Some questions about expressing ... because I keeping stuffing it up!

[BabelFish]

I express one bottle of milk per day for my son.

This is because at dinner time, he is very, very fussy, and I also like to be able to put my DD to bed and bath her, so that is one ritual that her brother's arrival has not displaced.

DP gives him his bottle at this time of night and everyone is happy.

I have a good, healthy supply but cannot express as much milk as I have, which I understand is quite normal.

I always seem to muck it up. I either express too close to one of his feeds so he has nothing left to drink when it's his turn, which is not good.

Or else I wait until after a feed in which case I get bugger all.

Are there ways to introduce expressing into your BFing routine without it stuffing around regular feeds? I always like to have milk in the freezer anyway, so would prefer to express twice a day, in which case I'd get about 300mls per day to store away.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[3BoysBlue]

If a need to express for a bottle I express right after a feed
I can normally get 40-60mls out and then
I've still got plenty of time before his next feed
I only do it 2 or 3 times a day and end up with around 120mls if not more

I also have a stack of milk frozen in 30-40ml sticks
if he needed more and I didn't have any EBM left in the fridge

saying that DS3 is only 6wks and I still seem to have an excess milk supply
so its quite easy for me to express after a feed

[*babygirl*]

I used to feed off one side and express off the other, then next feed swap but I'd always do one booby first while expressing then still attach her to the other boobie after i'd expressed and she had emptied the first one to ensure that both boobies were getting stimulation from baby... It really helped boost my supply :)

[BeatoNo3]

Hey there I find if I expess 20 -40 ml from each boob BEFORE the feed at each feed that then leaves him enough for his feed n over bout 5 feeds a day i have bout 200mls... i cool the little lots in the fridge then at the end of the day combine them all n freeze it... I currently have 1.4lt in the freezer.. but i mean each to their own different bubs different needs... But that wat I suggust n hopefully once u express a bit ur supply with increase a little to accomidate for the extra milk u want if that makes sense... good luck...

[InSaneOne]

i used to express after a feed and while bubs was feeding from the other side. i also used to express at work about every 3 hours. i found that it did help to boost my supply heaps. at the start i only got little bits but after a few weeks i started getting more and more. an electric or battery pump will also allow you to express more.

when ds started sleeping longer at night i would express just before i went to bed - drain one side and partially drain the other then feed him from the partially drained one first when he woke up. i also used to express one side while feeding him from the other.

[SalTheGal]

I try to express first feed of the morning when I do it- feed off one side, and express the other side- that way its the fullest richest feed of the day so one side should be enough....

Also it should only take 20mins or so for BM to replenish so don't be worried that you won't have enough for the next feed if you express in between feeds- you may not feel full- but you probably will have enough in there!

[BabelFish]

That's what I thought - about 20 minutes? But it certainly doesn't seem to happen that quickly for me.

Although that's partially my fault. I am so busy I barely eat or drink anything at all during the day, which doesn't help things at all.

Today I MADE myself sit down and have a really big lunch, and DS fed soooo much better.

[BabyPaparazzi]

I know it can be hard to fit it into a busy day, but even a 30 minute nap during the day will help boost your supply. An lc told me this and it makes a huge difference with afternoon supply.

[MsMummy]

I agree with Sal. I've always found expressing in the morning most fruitful.

I always had the same anxieties. I'd express and then he'd wake up 10 minutes later, then I'd worry he didn't have enough milk.

Just doing one side is another option. If you express quite intensely for a few days, you'll probably notice an increase anyway.