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Expressing advice.
E won't take formula at the mo and I'd like to express to give me a little freedom, maybe 1 bottle at night and a small stash to allow me to do things like dentist or hair appointment.
i can only manage small amounts at the moment, talking 50 to 70ml. E is 7 weeks so it's not even enough for 1 feed.
Any advice on how to improve volume? can I combine to make enough for 1?
also, he feeds himself every 1.5 to 2 hours during the day, when is the best time to try and express?
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you can mix the milk yes, i would only mix if its expressed within 24hrs of each other but that's just me!
i used to get the best flow first thing in the morning
I also struggle with pumping, I achieve around 30-60ml in total a day pumping after feeds throughout the day (depending how busy I am) & 90ml at 3-4am.
I found these helped with the flow, I used to only get 30ml a day www.mothercare.com/.../495206,default,pd.html
I'm not too sure about mixing milk, I was advised as long as its within the days of use & its at the same temperature, I haven't done it myself yet though.
I found it more efficient if I pumped at the same time as feeding so my daughter would feed on 1 side & I'd express on the other as she stimulated the let down. As someone mentioned above it's also good to do it at roughly the same time every day then your body will start producing the extra at that time. The best time to do it is after the longest break from feeding so for me this was in the middle of the night (well it's not as if I was doing anything else!) then when she started sleeping through I used to express 1st thing in the morning. & yes you can mix more than 1 together, try to make sure they;re roughly the same temp when you mix them or that the larger volume is colder than the smaller. Good luck
Thankyou.
I'll be freezing it Blackkat, so would just defrost 2 bags to get a 4oz feed.
Groans at the thought of expressing in the middle of the night!
I combine milk from different expressing sessions all the time but chill the new milk first so it's the same temperature when I mix it together.
I've been having trouble with expressing lately and got loads of helpful advice as was really struggling to get enough during my evening expressing time. I've now switched to expressing whilst feeding a couple of times a day and it's much easier. I also express in the morning at weekends when H is around to take A and get loads more then. Other tips I received were have baby in the same room as you while you express, or look at photos or have clothing or a muslin that smells of them; massage the boob as you pump; use warm flannels to stimulate letdown; make sure you're drinking plenty of water every day; eat lots of oats.
I tried expressing in the night a while ago and got nowhere! I was expecting lots of milk but nope!
try and massage your boobs before and as you express. I could sometimes see little milk ducts squirt extra as I found a full duct. Don't forget to drink plenty. I had a glass of water or milk during each pump.
That's fine about defrosting 2 at the same time & using together. & I never got up in the middle of the night to just express, only if I was feeding her at the same time!!
Thanks all, I managed a whole 70ml last night, so will keep at it x