Expressing milk????

[Mybabble]

Ive decided i want to try and express some milk so i can feed DD by bottle occasionally. Ive hired a pump and just have a few questions.

1 When is the best time to pump? And how often?
2 Can i freeze the milk and for how long?
3 How much can you usually express at one time?
4 How many mls should my baby be drinking per feed? (she is nearly 5 weeks old)
5 Is it hard to do both breast and bottle? Do they start to prefer one over the other?

My ds was formula fed from day 3 so this is all very new to me!

Thanks in advance for any advice:biggrin:

[misskittyfantastico]

1 When is the best time to pump? And how often?

I didn't try to express until DD was about 3 months old, so it may be different as your bubba is younger. DD used feed from only one breast per feed, so I'd actually express from the other breast while she was feeding - it helped with my letdown too. Other times I would pump about an hour after a feed - she fed 6-8 times (roughly) a day so I'd express each time.

2 Can i freeze the milk and for how long?

You can most definately freeze milk...I forget the recommeded times though - I'm sure someone else will know!

3 How much can you usually express at one time?

Initially I would pump and pump and pump and pump and end up with a dribble, I'd just add the dribbles together to make a feed and then freeze it. Over time though, it built up, so don't stress if it doesn't come gushing out.

4 How many mls should my baby be drinking per feed? (she is nearly 5 weeks old)

This is a quote from another member:
"The equation for working out how much a baby needs to eat each feed is roughly 150ml x weight in kilograms / number of feeds in a 24 hour period.

So, for example, my daughter was 3.3kg when she was born, so for her it would have been

150 x 3.3 = 495, and she was having 8 feeds a day at that stage, so 495 / 8 = 61ml - so she would have been needing approximately 60 ml per feed at that time.

Obviously, particularly for breastfed babies, there is a huge variance in how much they drink so this is a rough guide only."


5 Is it hard to do both breast and bottle? Do they start to prefer one over the other?

There is a risk that bub will reject the breast because they don't have to work at getting milk from a bottle, generally I think that it isn't recommended to introduce a bottle until the breastfeeding relationship is established.

I hope this helps:)

[Mybabble]

Thanks for the quick reply:wave:

Im starting to think i should wait a while before i try her on the bottle. I really dont want her to take preference to it over me:no:

I tried the pump this afternoon,only for about 20 mins after a feed and got 40mls. Does that sound pretty average?

Sorry for all the questions:o:tongue:

[misskittyfantastico]

Don't be sorry about questions! If I can offer any help, then I'm happy too.

40ml sounds great....I think I was getting about 20 when I started.

I would also really recommend having a look at the Australian Breastfeeding Association website, it will give you some really good ideas and info.

[Mybabble]

Thanks for your help. Ill definately check out the website.:yes:

[Lollie86]

1. When is the best time to pump? And how often?
I find the best time for me is at night or first thing in the morning. Also try feeding on one breast and expressing on the other so you get the let down from your other breast.
2 Can i freeze the milk and for how long?
You can freeze the milk. I found this which might help :

The shelf life of frozen breast milk depends on your freezer. If your freezer is inside the fridge, storage time is two weeks. If your freezer is separate from the fridge with its own door, storage time is up to three months. Breast milk can be stored for six to 12 months in a deep freezer (-18°C or lower).
That was taken from the betterhealth website.
3 How much can you usually express at one time?
It all depends on the person. My DD is 10 mths and I can only get max 80 mls at a time.

4 How many mls should my baby be drinking per feed? (she is nearly 5 weeks old)

Not too sure on this question as I only bf at that age. Remember bubs needs at least 6 weeks to grow accustomed to sucking at the breast. Otherwise if you introduce bottles or dummies before 6 weeks, bf becomes a bit more difficult bc bubs hasnt established feeding yet.

5 Is it hard to do both breast and bottle? Do they start to prefer one over the other?

Again not too sure on this one although my DD who is 10 mths and only bf has a bit of trouble drinking from the bottle if she is being babysat. Its a good idea for them to get accustomed to a bottle.


HTH