Expressing Advice Please

Hello,

Would love to hear off anybody who has some advive on how they think the best way to express is.

First time Mum who has had such conflicting advice from the "professionals" and "helpful family members"

Really don't want to start formula yet as i love breast feeding and that bond you get with baby.

Vicky

hi vicky

harry is very fussy and sometimes latches on fine and gets a full belly and other days he wont have a bar of it, so since about the first week i have been expressing and feeding harry through a bottle the expressed milk when he doesnt latch on.

i started off with a avent isis manual breast pump, but when you express every three hours, after a few weeks i noticed my fingers were seizing up,( becasue of the repetative action ) and switched to an electric one. and one thing i have learned is that the right pump is essential.( your gonna be using it alot and for a while) i got a spectra 3 electric pump from www.anawiz.com after finding the website on this site. i aim to express about every three hours, but a word of advice, unless you want your milk supply to lessen you need to keep up with it.

i would also express when you have just fed or during feeding your baby. this is because harry knew the noise of the expresser meant food and half the time as soon as i started i had to stop and feed harry as he automatically ascociated it with dinner time! before you start make sure your not in a rush, and gently massage your boobs to encourage your let down reflex. (also looking at your baby or smelling his scent on some clothes will help you 'let down' you also need to be relaxed, and try not to watch the pump.

i find expressing is only really effective first thing in a morning when you have rested. its also important to drink loads of water. i developed mastitus not long ago and the doc told me that its because harry wasnt latching properly my breast wasnt draining properly, so when you express i was advised to fully empty at least one breast (if you need the other to still breastfeed, rather than just empty half of both. the health visitor also told me that a babys suction is much more effective than an artificial pump so its a good idea to still put the baby to the breast even for just a short time as the milk production will be much better. i used to feed and express at the same time when poss but now harry is just too fidgety.

hope this helps

good luck hun. xx

Hi I found that an electric pump was really good and you can get a loan form your loal hospital or health centre which should be free. As Kathy said relax and massage help as does looking at you babu or smelling them. I couldn't breastfeed my 1st as she couldn't suck ue to not having the right lower half of her jaw bone, but decided i still wanted to give her the best start i could. I expressed milk by looking at a picture of her (she was was in hospital until 4 weeks old) and taking home her clothes she wore the day before.
Good luck

Louise xx

Hi there
Great advice Kathy and Louise. I didn't have a problem with the Avent Isis - I loved it - but maybe I wasn't doing as much expressing (I would do one sitting each morning, to build up supplies for when I wasn't there, rather than for when I wanted to give Lloyd a bottle myself, so there wasn't a need to do so much). You're right- the electric option is great for being able to do all that for you.
I will also attach our article on expressing at the top of this thread.
Cheers all
Laura (TB editor) x

Thank you for the advice, all that i want to do is have a supply for when i'm not around and to let my husband have the pleasure of feeding Jacob as he does feel a little left out.
So hard to know what to do for the best and how to go about it all, had'nt thought that i would enjoy breast feeding as much as i have done and will try my best to go as long as i can.
Vicky