BF EXpressing - how much?

[Ponyboy]

I am going to be going to the Billy Joel concert and 8mth (9mth by then) DD will be staying at my parents for the evening. How much BM would I need to express for that night if she has about 4 feeds? Also, when is the best time to express.

I will also be going away from 4.30am - 7.30pm in the near future and my DH will be looking after her - again how much do you think I'd need to express? Are there any guides available?

[Goosie22]

If she was to be admitted to hospital, and feed through a tube or bottle with out you being available to Breastfeed. The Doctors use a hydration quota equation:

(Weight in grams x 180 to 200mls ) divided by 6 - 8 (6=3rly feeds and 8 is 4 hrly feeds)

This has come up quite a bit, and others have said they divide the feed into two containers so that the milk isnt thrown out if not used, as Breastfed babies tend to take different ammounts which each feed.

HTH

[SweetDreams]

Sorry to hijack but I'm interested in this too!!

So if a baby was 8kg you would do the following:

(8000 x 190) / 7 (I have taken the middle of each variable)

which equals 217142.857... etc

Have I misunderstood something? lol

[Goosie22]

Sorry Kilograms (I was a little tired last night:o ).


8.3 (you need to put in the grams also) x 180 / 8 or 6.

Usually 180mls is for maintanence and 200mls for weight gain. But like I said others have found they dont drink the entire quota in one feed.

My appologies for leading you astray.

[rynosmum]

You may have already done this but make sure that you have trialled bubs on a bottle first.

I left my then 4 month old with DH once for a couple of hours - fully prepared with wonderful EBM, just to find that DS wouldn't drink it at all as he wasn't used to a bottle. I ended up being half an hour away from home and rushing back to a baby and hubby who were both very stressed and exhausted - not good...:no:

[Goosie22]

Yes a trial run is probably not a bad idea.

If they dont take a bottle (which mine didnt) you can cup feed. Any clean soft plastic cup is used. Sit the baby on your lap supporting the back of the neck, shape the rim of the cup and rest it on the bottom lip, tip the milk up to lip level so the baby can smell the milk. A breastfed baby will usually lap/sip up the milk with no waste at all.

I had success with a staw cup from around 5 months.

[shed]

Goosie, I was going to ask you this soon anyway, good thread.

Can you recommend a brand of cup to use? I just want to know that I am getting the right thing.

My friend's baby was fed with the bottle during the day because she went back to work and now the baby won't take the breast at all, so my friend has to express and bottle feed all the time :eek:

I want to start going to the gym in the evenings, I will time it between feeds but I have expressed some milk and put it in the freezer just in case.

Its not for an actual feed, its a 'stop-screaming' device for DP to give him while he rings me and I race home, Just in Case.

Also, I am very VERY nervous about bubby being given milk from any type of container. Is this normal? I feel like my nervousness isn't quite rational and I can't quite figure out why I feel this way. I am scared he is going to get a sore tummy. I have sterilised the pump each time, by boiling it for ten minutes, and the container the milk is stored in (the Avent one), but I just dunno...it just doesn't feel right.

Does everyone have these first-time nerves?

[Goosie22]

Hi Shed,

Just something with some flexability to it, Medulla do a bottle with a spood/scoop attachment if you want to buy something? But I just used the little kids cups that squash flat at the rim IFKWIM.

I can understand you anxiety with feeding implements, its so yukky to see your baby drinking from anything other than yourself, but a cup is still encouraging the baby to work and open its mouth and project its tounge, so not so much an easier option they are likely to prfere long term. The sore tummy thing isnt going to be an issue as breastmilk is a protector against GASTRO, its a living substance and actually hunts down badies and gets rid of them. Washing in hot soapy water is good enough, so the boiling is making double sure.

Your an inspiration to other mums, I love reading your posts.

[shed]

thanks Goosie, we'll bite the bullet and give it a go. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!! LOL deep breaths!!

thanks for the compliment too! :o

[zenifa]

I think Goosie has given some great advice.

I also was not that keen on DD drinking from a bottle/cup, even if it was EBM, but I also sterilised diligently and realised that she would be okay, and that some time away from her (going out with DH) would be good for us both. Plus this made my return to part time work a bit smoother, as she had already experienced limited feeding from other sources, apart from boobie (even now at 14mths, she still prefers boobie!!)

I practiced by expressing and letting DH do one of the night feeds, so I could get more sleep and he could have the joy of feeding her, plus it got DD used to having EBM in a bottle, then cup.
I found that expressing first thing in the morning was the best time for me, as I was quite engorged and the milk flowed quite fast, so I could express 100ml-300ml quite quickly from each side. Expressing in the afternoon/early evening, never yielded as much milk from me.

In terms of expressing for a night out (4hrs+) or a long day, I would start expressing a few days before, a bit each morning and putting it aside (150-200ml, stored in 50ml or 100ml lots), in the freezer, so there would be up to 4 feeds stored for each occasion.
Even at 9mths, if I was away from DD and these EBM feeds were used, I always had to express when I got home, or sometimes even if I was out (for eg when I worked part time and was away from DD from 7.30am to 4.30pm, from 9mths right up until she was 12mths, I still expressed once).

I don't think there are guidelines, but around 9mths, most babies in my mum's group were having 150ml-200ml 4 or 5 times per day, breast and bottle fed.
Good luck and hope you enjoy the concert!!

[Kim2006]

Hi

Sorry to butt in but I'm attempting the same thing too. DD is only 10 weeks and I'm keen for her to use a bottle. However, when I attempt it she just mouths the teat and the EBM dribbles back out of her mouth. Do you have any tips on how to make her take the bottle, instead of a cup? Ta.

[Goosie22]

Drinking from a bottle involves using a different action, the recommendation is to avoid bottles untill around 3 months of age. This is to reduce the risk of nipple confusion and breast refusal.

I have no personal experience trying to use a bottle that early, a cup is more like breastfeeding at that age and that is what I used when I needed to leave them for someone else to feed, for what ever reason before they would drink from a sippy cup (straw).

Maybe ask the early weaning mothers or bottle feeders.

[Kim2006]

Hi Goosie

I get it now!! I thought cups were for when they were older!!! Thanks for making that a little clearer!! I will try the cup and see how it goes! Thanks so much.

Kim

[T Bear]

Hi,

I don't know if this will help any of you (and I am yet to try it myself as my baby hasn't actually arrived yet) but Tommee Tippee has a new range of bottles and teats and breastpump that are specially designed to use in combination with breastfeeding. They are designed to mimic breastfeeding as closely as possible - and so (hopefully) avoid nipple confusion.

Here is the link: http://www.tommeetippee.com.au/closertonature/

I got mine at David Jones but I'm sure they are available in other places.

I still don't plan to use it until bub and I have had a chance to learn the whole breastfeeding thing but I'm hoping it will mean that DH can sometimes give a feed, and that I will be able to go out occasionally and have bub babysat.

Goodluck everyone!