Am I doing this right?

[Blondie]

So due to badly cracked nipples, infected milk ducts and thursh on the nipple I have decided to express my milk for bub and bottle feed.

I tried this with my Son and ended up with an overwhelming supply so I want to make sure this doesn't happen again.

What I have been doing is working out how much she drinks (anywhere between 60-100mls every 3-4 hours) and pumping 100mls putting it in the fridge. When she wakes 3-4 hours later I feed her the EBM and then pump her next feed. Should I be pumping more than she needs to drink or should I just continue to pump what she currently requires? I figure that she is full after 80mls then that is all she would take on the breast anyway, so in order to not get an oversupply I should only pump what she requires.

What are your opinions?

[~TT40~]

I guess it is up to you. some women find the act of pumping and then feeding like a double up and draining, but if you feel comfortable with that routine and are basically pumping for the next feed (one ahead), should be fine. I personally would like to be a day ahead or more, but that is me. Remember supply and demand. so remember if she demands more, you will need to express more itms... you still want to give her demand feeds rather than timed.
what would you do at night? are you still happy to pump at night?
there is a thread on exclusive expressers they would be able to help.

ps. good on you for continuing to supply your bm to bub =)

[Blondie]

Thanks hon It was devestating that after only 6 days my boobs had let me down and every time I contemplated FF I cried my eyes out so this was the only option.
I do find feeding and then pumping a little draining at night but my boobs are so rock hard and sore during the night that I have to express. She is sorta making her own routine she has a bath at 5ish, bottle straight after then she wakes around 9-10pm for another feed and then again at 1-2am ish and then 5-6am ish. At the moment I have around 5 feeds worth of milk in the fridge because I was pumping 100 mils but she was only drinking around 80.

I might check out the forum.... thanks so much for responding.

[onthefly]

Hi Blondie
Sorry you've had a hard time. How are your nipples now? And how is baby going?

At the moment your baby is still little and her milk requirements will increase through the first month or so. After that they will remain roughly the same until 6 months (unless you introduce other milk/food). So, in the early weeks frequent feeding (or expressing) is good to ensure that you make enough milk for your baby's needs at 4+ weeks (even if that means you have a little too much now.) In the early weeks many mothers make too much milk as supply is driven by hormones, rather than demand. This changes, though, and by around the 4-6 week mark, many mothers notice that their supply seems to drop off - what has actually happened is that their breasts are now responding to demand and making milk in accordance with the amount that is removed (by baby or pump). Generally speaking, for most mums, it's easier to lower your supply than increase it later on, so setting your production at "high" early on is a good thing.

Feeding at night is great, too. To keep your production up, and to ensure that engorgement and blocked ducts don't cause you any more misery (you've had enough pain, I think!)

The ABA has an article on exclusive expressing, also. It includes some info on bottle feeding to mimic breastfeeds, to avoid overfeeding, also.

How do you feel about expressing? Is trying to feed at the breast again something you'd be interested in trying?

Take care and all the best!

[Blondie]

So do you think I should judge how much she is drinking and express a bit more? For example if she drinks 100mls should I express 120 to make sure I keep my supply up?

My nipples are slowly healing....very slowly. I was in such agony I don't think I could mentally go back to the breast for fear of failure once again. My boobs just aren't breastfeeding material I think.

Thanks for the info and the advice

[onthefly]

I'm glad to hear they're getting better. I'm not sure what happened early to get them in that state, but that much damage suggests something went very wrong for you, that's for sure. It most likely wasn't your breasts that were the problem, though, but perhaps the help you got early on.
You are doing a wonderful job feeding your baby under very difficult circumstances - well done!

As for exact amounts to express, I don't know. Have you tried giving the ABA helpline a call? They may be able to give you more specific guidance on this. 1800-686-268. I would just think, as a general guideline, to try and get your supply up to where it will need to be in a few weeks time, so a bit more than what she is taking now. We know from research that individual healthy babies take anywhere from 500-1200mL per day, so it varies a great deal baby to baby. With a bit of time I guess you'll find out how much your baby needs. Also remember that it's normal for babies to take different volumes of milk at different times of day - sometimes bigger amounts, sometimes smaller - so maybe think about the total amount you pump in 24 hours, rather than the amount per feed. If you're getting a bit less overall, then you could introduce an extra pumping session, for example.

Hope the nipples are in tip-top shape very soon.

[Mrs P]

Blondie having recently gone through cracked bleeding nipples, mastitis and nipple thrush myself I know that pain. You are doing an amazing job expressing all those feeds! I struggled through the pain using nipple shields and am just coming out the other side now after three weeks of agony with each feed. The shields helped though - did you try them? I'm scared of weaning DS off them but like you I really want DS to have breast milk so I will do what it takes. Congrats on being such a committed Mumma!

[Blondie]

Thanks so much ladies for your supportive words. It really means a lot to me to know that others think I am doing a good job don't we owe it to our babies to give it a really good go! I added up what I have expressed over the last few days vs what she is actually drinking and this is what I got:

Sunday
Expressed 640
She drank 520

Monday
Expressed 770
She drank 545

Tuesday
Expressed 725
She drank 545

So it looks like I am pumping more than she needs already. I know that I could pump more out of my breasts but I am worried I will go into overdrive so I might just keep expressing slightly more than she needs that way I am staying ahead without creating too much of a problem.She is only 13 days old but as you have all said, she will start wanting more shortly and I want to be prepared