It hurts!!

[MantaRay]

Heaven, you should be able to feed her from one side only for now as long as you are expressing from the other side to prevent engorgement. One breast is capable of sustaining a baby - just like it does for twins!

If you do want or seem to need to give EBM top ups, you can try using a cup rather than a bottle if you would feel better about that. Newborns can drink from cups quite well.

[Snacks]

Natty was only on one of my boobs for our last couple of months of bfeeding. She always got plenty
WOWEE, 80 mls is spectacular, particularly from a manual pump! Go you! If you are not too tired, I'd be expressing pretty regularly from your LHS to keep the boob stimulated and making enough milk ready for when that crack's all healed and you're ready to put her back on that side.

If you do want or seem to need to give EBM top ups, you can try using a cup rather than a bottle if you would feel better about that. Newborns can drink from cups quite well.

Yeah, or alternatively you can buy a medical supply tube and feed her with your (clean! or gloved) finger - you put your finger in her mouth with the tube and she can suck on that like a straw (with your EBM in a bottle or something on the other end). That way she can control the flow a bit better than with a bottle. But it sounds like you're doing great just feeding from the RHS, and you'll have her back on that healed LHS before you know it!

[Shanti]

Sara,

You probably don't need to give her the bottle as she is getting plenty from one side as it is. And like you said, gaining weight nicely.... if she feeds from your 'good' side only, that's fine, just make sure you express on the 'sore' side after she feeds from the other side to make sure it keeps up. This is what i had to do for 5 days while my damaged Right nipple healed, remember? And it all worked out fine. I had to give the bottle as she needed top ups to put on weight as Ava wasn't getting enough as my milk supply had dropped (different situation to yours).

So don't give her the bottle if you don't want to.... just keep feeding from the 'good' side. And expressing on the opposite while it heals. Mine took a few days but it was badly damaged.... perhaps yours may only take 1-2 days?

You can always feed Grace with a little plastic cup too... that's what we did in hospital with Ava. (but that was more colostrum, not milk)

[Heaven]

Thankyou everyone!! I have been just trying to feed on the right. It feels really empty though because she goes for ages on it, coz she's not getting the other one. But there's still milk there even if it feels empty right? Just when I think there's no more I hear her gulp so she must be getting it still. And I can still squeeze some out after she's finished.

I am going to try the cup instead too. I feel better about it. I hate it when I try and give her the bottle and she screams coz she doesn't like it and she wants me but I can't do it Hopefully it won't be long and it will be all healed. It's looking a lot better already, phew.

[MantaRay]

Wow Sara that's great. You are right, there is always milk there even if it feels empty. You are doing all the right things hun, and using the cup sounds like a great solution for you all for now. Hopefully you'll be back to feeding on both sides in no time!

[Shanti]

Sara,

Great work just use one of those tiny measuring cups for medicine you can get them at the chemists.... we got ours from hospital before we left.

With the bottles, my LC advised me to get the Y teat with the Pigeon Bottles. They have the peristaltic action that works similar to the nipple. If you are using a teat that is too fast that may upset Grace. The Pigeon bottles with Y teats you can get from BigW or chemists but cheaper in BigW!

[~clover~]

OMG! I'm so happy to read all this.
You sound so much happier & less stressed. You've come soooo far in the last few days!
You are amazing! Don't look back hunny. Do what you need, be it using a cup for EBM or freezing it & saving it all up for later, you are doing great!

Honestly it just made my day to hear this! I can tell how much better you feel!
You go girl!!!

BTW - 80mls is fantabulus! My first go I got 20mls!

[Heaven]

Thanks so much for your support once again girls!! Still going on the expressing. Getting around 50mls each time. She is such a little piggy sometimes. In the evening she can have 1 hr on the breast and still want more and then drink 50mls!! lol. No wonder she's putting on weight!!

Can I add the expressed milk all to the once container for the one day?? I mean like every time I express in a day can I put it all together. And when I freeze it what's a good amount to freeze in each container?? Should I get some glad snap lock bags??