Hi Minivini2b - I was always told to stay with the slow flow teat when still attaching to the breast. Good on you for having a go at expressing whilst at work. Give yourself a little bit of time to get comfy with the whole process at work.
Thanks Lisa - I am really hoping to stick with it till little mans 1st bday. I am hoping work is supportive as I work for a Paediatrician so they should know how important it is. I'm just wondering how I will know how much to put in the bottles each day for childcare? For a few days before should I def give him a bottle every day and take note on how much he drinks and use that amount? I am going to give the day care some freezer bagged milk as well for hungry times and I guess if they are noticing all the time he is needing more than in the bottle I can increase the amount.
I'm a little worried that pumping three days a week will lead to a decrease in supply as I have read pumping isn't as effective as feeding - is there anyway to prevent this? Or just feed as often as little man needs on the other days during the week?
Any advice would be great!
And thanks for the advice on the teats - I got more bottles the other day and bought newborn teats for them to use till I need to change (if I need to).
I'm sure I'll have lots more questions as the return to work gets closer!
I would personally pack EBM in small lots (say 50 ml), but give them many of them. If he's hungry after the first then they can go onto the second, but if he's not hungry then less EBM is wasted. Have a look into something like the Avent cups - they very rarely leak, can be frozen if needed, and the teat screws into the cup via an adaptor. I'm sure there are similar setups for other types of bottles too.
One thing you have on your side with pumping is that you will know what you get out - and if it drops seriously then you can take some action. The simplest action is to pump more often or add in an extra suck-feed or two. If more drastic action is needed then motilium is a medicine that increases milk production. And demand feeding on the days when you and bub are together is important.
Be prepared for night feeds to increase when you return to work as well - which if it happens will certainly deal with any supply issues, although it brings a whole new pile of fun!
Do you have a double pump? If you do it can cut the expressing time substantially, and leave you with a bit more time for other things. Also, during the day at work, just put the milky pump bits (and the milk) in the fridge between uses - then give them all a good wash when you get home. If you can collect extra sets of pump attachments (friends, ebay) it makes things a lot easier to manage as well, because then you can have scrubbing session every couple of days.
Thanks for the tips - I hope feeding overnight doesn't increase lol! I don't have a double pump but it takes me less than 10mins to get 100mls from one side so I'm hoping it won't take me to long to pump at work but if it does I might invest in a double pump - can u use a double pump as a single if only need to pump one side?
I have the avent bottle cups as well and they are great. I will use them as well as the bottles I have. And I will start freezing my stash in smaller quantities - I agree it is Definatley sad to throw EBM down the sink when he doesn't use it all!
I second the tips from Kmn of how to do things efficiently.
Hopefully your supply will be fine because you aren't exclusively expressing. Yes, you can monitor the situation as you will see how much you are making and note if there is a significant drop. A lot of people have no problems EE in terms of supply, but others like me had some issues. My issues were resolved by motilium...the best thing I did was to take it.
It is hard to know how much to pack for childcare. I was lucky because I had too much milk in the freezer so I could send more than was required. Maybe look at how much your bub drinks at that time of time and pack a little extra just in case. My bub would often drink more when away from my care, perhaps it was a security thing.
Ask any questions you need. I'm glad I can use some of the things I learned along the way to help others so more than happy to help in any way I can.
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