Forum home Archived Birth Clubs My baby was born in May 2011

Expressing?

Hiya,



Has anyone started expressing yet? Are any of you planning to? Peter is just over 3 weeks old and while I don't want to give him a bottle yet (still having a few latching issues) I do want to be able to eventually and I read somewhere that it's easier to start expressing before the baby is 4 weeks old because after that your milk production has started to settle down. So I was thinking of trying to express once a day but don't know what to do with the milk. Don't want to give a bottle yet but it seems a shame to waste it! I've heard about freezing your milk but in what? The books just say a sterile container but I feel really clueless!

Replies

  • You can get breast milk freezer bags but I'm planning on using normal freezer bags - not sterile but the freezer will kill any germs. Then getting some small tubs and transferring the frozen blocks into them. So long as you keep a check on when you've frozen them; in a normal freezer it will last 4 months, chest freezer 6 months. Figure that way I can freeze in (eg) 3oz portions and defrost as many blocks as I think I will need.



    I was expressing but it was all going to his feeds, now we're re-establishing on the breast I'm going to start trying to express again and freeze it for when I need to leave him at home. We've already had to introduce a bottle but it doesnt seem to bother him. xxx
  • Thank you! Will get some freezer bags and start the expressing after the weekend. It's good to know you've already managed to combine breast and bottle without too much hassle. I don't want to start too soon but I have had friends who've left it a long time and their babies then refused to take a bottle. I might need to go back to work fairly early so really want to make sure I've got that option
  • I used the lansinoh sterile milk storage bags last time. They are fairly expensive (I don't know how much) but as I only used to freeze small amounts I found them handy as they have the oz/ml amounts measured out on them and they seal and pour really well so no spillages of the precious stuff! I got them in mothercare but I think they sell them in boots too.
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