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expressing for 8 week old - 14 Ib 15 oz - how much per feed?
my 8 week old has been exclusively BF and is doing really well. he's now 14lb 15 oz and started off at 8lb 13 oz so im really proud of myself! I love feeding him, he has two night feeds now which i think is good going and i still feed hourly for some of the morning and afternoon, with a 3 hour stretch at some point. He's my first and im not at work so i feel pretty chilled out about it.
I haven't worried too much about expressing till now but at the back of my mind i am worried that is should introduce a teat to him soon (don't want to fall into the trap of him refusing anything but me as am going back to work when he's 7 or 8 months and would still like him to have some breast milk alongside food). Also, there may be the odd social occasion along the way and it would be nice to think we could occasionally do something for a few hours! After feeding him on the left breast and putting him to bed i used my handheld pump on the right for 15 mins and got 110mls which ive put in the fridge. Im going to get someone other than me to try him with it tomorrow (I know its important they can not only take a bottle but also can accept food off someone else). I just wondered if this is likely to be enough for a baby of his age and weight? Some of the cluster feeding he does may well be for comfort rather than just to fill up as have probably been guilty of putting him on the boob when he's been unsettled - its so easy just to calm him down! x
I haven't worried too much about expressing till now but at the back of my mind i am worried that is should introduce a teat to him soon (don't want to fall into the trap of him refusing anything but me as am going back to work when he's 7 or 8 months and would still like him to have some breast milk alongside food). Also, there may be the odd social occasion along the way and it would be nice to think we could occasionally do something for a few hours! After feeding him on the left breast and putting him to bed i used my handheld pump on the right for 15 mins and got 110mls which ive put in the fridge. Im going to get someone other than me to try him with it tomorrow (I know its important they can not only take a bottle but also can accept food off someone else). I just wondered if this is likely to be enough for a baby of his age and weight? Some of the cluster feeding he does may well be for comfort rather than just to fill up as have probably been guilty of putting him on the boob when he's been unsettled - its so easy just to calm him down! x
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tigerlilly how long is you LO going at night?
I think it's hard for babies that are breast fed as they love the cuddle as well as the food - tbh so do i it was hard to feed him with a bottle and not cradle him close! But needs must and at least if he's started to take it i can build on that. Do you know if there are any better teats than advent for BF babies not used to the speed of it?
tigerlily - wow things sound very good going for a month. I too am good at eating over henry (a breast feeding widgey pillow helps as i can balance my plate on it as well as him!) i tend to dust henry down after ha ha.
piggypops when your lo was 8 weeks and took 4/5 oz how long did she go for?
its been tough with henry he did not like the advent bottle at all, my mum went out and bought tommee tippee closer to nature bottle, with a teat designed for BF babies. They came for lunch and i tried him, he screamed the place down and my mum got so upset - she cant bare him crying. She tried first off but she got as upset as him! Not helpful! I had to give him a bit of breast, then a bit of bottle, then a bit more breast. He mainly pushed the teat around with his tongue and let the milk accumulate at the back of his throat and swallowed, not exactly proper bottle feeding. Then all of a sudden it seemed to click and he drank it, all the time looking at me. Today we tried again and he took the bottle with no breast first or after, he looked at me and cooed and smiled while it was in his mouth. I think he sees it as a bonus that he can see me while he feeds as on the boob he can only see my breast! I know i need to crack someone else feeding him but im pleased he is getting used to a teat first and i hope, if we do a bottle a day, in a few days he won't miff if someone else gives it.
As for amounts - ive not exactly been trying my hardest with the expressing, henry has now moved to just one feed a night which is brilliant but by morning, after expressing the evening before, my boobs are so hard!! If i was just going to throw the milk away i didnt want loads so he's only had 60-70mls about 3 oz. This seems to last him about an hour (he does hourly feed in the morning) and then he wants a BF so think im going to have to do much better than that if i want to go anywhere. At least double i think.
Im so proud of my beautiful boy though - to crack the bottle and only be getting me up once a night at only 9 weeks (going 1930-3/4 ish - 0730). He also damaged a muscle in his neck due to his position in me and has to have stressful physio to stretch his neck at every nappy change. He takes it all in his stride bless him xx