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expressing milk

hello ladies,i just got a few questions on expressing milk,i had twins 3 weeks ago a boy and a girl,there still in hospital as there were 9wks early,ive been expressing milk and taking it up but my milk supply is the same i thought that it would increase and is it normal for onr boob to produce more milk than the other and iam expressing between 15-20mins on each boob is that enough or do i just keep expressing till no milk comes out? also expressin every 3-4 hours and how important is it to express in the night? iam shattered as i have a 21month old son so iam trying to spend as much time with him in the morning aswell as expressing inbetween this and on top of trying to do a little housework,then iam out of th house at 3 and dont get home till 8 then i sort my son out and then do tea for me and oh then i get to bed about 10:30 and iam just to tired to get up in the night to express,any tips or advice would be great
thanks

sarah
xx

[Modified by: fall3n-ang3l on 22 January 2009 13:53:32 ]

Replies

  • hia honey, i'm not sure how much help i'll be, but i expressed for 3 solid months as my daughter wouldnt latch on but i wanted her to have my milk. I did find one boob produced more milk than the other and this is normal. It is definately time consuming, i ended up buying two manual pumps and doing both boobs at the same time!! sounds crazy but works a treat and saves time. I always used to express until i could clearly see that there wasn't much. The more milk you express each time, ie, the higher the demand for milk, the more your body will produce. I found that i had to express once through the night otherwise i ended up either incredibly sore and engorged or i would leak ALL over the bed resulting in having to get up in the night and strip the bed!

    Well done for managing so far, and keep up your good work, remember though that your supply will increase the more milk you'll make!

    XX
  • hey hun i would prob express a little longer than 15-20 mins as babies usually feed for more than this time and try to do 1 feed during the night. The more you express the more milk you will start to produce. I know its difficult hun but try to eat and drink lots as this helps with supply aswell. Your doing a fab job xx
  • Yes do express at least once during the night according to all experts. You also produce your best milk between around 2 and 5am so worth it for that.
  • I think 3-4 hourly is plenty but would express for a few minutes after flow stops to ensure supply increases. Remember when they start suckling they will soon stimulate the supply themselves and you can increase amounts in just a day or 2.
    Good Luck- you must be desperate to get them home!
  • copngratulations on your lo's!if i were u id invest in a double electric pump to save on time and help increase suppl.If you are worried that your supply wnt meet the needs of your lo's then you should keep expressing when you have emptied the breast as this will signal to your body to produce more milk adn up your supply.I would also say i know its hard and tyring but you should express in the night or else when your lo's are home you may not be able to feed them this feed,this will help up your suppy too and like others have said night time is usually the best time for your body producing the most milk.You will also find that your lo's will have a growth spurt in a couple of weeks so id try and up your supply ready for this.Hope you get them home soon and well done you are doing a fantastic job xxx
  • thank you ladies and yes i cant wait to get them home,hope its soon image

    sarah
  • HI Sarah,

    Congratulations on the birth of your twins. Like LinziMc I have a daughter who won't latch on, so I've been exclsively expressing for the last 5 months. I won't deny that it's hard work and if I wasn't so stubborn I would have given up months ago! I would say you need to be expressing every 3 hours during the day to ensure a good supply, and I was getting up twice in the night for the first 2 months, then once a night since then, even now (my daughter has been sleeping through the night since 7 weeks)

    I have always found that I get a lot more milk from one boob than the other, sometimes twice as much. I would say always express until the milk stops, otherwise your body thinks that it doesn't need to produce as much and will cut down the amount. I made this mistake early on and have struggled ever since to produce enough. If you find your supply is low, all is not lost as you can get herbal supplements - I used Nettle extract and it worked really well, I now have a freezer full of milk!

    I found in the early days it took me around 10-15 mins each side but now the milk flow seems to be more efficient and it takes less than 10minutes most of the time for both sides (except night expresses which take approx 20mins)

    I found the easiest way to keep going was by reassuring myself that I was giving my daughter the best start in life by giving her my milk and it's benefits. My hubby is very supportive and he keeps me motivated (but I'm not offering for you to borrow him though!!)

    Good luck and I hope it all works out well for you soon

    Corinna x
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