Forum home Babies Breast & bottle feeding

expressing how soon HELP

Hi my daughter is just over a week old. I've been breastfeeding her well but am struggling at night as she wants feeding constantly does anyone know whether its too soon for me to start expressing and giving her a bottle at night? I asked my midwife about topping her up with formula but she said this upsets their stomachs. Please help x

Replies

  • hi i introduced a bed bottle of ff at 3weeks, obviously up to u and u have to do what suits u and ur daughter best but perosnlly i wld wait a week or two to ensure breastfeeding is well established before offering bottles, altho i'm not sure what ur mw says is true, it never upset ds's tummy (well it did but thats cos he's milk intolerant but thats another matter lol) sorry no help really, u cld start expressin,g now to boost ur supply but i wld hold off from actually offering it to her for atleast a week, also ur milk changes at around 2 weeks becomes much more calorie dense so u may find things get easier frmo that point, also ur in a growth spurt minefield at the mo so some days she'll be feeding constant and others she'll be far more relaxed. hth xx
  • I saw a fantastic lactation consultant who advised me to express initially for 5-10 mins after each feed. I think this was to help build up my supply but it also meant I built up a stock of milk. This was when lo was less than a week old so I don't think there's any harm in expressing straight away, it might just take a while until you can express significant amounts.

    Stick with it though, it really does get easier after the first few weeks and they settle into a pattern of feeding more in the day (it may sound obvious, but the more you can feed her in the day, the less she will need at night!). Even if you were to top her up with formula she would still end up being hungry and then you have all the fuss of sterilising bottles, warming milk etc.

Sign In or Register to comment.

Featured Discussions