Expressing?

Koalagirl · May 27, 2011 2:05PM

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!

Garfield24sBoys · May 27, 2011 5:32AM

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

Koalagirl · May 27, 2011 1:09PM

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

mum-E · May 27, 2011 2:05PM

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.

Expressing?

Replies