you well fed and bring you drinks etc. My OH would sit up with us in the early days when she woke in the night.

 

[Samemka]

Thanks a lot for your advice. I'm sure 6 weeks will fly by anyway! Is giving the baby a bottle (formula) whilst BF best avoided then, for the first 6 weeks too, until BF is established?

 

[Mervs Mum]

Yes hun. Just until your milk supply is established. Once it is you can pump or give random bottles without effecting it. If you give them too soon you will be telling your boobs they are making enough milk - baby feeding and emptying the boobs are the signals to your body to produce more. The other potential issue with expressed milk or formula in a bottle is nipple confusion. You BOTH have to learn how to BF and if you keep moving the goal posts ie boob then bottle and maybe a dummy too - your LO wont knowif they are coming or going. Best to take it slow and after 6 weeks they will most likely be able to switch easily and your supply will be fine too.

Good luck!

 

[mama2b]

I started giving Lucas a bottle of expressed milk when he was 6 days old. For me this was something I had to do otherwise I would have given up as I had several problems with bf to start with.

I think I must be lucky with Lucas as he has had no nipple confusion, in his eyes as long as he is getting milk i don't think he would give two figs where it was coming from !! Also I had a very good milk supply from the beginning, I could do 3oz in about 10/15min so it was never a problem for me but I have read that some people have real problems if they introduce a bottle to soon.

There are only a few people I will breastfeed in front of otherwise I go somewhere private.

 

[massacubano]

IDK how others do it, I started when I came home from hospital. I would pump one and feed the other. But, from reading maybe I should have waited. But, seeing my MS increase has been exciting *to me lol*

 

[Mervs Mum]

I think it's great when mum's can pump straight away but it's also important that they are aware of the potential problems in advance. Like Mama2b's LO, I'm sure my LO would take milk from a shoe if need be! One of the big reasons women stop BFing is because they pump early on, see half an ounce and assume that's all their baby is getting.

 

[Lara+sam+bump]

I cant express hardly anything im lucky to get an ounce after half hour of pumping. But I usually give one bottle of formula a day, only just started as other half was having a hard time bonding with LO and him giving a bottle a day has really helped us alot. My LO does'nt appear t hav any nipple confusion, he takes the bottle, but prefers the boob. Alto it does mean that he thinks the dummy is a bottle and gets cross when nothing comes out of it lol xxxx

 

[massacubano]

I think it's great when mum's can pump straight away but it's also important that they are aware of the potential problems in advance. Like Mama2b's LO, I'm sure my LO would take milk from a shoe if need be! One of the big reasons women stop BFing is because they pump early on, see half an ounce and assume that's all their baby is getting.

I agree if I did not know that my supply would increase. The starting amount is enough to cry over But, as baby grows so does the supply!

Yes, Javi was getting a bit lazy. I would give him a bottle of "quick fix" lol the boob I pumped while he nursed the other in the early days. I got very scared when he started to not want to nurse. I backed off and started freezing the milk so I would not be tempted to give him any

 

[babymama]

I tried pumping a week after LO was born and hardly anthing came out. I BF'ed but didn't feel very comfortable doing it so at 3 weeks I supplemented 1 bottle (FF) a day. Then when LO was 4 weeks I tried pumping again and to my suprise I got 2 oz per boob. Now 2 months of exclusively pumping, I pump between 6-8 oz every 3 hrs or so. If I go longer between pumps I get more, upto 11 oz. Some days I seem to be pumping more than LO is eating.