Exclusively expressing ??
J got his tongue tie snipped at 10days old - was so bad it took the doc 2 goes to get it all. Still waiting on nhs referral so very glad we went private! so good to see him using his tongue 
attempts to breastfeed since have not been overly successful, despite lots of help from support worker & midwives. he latches on generally well but gets agitated & frustrated at not getting milk as quick as from the bottle which obviously he has got used to. On the very rare occassion he does stay on, he falls asleep soon after so still hasn't had a proper feed, despite feet tickling, head massaging etc To keep him awake.I then express to avoid blocked ducts etc As per health visitor guidance.
I just feel I am constantly worried about his next feed - whether breast will work, if I'll need to warm the expressed from fridge to make sure he has had enough, whether I'll need to express anyway after he has latched on etc.
Ive always felt very strongly about breastfeeding personally, not just from NHS guidance.I spent most of wkend crying to OH, it's just sthing I so badly want to do but I want a happy healthy baby first & foremost. trying to put him on my breast for every feed doesnt seem to be the way forward in this. Midwives, support worker & health visitor all tell me I am doing brilliantly with trying & expressing but I'm still having a confidence crisis with it. I know we both have to learn to breastfeed but it's just such a massive stress & struggle, to the point where I don't feel I'm really appreciating these special newborn days. He's really thriving, having gone from 7.12lb to 8.8lb in 16 days, but that's with my expressing, not breast.
I'm considering making the decision to exclusively express & purchase this : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medela-Freestyle-Double-Electric-Breastpump/dp/B001HMU86Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top. I hasn't found expressing too tedious & am in a gd routine with It. I have a gd supply & have only had to top up with formula twice this past wk. a hands free option would be great for OH going back to work next wk & the double pump would halve expressing time too.
has anyone exclusively expressed? Any words of Wisdom?
Replies
I didn't exclusively express for that long, I know some ladies on here have so hope they will be along with help soon.
But wanted to say I really feel for you. T had tongue tie too (we also had to go private to get it resolved quickly to give BF the best chance possible- a real bugbear of mine but that's another story!) and I expressed for a day and a half, mostly to give my boobs time to heal as they were shredded from where he couldn't latch properly, and because he was having to feed every 3 hours due to jaundice (it was when he was a few days old so a bit younger than your LO). I felt EXACTLY the same as you, and many tears were shed because I desperately wanted to BF and was terrified he wouldn't take back to the breast after having it from the bottle so young. But we transitioned him over and he did get the hang of it- it took a lot longer than I expected, I'd say it only became effortless at around 8 weeks so a lot longer than I thought it would.
Have you gone to a BF support group? I found out about our local one too late, but friends who've been said it helped a lot.
I know it's all so individual - both in situations and the babies themselves- but wanted to share a somewhat similar story with a positive outcome for you. I hope someone else will be along soon to help you with the actual 'mechanics' of exclusively expressing. At the end of the day you need to do what is right for you and your LO, I do now regret a bit how much the anxiety over BF dominated the very early days. It sounds like you're giving it a lot of consideration so you're obviously doing a brilliant job wanting the best for him. I know it is emotional though so sending a hug!
Thanks rose, that all sounds so similar.
How did you Manage to breastfeed? Like how did you get your LO to take to the breast in the end?
J was jaundiced too which scared me end of last wk so I made sure he took enough fluids via the bottle as it made him so sleepy he fell asleep after a few sucks of the breast.
I don't want to go to our local group because technically I'm not really breastfeeding & I think it would just make me feel even more rubbish to sit amongst people who are, if you know what I mean.
Hey lovely. Up until a coiple of weeks ago, A was almost exclusively fed on EBM, with the odd top up of formula here and there. I have the double mendela pump and it is good although found it frustrating at first because (obv) it wasn't as good as the one I had used at hospital, but I understand it is the best on the market. I am also going to buy that bustier top as I hate not having a hand free to change the channel on the tv, etc, be on the laptop. It's this sexy little number www.amazon.co.uk/.../ref=sr_1_1
A would not bf for ages - I kept trying her few minutes each day and her latch improved and got stronger and now she does no problem, so I wouldn't give up hope.
I now express 3 times a day, morning lunch and evening and find I am producing enough and trying to get ahead so I can store it in freezer. You may already know this but keep the milk in the coldest part of your fridge and not the door (as I did in the early days) and it's good for 48 hours. It can be stored in deep freezer for 6 months and once defrosted in the fridge, use within 24 hours.
Invest in bottles, labels and a big steriliser
I hate to say this as I think it trivialises it and makes it sound easy when it most certainly isn't but for us personally, it was persistence and T learning the skill (and I do firmly believe that while some babies 'get it', some take longer and need to learn it and be helped along!) I did get the breastfeeding support from the local hospital out three times to check the latch etc. My little boy was gaining weight okay and so I just waited out- it took a while but he learned how to do it in the end although was never brilliant at it even at the end. There were many tears, and times I wanted to stop, and if he hadn't been gaining so well I would have certainly reconsidered. I don't think there was a particular turning point- it sort of happened slowly and all at once IYKWIM, and when he was 4 months I was feeding him on my own in a cafe and suddenly realised that I wouldn't have contemplated that a few weeks in (both from the troubles we had and also my confidence, which was shot).
It sounds like you're doing everything right, especially re the jaundice (the MW terrified me about that!) but I know that doesn't help when it all feels so difficult. I felt the same about you as going to my local group but having since spoken to a friend who did go, she said most of them combi-feed anyway. Do they have a Facebook group or anything like that where you could ask for advice if you don't want to go in person? I never went to group but am on the FB page and there is a lady on there who expressed for ages and eventually transitioned him over to the breast so I'm sure that there are people in your position who go -but understand why you're reluctant, I was too and was worried I would be judged or made to feel like I'd fail if I didn't BF (I'm sure these are really my own insecurities rather than anything to do with the BF group!)
Anyway sorry for a long reply. It just all sounds very familiar and I feel for you, but no matter what the outcome, the fact that you are so worried about it shows that you are doing right by your LO and he is thriving which is the main thing!
If I was you, I'd go to a support group. The people running it are experts in breastfeeding and helping people find ways to breastfeed.
I found the ones that ran our support group were very pushy about breastmilk being the only way a baby should be fed (I never admitted mine had a bottle of formula each day!) but because they are so intent on breastmilk being the only thing a baby should get they seemed more willing to spend the time helping people to make it work rather than just saying "oh you'll be fine, you're doing a good job" which is the approach I found midwives and my health visitor took. You might even find there are people at the group who express, or were in a similar situation to you.
Try it, if it's awful you don't need to go back but they might even come out to your house and observe a feed and give you some tips on latching and keeping baby awake
Good luck x
Hello there! My daughter is 7 weeks old and so far I've been exclusively expressing as she was born premature and unable to feed directly from me and I didn't want her to have formula. It's hard work but you do get into a bit of a rhythm with it - I've got a medela pump and they are really good (in my opinion).
Best thing I can advise is to express regularly, the more routine the expressing the better quanitites you'll get out as your boobs will refill and expect another empty. We are starting to offer the odd direct breastfeed (using a nipple shield as she can't get the hang of sucking from my nipple) and it's going quite well however 75% of feeds are still via expressed breastmilk x
He def goes on better with a nipple shield - as I type he's been on for 10mins with one without a massive struggle.
I might go to the support group but I hate of the thought of people being like 'oh so you cant actually breastfeed'.
Midwife rang this morning & said that I just have to be strong & preservere with him as it's just a battle of the wills. She says he won't starve, it's just whether I can listen to his screaming & stay strong. Going to give it my every shot over next few days
Thank you all for replying, sharing & advising, it really does help.
Not sure which shields you've got but I tried a few and the medela ones were definately the best. If you've not got them they are def worth a go x
Thanks ladies. He fed for an hr this afternoon & that was him until 6pm when he feed on & off me until 9pm screaming until I gave in with a bottle of expressed
but was def more progress today, wish me luck for tonight!
Hi, i almost exclusively expressed for nearly 5 months. It was hard going, i won't deny. We had many problems with BF, including mild tongue tie and lack of weight gain (turned out she was milk intolerant, but that's a very long, different story).
First of all, as already suggested, look for additional support as BF is so much easier than expressing. There are often local groups or your HV could suggest someone. There is also the La leche league.
Make sure you're eating and drinking well and eat foods containing oats as they're good for supply. You can also buy supplements such as fenugreek which could help with supply. Express as much as you can, particularly in the early hours which is an important time for milk production. I had the loan of a hospital double pump and without it i would have given up earlier. As Mrs Bass says, getting into a routine will help. Good luck.
I am.
Like you, I was really determined to breastfeed but it hasn't worked out that way due to their early arrival, rubbish sucking and reflux. But I haven't given them formula yet, they are still exclusive breast-milk-fed. I was very proud when both got to tick the 'totally breastfed' box in their red books at their 2 month check up today. I am aiming for a year (madness maybe).
Breastfeeding, bottle feeding and expressing is hard, mostly hard to time nicely full, but not too full boobs around the expressing. Then I have to do it twice over! So we are pretty much exclusively pumping now. I feel I am a slave to the pump so sometimes. I have an electric (more on that later) and a medela harmony manual for pumping when out so I can pump every 2-3 hours without fail.
It's certainly doable and much simpler for just one baby! It's not for the faint hearted though. If you are serious about doing it long term, I would recommend hiring a double hospital grade pump. I have the Medela Symphony hired directly from Medela and delivered to your door (and collected when you're finished). The code NICU30 saves you £15. A good pump will make SUCH a difference to your supply, how quickly you can empty your breast and in turn, how long you're likely to stay sane whilst expressing.
See the table at the bottom of this link:
breastfeedingincombatboots.com/.../choosing-breastpump
I also use an app called pump log to ensure I am expressing frequently and long enough to maintain my supply. After birth, your supply is boosted by post pregnancy hormones. By 12 weeks, it's completely supply and demand so it's important to keep pumping 8 times a day for the first 12 weeks. You may be able to reduce pumping sessions after those 12 weeks to 5 a day and still get the same output.
You know where I am if you have any questions.