How early can you express?

[RedPanda]

How long does it take to get comfortable with expressing milk for later use? I plan to breastfeed and have a wedding to attend when the baby will only be three weeks old. Is it realistic to think that I can express my milk for my baby to be fed by its nana? It is my first bub, so I have absolutely no experience in breastfeeding or expressing!:eek:
I guess my other question is will my supply be established enough at three weeks to express a feed?

[Briannabear]

Hi Hazel! :wave:
Your 'proper milk' usually comes in between day 3-5.
Some women start expressing immediately for various reasons (particularly if they have a premmie or a bub who's having attaching problems).
So my point is, by 3 weeks yes you should be able to express and you will have enough milk supply to support it. (that is God willing you have no dramas obviously!)
Definately get someone experienced (preferably a lactation consultant) to show you how to express properly so it doesnt hurt.

Another thing to think about is that not all babies will take a bottle. I know my DD was a booby baby! She refused to take a bottle until she was weaned off the breast at 10 months! Hopefully yours doesnt have that problem though.

[xkwzit]

You should be fine.

I had to hand express colostrum before my milk came in (was told to not use a pump until my milk came in - day 3). And then had to express every feed for her first 5 weeks (attachment problems). You should be able to express off enough over a few sessions to make up a feed no dramas.

Cheers

[~Emmylou~]

You should be fine.
I was giving my dd one or two expressed feeds a week from birth. My milk came in full force when she was aboutg 4 days old and from there on I always had enough milk to express some for later.

[aardvark]

I was mad enough to book tickets to a concert for the day after my due date with DS. Fortunately, he was 10 days early.

What I did was use the Avent breastmilk collection shells in my bra (sterlise them first), and collect the leakage from the other breast at each feed, chill it, then pour all the dribs and drabs from the day into breastmilk storage bags, and freeze it.

I've been doing the same thing when I have other things to attend, and it is amazing how much you can collect with little effort in 24 hours. I regularly collect 150ml per day this way, and freeze it. It meant when I had an exam last week that I only had to stress about the exam, not about having to express milk to leave DS for 6 hours. It also means that I have about a litre of breastmilk in the freezer at all times.

[rubyredlips]

Me too - i've never had a huge supply (never had leaky boobs or soreness) but I managed over a few days to get heaps out as I was off to a wedding when my little girl was 4 weeks.

She was great on the bottle (i started expressing and bottle feeding after about a week - attachment probs), and slept through the whole reception! music, dancing the lot!

Where theres a will - theres a way! :thumbsup:

[TwoBlue]

:hugs: Hi Mate!
Samuel was tube fed for his first 7 days and i expressed from day one... so i definantly think you'll be ok...

I used the Avent breast pump (after my milk had come in) and it was great... i think you can buy them off ebay...

[RedPanda]

Thanks everyone!! :thumbsup: I feel a bit better about everything now!
Hopefully I won't have any problems :fingerscrossed: