Expressing Before Booked C-Section...Good or Bad idea?

[Pinkzy]

I apologise if this is a daft question but I have tried googling this with different wording each time and I can't find an definite answer anywhere!!

Can I express milk (I have one of those electric pumps) before my c-section and take it with me to the hospital? I am wondering if I can do this as I'm worried my milk might not come in right away after the op and I don't want bub's first feed to be formula.

I've read expressing milk can bring on labour and can be a very dangerous thing to do but I'm past 37 weeks now. So if I try to express milk, and am successful, can I freeze the colostrum I express and take it to the hospital with me for bub's first feed if my milk won't come in? Also what are the chances of doing this sending one into labour?

Any advice will be appreciated. If it's dangerous in any way I won't do it.

[Pinkzy]

And another thing...I started a thread weeks ago that I was worried I wasn't/hadn't leaked any colostrum, was worried this meant I wouldn't be able to breastfeed and that my milk wouldn't come in. Got some very reassuring posts from members who said they never had a leak at all and their milk didn't come in until after they gave birth...but my friend said this afternoon that I shouldn't get my hopes up about breastfeeding and the fact I haven't had a leak is a bad sign?

[dreamtobeamummy]

Hey Hun

As for the leaking, Im not too sure.. I had someone tell me that Just because I am leaking now and have done for a couple of months.. I may not be able to feed (Having PCOS can lower the chances of having great milk production)

As for the C section thing, My sister had a planned C Section last Thursday, she didn't express any milk but bub had her first feed in recovery and was on the boob for about 30 minutes one side. Her milk has now come in completely on Sunday, so it didn't take long.. Bub didn't have any formula.

As long as you encourage bub to keep trying on the boob then that should encourage your supply to come in a bit quicker. :D Youll be fine!

[BeatoNo3]

Hey thee friend I am in the same boat I have a c/sec booked for the 24th of Feb and have tried searching n cant find n e thing... However, I have started expressing on the 9th so I think i was like 37 week exaclty or something like that and now today being the 15th I have 30mls. IO have stored them in 10ml seringes. I filled one on day one so froze it then i would express once or twice a day and adding it to a seringe i keep in the fridge but freezing it by day 5 as that is what i have been told when when it come to storing is that it is ok to add to milk just freeze it by day five after the frist day of the milk...

I think it is a great idea as most c/sec bubs go to special care nurseries to get checked so they can have our milk not formula. However they dont always go to SCN im hoping this bub doesnt but time will tell...

Also just coz u not leaking colostrum doesnt mean u can't or wont b able to BF I mean this is number 3 and i have never leaked the stuff I jsut kno it is there if I was to sqeeze it out..

oh another of ur questions bout labour, I have read it is very unlikely it can bring labour one but no one is definetly able to tell however they do belive there is proof that expressing can ripen ur cervix, so I mean if u aint scared of going to labour then go for it... I mean the way i thought of it was well im over 37 weeks and if i go into labour i would go straight to maternity n they would do a c/sec still coz i asked my ob if i went into ealry labour what would happen and he said u can go natural if ur keen or we can go c/sec its jsut classed as a emergancy even tho it kinda isnt if u get me...

Well anyways let me kno if u have n e more quesiton bout my expereince with expressing oh i am using a hand pump coz i cant find my electic one. But yea im just taking it in a freezer pack to give to the nurses when we go to hossie... also let me kno if u have fb...

[meggs]

Personally I wouldnt express it would be better for bub to have that skin to skin contact, i wasnt even aware that it was possible to express beforehand anyway?

I had a c sect and had no leakage up to the birth and was able to feed...

[sueliz]

Hey there

I have BF all three of my boys with no problems and never once had my boobs leak while pregnant with them. I also had planned c/s with all of them and never had to offer them a FF as their first feed. Your colostrum should be enough for the first few days. My first two boys were a decent size as well - 9pd7 and 9pd8, and my third was 7pd12. My milk came in on about the 4th day with my first and the 3rd day with the other two.
Obviously - it isn't that easy for everyone I know and I have been incredibly fortunate, but just wanted to let you know that despite no leaking when pregnant, (I had never heard of this being an issue before I must admit), and having planned c/s, there were NO issues at all with BF.
Nor sure about the expressing thing I am sorry - but I have heard expressing when pregnant can hurt your boobs so be ready for that! :)
Good luck!

[mordygordy]

I am no expert or anything but I am going to risk it here from my own experience and say your friend is wrong about bc you are not leaking you prob won't breastfeed. I NEVER leaked before having my first child and I am still breastfeeding him 2 years on. I never had any problems with it, no cracked nipples nothing at all I found it very easy. I know not everyone finds it easy but I doubt it is because they didn't have leaking nipples before the had there baby.

I don't know about expressing beforehand to help.

I had an emergency c-section after a 38 hour labour due to not progressing and like I said earlier I haven't had any issues. As soon as I got back to my room I tried breastfeeding but he was to sleepy and not interested. After a couple of hours he was a little champ and hasn't stopped yet. DS was never given formula and my milk didn't fully come in to day 3 which was when I was told it would probably come in.(so I don't think your milk is there right after birth for most women) Actually Zack was screaming after my milk had come in after that day 3 and the midwife walked in and said that sounds like a scream from a baby that mums milk has come.

Oh and Zack was never taken from me the whole time I was in surgery. I had him they took him with DH to check him and do first aspars etc for about 5 mins if that. Then he was given to me. DH then had him sitting beside me till they were done stitching me up then he was given back to me and we were wheeled to our room.

I am having another c-section this time due to the fact I got told not to have a VBAC bc it won't happen and I am not worried about breastfeeding at all. But just bc it was so easy with Zack doesn't mean it will be this time or even mean that I will be able to with this child. Who knows!

[Pinkzy]

Thanks everyone - your replies are really helpful and VERY reassuring :)

I asked my SIL about what my friend said and she said she's completely wrong. She never leaked during any of her 3 pregnancies and successfully breastfed each of her kids, the youngest she breastfed until she was 2.5 years :D

I wouldn't mind giving this expressing thing a go...If nothing happens though that's alright isn't it? Like if I was to use the pump and nothing comes out that's not an issue if my milk hasn't come in is it?

[Bubmum]

Pink..Your friend is full of baloney. There is so much misinformation out there, and this is the way it spreads. How clever you are to actually ask other people, and not take her at her word. I worried that because I never leaked I wasn't making enough milk for DD, and my ECN laughed at me, bless.
You sound like you really want to try expressing, haha. If so, go for it. It won't do any harm, although you will have plenty of that ahead of you in the future (I only expressed a few times...I found it quite hard work, and feeding DD was much easier, but if I had another baby, I would definitely give expressing a proper go).
You should be feeding bubby, if all goes as planned, just over an hour after your c-section. 45 minutes to finish the surgery, then half an hour in recovery, and then off to the maternity wards. And then you will get to feed straight away. Actually, the midwives will be rubbing their hands with glee at your arrival.
There are quite a few things that affect a successful bfing relationship, the biggest one being support. The midwives left me to it, and DD and I worked it out. I didn't sleep for 5 days (2 days of labour),and then 3 of pure joy, and my milk came in fine. The woman in the room next to me lost a lot of blood in labour, and had an awful time of it..it was so sad to hear.

[Tam-I-Am]

The fact that the placenta is still inside you and releasing 'pregnant' hormones is what prevents you from getting milk. It's only after the placenta has been expelled that your breasts start getting the right hormonal signals to start making colostrum, and that's all your bub will need for as long as it takes for your milk to come in. With a c-sect that might take a little longer than normal - ie 5 days instead of 3. The key is skin-to-skin contact, and permafeeding. Ie if your baby wants to suck, then let him go so long as you're able to pain-free (if it's painful after the first 30 seconds, then something's not right. Make sure you consult the lactation consultant at the hospital to help you latch him properly).

So, your friend is ABSOLUTELY WRONG. Most women have some success with hand-expressing small amounts of colostrum if they try before their baby is born, but remember, babies drink about 2 - 5ml of colostrum at each feed in the first 3 days or so. It's not like it's a huge amount of milk. You probably won't catch any with an electric pump at all.

You might also want to look into letting your bub do a breast crawl: look it up on youtube, it's beautiful :)

[CazHazKidz]

I think it's a brilliant idea

I had a natural birth, but I expressed and froze colostrum before the birth *in case of an emergency*. Everthing went fine and I didn't need to used it at all, but it was there if needed. The midwives were VERY impressed.

Fingers crossed your c-section is a complete success and bub attaches perfectly and you can feed no problems as most people do and as I did. But if for some reason bub CAN'T attach to the boob, and you have frozen colostrum there for your baby, you've given them the best possible start :thumbsup:

It doesn't matter how much colostrum you express, it won't disappear. Your milk still wont come in until it would have if you hadn't expressed. Makes no difference!

[CazHazKidz]

babies drink about 2 - 5ml of colostrum at each feed in the first 3 days or so. It's not like it's a huge amount of milk. You probably won't catch any with an electric pump at all.

True you don't get a lot out. I probably expressed with the electric pump 4 or 5 times the week before I was due and I had about 30ml of it frozen in syringes :yes: