Exclusive Expressers

[ezymay]

Yep at 7 months and still going Belfie!!! Def thinking seriously about stopping though or at least slowing we'll see. I'd like to keep going. I guess I'll know.
Good on you for rediscovering motivation.

[DaintreeDream]

Olive's Mummy - Xander drinks about 220ml per feed, usually 4 times a day. But tbh, he's always been a pretty big feeder. Over the last few months, based on the formula he should have been taking close to 1300ml a day (he's a big boy) but he's been taking nowhere near that. I wonder if the EBM is more energy rich than FF?

Daintree Dream - how are the solids going for you? And when do you think you plan/hope to pump for? I'm cheering for you to reach that 12 months!

EBM is definatly more energy rich than formula, do not go by formula tins to work out how much EBM to give your bubba or you may very well have a real budda baby on your hands fluids is a seperate thing again, they need a certain amount of fluids which when feeding EBM means this can be made up with water as they are having all of the calories they need but may need more fluids.

The problem with feeding baby EBM compared to FF or breast is that they have not done enough research into the requirements of a EBM feeding. I would of thought by now they would of had some solid research and answers... but they do not.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to pick the brains of so many neonatologists, lactation consultants, speech pathologists and dietican/nutrician specials at the childrens hospital, I think these were sick of me by the end of it

My aim was to get to 12 months and then anything over 12 months is a blessing .
Although it has been hard at times, I now do not doubt that I will get to 12 months even if I have had to add a FF in. The problem is I do not think I will be able to part with it at 12 months. I keep thinking 'if I have made it this far why not keep going until I have no milk left'. So at this stage I am thinking... I know that I will make it to 12 months, from then on I think I will continue to express 2x a day, morning and night until there is not enough milk left to express.

How many times/how often are you all expressing in a day?
I assume you have all dropped night time expressing by now?

[belfie]

Daintree Dream - aah finally confirmation on the issue of how much to give! So how do you know how much to give them then? Given they haven't done enough research...? How did you decide how much to give?

My DS is currently about 9.4kg... he's seemed to "want" about 230ish ml 4 times a day for a long time now, so that's what I give...? But over the last 2-3 months I always try to err on the side of less rather than more. Now i'm wondering if I've been overfeeding him? He is a very big and chubby boy and to be honest I've worried a smidge about his weight as he's the chubbiest in both my mother's groups, and with my history of gestational diabetes... excess weight isn't something I want to encourage in him either (even though I certainly don't want a dieting baby!).

I can maintain enough very well on 5 expresses a day, if there's only 4, I start to struggle, as very occasionally he suddenly has a 5 feed day. I've not been doing night-time (12am-6am) expresses for a long time, but I've often done one latish express, say 11-12pm (I'm a bit of a night owl these days).

I can understanding not wanting to stop at 12 months. I feel like I don't have good enough reasons to stop. Is it easier if the decision is made for us (i.e. due to supply) than having to make a decision?

[ezymay]

Belfie they say you can't over feed a BF'd baby so i assume that means with EBM as well. He wouldn't drink it if he didn't want it. I worry that I have underfed Emily but she is 9kg and a bit chubby and I think she would have been letting me know if she was hungry.

DD Yeah i don't pump overnight i only pump 2 times a day now normally after her 6 am feed then during her arvo sleep and then just before bed time. I did an extra today cause my supply has been a bit low

I was so grateful DD gets EBM when I had the gastro so I knew she was a bit protected from it.

[DaintreeDream]

Once they hit 6 months as far as I have been told (by Matildas dietican) they require 100mls of fluids per kg of bodyweight, this can be made up with water also which does not have the calories.

Just wanted to share what Matilda has been on in the way of EBM/Fluids:
At 6-9 months she was on 800mls of EBM only, water offered.
At 9 months 800mls of EBM and 100mls of water.
At 10 months 880mls EBM/FF and 100mls of water.

Matildas weight has always been perfect or a little smidge over and she is 9.3kgs at 10 months and she is chubby, I think her weight has just started to slow, which I believe is right for her age. She was 7.64kgs at 7 months.

Just wanted to add that I am sharing with you all as I know I liked to know what other EBM Mums where feeding there babies to compare as there is not enough information out there for us. I am in no way trying to say that I know what is best or that you should listen to what I say. I just think it is nice to know .

Belfie - I think what you are feeding you DS is fine. If he is happy and not refusing or vomiting then I think that the volume is right for him. I would (just my personal opinion) not up his quantity of EBM at the moment though.

I think 4-5 times is the lucky numbers. I dropped the nighttime feed early on, I express last at about 9pm and then at 7am and then 3-4 hourly throughout the day. If I was going out I would do one before I left even if it had only been 2 hours since the last then jump on the pump as soon as I got home (which on the occasion was a 6 hour break).

I think I could get more if I expressed more but I am trying to be at peace with what I have acheived and what I am still giving and not put so much pressure on myself but in saying that - Matilda had a chest infection a couple of weeks ago and has since not recovered as well as I would like, she still vomits a full feed up every other day and she has always got phlem and needing to cough, I am blaming myself at the moment that this is because of the formula as she was well before I added formula. I am keep telling myself that I need to start expressing ridiculous numbers of times a day to get my supply back up to feed my beautiful girl EBM only again... I am feeling really bad at the moment that I have not been able to keep up to EBM ONLY feeding... I know that it is pretty much impossible to get the amounts she needs now, my supply has dropped and she still gets ALOT of EBM, but I still hate that she has any formula... I hope she gets rid of this phlem soon and stops vomiting, maybe then the pressure will ease.

Well I need to go get a bottle and pump now...

Happy Pumping Ladies.

[belfie]

Once they hit 6 months as far as I have been told (by Matildas dietican) they require 100mls of fluids per kg of bodyweight, this can be made up with water also which does not have the calories.

Just wanted to share what Matilda has been on in the way of EBM/Fluids:
At 6-9 months she was on 800mls of EBM only, water offered.
At 9 months 800mls of EBM and 100mls of water.
At 10 months 880mls EBM/FF and 100mls of water.

Matildas weight has always been perfect or a little smidge over and she is 9.3kgs at 10 months and she is chubby, I think her weight has just started to slow, which I believe is right for her age. She was 7.64kgs at 7 months.

Belfie - II would (just my personal opinion) not up his quantity of EBM at the moment though.

Aaah that's so useful to see what someone else is taking! Thanks heaps Daintree Dream, and I agree that there's so few of us, it's great to be able to share this information. Plus I do agree with your person opinion about his EBM too. I find it interesting that no health professional has given me any guidance regarding volumes (mind you, I didn't really go hunting for it either), but I suspect his healthy weight gains mean they just didn't worry. He gained 1kg per month without fail until the last month (betweeen 5 and 6 months it finally slowed a bit - he was 8.5kg at 5 months). I was rather relieved, as I was waiting for the gains to slow down (he was only 3.4kg or 7lb 7oz born - so not that big).... but daddy is a bit of a man mountain at 6'5", so there's some precedence in the genes. But I've also found that I can definitely get away with offering DS a bit less which is the way to go with him - I'm sure he'd happily comfort guzzle otherwise!!

Good luck with the phlegm, I can totally understand the mixed feelings re formula.

Eej - 2 pumps a day omg I'm so envious that's wonderful!

ok gotta go pump now too - happy pumping ladies.

[tiggerlinda]

Wow this thread has popped up at the right time for me will answer questions later I promise

Miss C is one week old and we have been expressing since day 4 as she was not attaching and fighting me with G cup breasts.

I am expressing 5-6 times a day getting 150 mls a time and she is drinking around 60mls 4-6 times a day.

Does this sound on track?

[belfie]

Tiggerlinda - first off, congrats on your beautiful new baby! Secondly well we've just been chatting about the fact we don't really know how much they're supposed to have! Exclusive xpressers are a small (exclusive? ha!) group and not many professionals seem to be able to povide much guidance as to the recommended amounts. I think Daintree Dream has the most info, so hopefully she'll pop in & share anything relevant.

My DS was getting EBM from about 10 weeks old - but prior to that was on a mix of EBM/FF/BFing (also problems attaching). At the time I went on how much they should have if on formula - sorry I don't know the recommended is for a newborn. All I can say is that retrospectively I've discovered that EBM is definitely a bit richer than FF and I've got a pretty big chubba boy from it! So saying, we also pretty much provided milk on demand, I was happy to give whatever he wanted. He would soon let me know if he was full & don't want anymore.

Incidentally I just looked up the karicare site, and its formula said for 1wk - 1 month old...100ml boiled water + 2 scoops (mebbe 10g?) = so probably about 110ml, given 6-8 times a day. But honestly I'd probably try to check with an LC, as well as off the fact she's a) not still hungry, b) getting plenty of wet & dirty nappies every day and c) gaining weight! Based on my experience the fact she's having less than the formula isn't necessarily an issue.

I think it's fantastic that you're doing everything you can do give her BM, and it sounds like your supply is great. I did see your other post in the BF'ing section, and I do heartily agree about seeing an IBCLC re attachment also. I must admit that while I got to a point of supreme frustration with our BF'ing (it just got worse not better) I also retrospectively sometimes wonder if I could have tried harder/longer to resolve our attachment issues. So while I totally understand if it's not working, for your own sake, don't leave a stone unturned, because it can haunt you when you're struggling to fit in expressing, feeding & everything else (as I'm sure you're already aware!). And no matter what, you're doing an awesome job for your little bubba!

And on the other hand, if you do continue expressing, get yourself a handsfree bra (easy expressions is a brand a few of us use) & double pump if you can (or haven't already) - it is just invaluable!

Good luck with it all! I'll be following your journey with interest
Belfie

[leesha]

Just me again having a little squizzie at my fellow exclusive expressers even tho I have just retired from that sport....lol

Daintree Dream was right in sayin once they hit 6 month mark they require 100mls of fluids per kg of bodyweight.

But also if they have started solids then they may drop a bottle or may not want as much per feed so keep that in mind also.

My Ds is almost 10 months and having 3-4 bottles per day at 180mls (now ff as of a month ago) not always finishing a bottle, sometimes guzzling it......

You will work out what they need...try and map it out by writing their feeding cycle in a diary...that way you have a record of what they have consumed within a week or two! Then when you ask for help or advice you have some kind of record.

It will change from time to time but if you are unsure you can ask your MCN for advice or us.hehehe

[Barb Glare]

Hi, Tiggerlinda,

Great work with the expressing. Your baby will need at least 6 feeds (8 or more is more usual) 4 feeds is generally not enough for a baby this age. By the time she is 4 weeks old she will be taking 700-800mls of milk per day. It is normal that most nappies would be pooey at this age. A few will be just "skid marks" but at least one should be a good handful

[tiggerlinda]

Thanks Girls she is taking 60 mls 8 times a day and the nappies are just skid marks. I am just so happy she can get milk from me. Had a crash with my iron levels yesterday and was soo glad I was expressing as DH managed the night feeds for me as I was not 100% steady on my feet. She also slept all but 2 hours through the night after I hired the hospital crib. So me her and DH all feeling heaps better

[Crystalwings]

Hi everyone,
well i'm no longer an EE Olive got really sick with salmonella poisoning the week leading up to easter and my supply dropped to almost nothing. I have also started work again and just found it all too hard. I actually expressed for too long and made my nipples bleed and that was kinda the turning point where I went "ok enough is enough." I feel proud of myself for making it to 6 mths and feel that I wouldn't have done it without the support of BB and my fellow EE. So thank you all Now that the hormones are starting to regulate, I still feel sad that the journey has ended but sort of relieved at the same time. I wish you all the best and happy pumping!!!

[belfie]

oh Olive's Mummy - congrats on doing such a fabulous job! you should be so proud of yourself and what you have achieved. It sounds like you were in incredibly tough circumstances around Easter, poor Olive being sick would have been so stressful. I'm so glad you're proud of yourself, cos you should be! Such a champ!

[ezymay]

OM what a great job you have done! You fought so hard to give your DD the best start. You should be proud! Well done!

[tiggerlinda]

What a fantastic job OM I will be happy to make it to 3 Months if I can so I see 6 months as amazing you inspire me

[belfie]

another milestone: I've made it to 7 months yay!

have had my mum over helping while DH has had a bad back (last 6 weeks) and I've been doing accounting work at home. So it's been busy busy and I was soooo tempted to give up, but I'm still going and pleased I've crossed yet another hurdle.

Hope everyone else is going well.

[tiggerlinda]

Yay Belfie

Having some good moments and bad moments have had sometimes where I am not getting enough to fill the bottles for the next feed but fingers crossed my backup bottle has had enough so far.

Miss C has made it to 100mls a feed - 4 weeks Tues

[belfie]

wow it's been quiet in here of late - how is everyone going?

We've rocked on through our 8 month milestone YAY... was thinking of stopping at 9 months, but just went to see a dietician because X's solids aren't going great. She was saying that the most protective thing for prevention/minimisation of allergies/intolerances is bub having BM WHILE the potentially problematic foods are introduced - i.e. give him wheat & dairy earlier not later. So now i'm thinking I want to keep going for longer to give him that benefit, as both myself and DH have food issues (sensitivities and malabsorption). So onwards and upwards hey. I'm trying reducing my pumping to 4 times a day, and having RLT twice a day (instead of once) and seeing if I can maintain supply on that. Previously I've been pumping 5 times a day... which does limit what else you can do in a day!