Breastfeeding and Expressing

[june05isttimer]

Hi there

Am not yet a mum... bubba is due june 2nd 05.

I have heard alot about breastfeeding and expressing into a bottle for your hubby to feed also.
Was wondering if many people did this or can you somehow instead give a baby a mix of breast feeds and formula bottle feeds ????
My hubby and I are both pro trying to breastfeed but I also want him to get involved in the feeding also....
I have also heard that you can give a baby a formula bottle at night and they sleep through the night or at least sleep longer as their tummy is fuller than what it may be on the breast alone.. Has anyone else heard this ?????
If so can it be done and how do you train your body not to explode if your baby doesn't feed from the breast all the time?????????

[xkwzit]

Hi
Yes you can express and have hubby help out while breast feeding
Yes you can combine breast and bottle feeding...(but be careful :o )

If you don't want your supply to drop you should express whenever you would normally feed baby. If baby doesn't feed from you as normal, your breasts will reduce the amount of milk they make.

Your hubby can be HUGELY helpful just by bringing baby into you you when he/she needs a night feed and putting him/her back down again (with associated nappy changes). Once you get over the initial learning curve re attachment, you'll be able to feed a baby in your sleep - LITERALLY :D .

For most babies, a formula feed at night doens't necessarily means they'll sleep through (esp when they're very new - their tummies are only the size of their fist - so its not VERY big). When they are little, they really need that frequent feeding(but it doesn't last v long - just SEEMS that way when you're living through it :D ).

I would recommend seeing a lactation consultant - they were a godsend to me with my first (because she was difficult to feed - but we got there in the end). They have HEAPs of information and can help you to avoid getting into a problem situation.

Cheers

[alicesmum]

i would agree about hubby being most help by bringing baby to you and putting her back to bed again for night feeds. Getting out of bed at 2am when you're exhausted is the worst, and I was externally grateful when my hubby did this. That is the only time I ever felt like "Oh no, please not now". All the other times (while awake) i was happy to feed her and order hubby around in other ways!! ("Cup of tea and some toast please darling???). (BTW, from chatting with playgroup I get the impression that formula doesn't really impact sleeping times much at all). It is nice however, to involve hubby in feeding, so perhaps plan to go out when you can for a few hours and leave him with a bottle of expressed milk (they say on the pump instructions not to express until you have a routine or your breasts have settled, but I think think that's crap coz hospitals are always getting mums with newborns in special care to express. I did it when mine was 2 weeks old, no probs!!). Also, he can bond in other ways such as bathing, changing, dressing.
I also agree that you have to be fairly careful not to mess with your boobs too much for the first couple of months. You don't want to risk low supply, or much worse, mastitis!
Having said all this, if you want some kind of a life :p once your baby hits 6-8 months old, you might want to get her used to a bit of formula slightly before this time, as expressing your own milk becomes harder/more time consuming as baby gets older as your breasts become more efficient at producing milk. I have a few aquaintances whose babies never tried formula until 10-12 months of age and wouldn't have a bar of it. My daughter had her first try at 5 months and altho she doesn't like it as much as br'milk, will take it so I can go out for the day.

Breast of luck!!! (Sorry...bad pun!!)

[Jayne]

Hey june05isttimer,

I have a daughter who is now 3 1/2 months old and has been bottlefed from 1 week of age.
I was very keen to breastfeed my baby because everyone told me it was the best thing, both for me and my baby, but sometimes things don't turn out the way they plan...
When I couldn't express for my husband to feed her at night, it got very tiring because I would feed her for an hour and an hour after that, I was feeding her again!
She was a very hungry baby, and my body could not give her what she needed. I then chose to give her formula at night and breastfeed during the day, so at least I got some rest while my husband helped out at night time. When I did not feed her breast milk during the night, my breasts got so full that by the morning my nightie was completely soaked and so were all of my bed sheets, even though I went to bed with breast pads in my bra!
Anyway, she liked the formula so much because it filled her up and she didn't have to work to get her milk, formula was the best for her so I gave up breastfeeding.
Unfortunately you will not know now what will be the best for you and your baby until your baby is born.
All I can recommend is to have a plan to breastfeed, as you do, but be aware that anything can happen and not to have a set plan like I did!

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and labour :)

Jayne (Chenae's Mum)

[Hukuna Matata]

Breast feeding all the way.... I'm a big advocate for it. ds is 6 mths old and never had formula, and I don't intend to ever give him any either - ever! Only the breast, I'm mean best for my bub ;)

My hubby helps out by giving ds a bottle of expressed milk once a day, usually in the evening, and has since ds was 2 months old. My milk supply was established, and enough time has passed that nipple confusion wasn't going to be a issue.

Expressing is easy once you get the hang of it. I work two days a week (have ever since ds was 3 months old), and can do it in about 10-15 mins. Knowing as much about expressing as you can is a good idea, and being in tune with your supply, good pump etc - but that should be a whole other thread.

As xkwzit mentioned, be careful about supply dropping issues if you give your bub a bottle.

I too have heard that a bottle of fomula before bed does not necessarily result in better sleep from other mums in my mums groups.

Can I just say that breastfeeding is so convient. I often head to the local shopping centre (when I cant stand to be at home any longer) and all I take with me is a nappy, some wipes and my sling - thats all I need for a couple of hours and it all fits into my hand bag - I have the food covered with my boobs :D . Soooo convient!

All the breast, I mean best :p

[2under2]

Hi there,
I tried to do both with my dd, but didn't have the sense to get enough info and my supply dried up (4weeks)- very dissapointing :( But this time around I actually joined the Australian Breastfeeding Association - www.breastfeeding.asn.au - and they have sooo much info on everything booby! After the initial attachment and engorgement issues were resolved (only a couple of weeks) I have to admit, breastfeeding is so much easier than stuffing around with bottles when we walk out the door! I aim to do it as long as ds wants it this time around! I have an Avent pump that is wonderful to use and have stocked up a bit in the freezer but as yet, haven't actually used any EBM :confused:
I agree with the other girls too, get hubby to help out with bringing bub in, changing and resettling - get all the rest you need.
Good luck with the rest of your pg and birthday!! :)

[shellbell]

Hi jayne,

congratulations on doing what was obviously best for your baby. so long as mum and baby are happy and content, thats the most important thing. i'm a huge breastfeeding advocate, but get really upset when its forced upon new mums who are so exhausted and emotional. my son is nearly 3 months and when he was born, the new mum next to us in hospital was so frantic because her baby was always hungry and she seemed to be constantly feeding. i found it quite upsetting to listen to how upset she was getting. she even felt guilty when the nurse suggested giving him 30ml of formula one night so that she could get some sleep. her nurse the next day was no help, telling her that she shouldn't have let that happen. now that really makes me mad... :mad:

anyway, well done jayne

[ELA23]

hi jayne,

im new at this whole breastfeeding thing 2, bub is only 2 weeks old and i got mastitis on day 3 along with the babyblues, and i was so determined to give up on it but hubby wanted me to bf so i gave it another shot. i am now just expressing and feeding her ebm as she is a real chomper and has ruined my nipples. i reakon u really cant play those cards until u know what ur dealt. mixing the bm and formula can cause bubby to be constipated, i had an excellent lactation specilist help me, and she wasnt againest formula but just warned me about the constipation, which n turn can cause bub to be quite unsettled and windy.

good luck :)

[Jayne]

Hi ELA23,

Congratulations on becoming a mum! I totally agree with you, if you can breastfeed or express, why not! Breastmilk is best for babies, lucky you can express! Chenae was that much of a hungry baby not only did I have to put her on formula, she was on solids when she was only 8 weeks old because she still wasn't satisfied! Needless to say, she is well satisfied and VERY healthy, but I would rather that than her be underweight.
Anyway, I'm glad expressing has worked out for you, as I said, breatmilk is best if it works for you.

Good Luck :)

Jayne

[Chickadee]

It's great to have Dad give a bottle of expressed milk but introducing a bottle too early can cause some babies to prefer bottle to breast and refuse to go back. Mine did at 5 weeks. On the other hand, I know some preemies who started on bottles and happily switched to breast later (mums were expressing) even a set of twins where one switched to breast and the other refused and kept the bottle.