Exclusive Expressers

[belfie]

so can any one recomend for me either the medala swing or has anyone used a Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump

I like the idea of the ameda being a double pump but haven't heard of the brand yet I know of medala

so opinions please!!!!

Rach - I've just finished exclusively expressing for 12 months. I had the Medela Pump in Style so can't comment on the Ameda, but I've heard of good things from others. Re the Swing though, that's not a double pump. If you want to a pump that will work for you full-time (and with 2 little ones to look after), you would really really need a double pump. I found I got more than double the quantity in less than half the time when I swapped to double pumping, so really can't recommend it enough. I think I paid about $470 for mine, and it comes with an adaptor thingo you can put batteries in, as well as all the attachment doovies etc. Can't say I ever pumped in the car tho

I also loved my pumping bra too it was the Easy Expressions one, and it's great to be able to just put over the top of your maternity bra. Re pumping bra vs strap... Hmm can't imagine the strap working well tbh.

GL with your purchasing & pumping & congrats on your bubba boy!

[Rach75]

thanks belfie actually watching a in style one on ebay

[Emmykate82]

Hi ladies,
I'm new to this thread.. my little princess is just 5 weeks old, and after a rough start in neonatal intensive care, we are now settling in at home. However, the feeding issues are STRESSING me out. My bubs got dehydrated after birth because of difficulty establishing breastfeeding, poor attachment etc. Whilst in the NICU i was expressing and decided to continue with this method once she was discharged. Lucy's weight gain has not exactly been fantastic.. it isn't going backwards, but her gain is not fabulous either. Birth weight 3570g, discharged at 10 days at 3600g, weighing 3850g at 4 1/2 wks. I am producing tonnes of milk and the paediatrician isnt worried about the quality of it, as he says it is about the volumes the baby takes. But Lucy is only having on average 5 feeds per day. She sleeps well overnight (6-7hours) and barely ever complains. She has several wet nappies per day and a few dirty ones also. I have been writing down the volumes and she is only getting about 530-550ml per day, rather than the 600ml the paediatrician has told me she needs. I try to push her to take more, but she ends up just fiddling with the teat in her mouth or getting grizzly. It now seems that i am spending more time worrying about how much she is getting and counting mls of milk than anything else. The paediatrician doesnt seem to think there is any value in substituting any of her feeds with formula.

Any advice? My major concerns are that a) is 550ml per day much too little for her to be taking given that she is well, good colour, not lethargic, not crying & wetting several nappies per day.. and b) should i be concerned about her having only 5 feeds per day and sleeping 6-8hours at night?

i think i am tearing my hair out with this whole new baby at home experience.

[Fleur]

Hi Emmykate
Congrats on your new little one. It does sound as though you have had a rough start!

Weight gain... I think I have a slow gainer here too, Arlea was last weighed 2.5 weeks ago & had only gained 300g in 4 weeks. I planned to have her weighed again last Friday but haven't been able to yet.

She sounds very much like your LO, I also have loads of milk but she is only having about 600-700ml / day instead of the 900 she should be having (well, that was her quota a couple of weeks ago anyway).

I have tried &tried to give her more & she just won't take it, like you said, fusses with the teat etc. You can't feed a baby that doesn't want it!

I am trying not to focus on the WG too much, she has plenty of wet nappies, enough dirty (the dirty nappies are actually increasing) & she is doing everything she should be, she's rolling, very chatty & active. And as one nurse pointed out, if she were BFed I wouldn't know how much che was getting. So I just kind of go with - she is healthy & growing & everything else is good - and it sounds very much the same for you.

I am glad your paediatrician hasn't recommeded formula. I am a bit wary of discussing any WG concerns with my GP, when I first told him I was expressing he said 'why not just use formula? It's jsut the same you know' ... so it's good that you have a supportive paed to discuss it with

having said all of that... 5 feeds a day isn't a lot.. maybe if you try & get a bit more in through the day? I think Arlea was sleeping a 6 hour stretch overnight at about 4 weeks... now she's down to 4-5 I just try & feed her whenever I can, she lets me know if she doesn't want it. another thing I have found that helps is waiting 1/2 an hour after a feed then trying again sometimes; she will go back for more.

HTH

How is everyone else?

[Barb Glare]

Hi, Emmykate,

Congtulations, and welcome. You've had a stressful time of it, by the sounds of it. Your paed is right - forumula has slightly less calories than breastmilk, and formula fed babies are more likely to get ill, and usually sick babies don't gain weight very well.
As Jasp suggested, the secret will probably be in the number of feeds. Because of the rough start she had, sounds like your little one is not demanding feeds. Normally, a baby would demand 8-12 feeds in 24 hours. It's not really normal for a baby that age to sleep so long at night. their tummies are very small - about the size of her clenched fist - so need filling more often. At this age a baby breastfed baby would be taking about 700mls of milk.
I would suggest waking her every 3 hours, including during the night. This will only be for a short time. Pretty soon, as she gets more energy, she will be up demanding a feed, and you'll wish for those long sleepy nights- but you will have confidence that she is growing.

[Emmykate82]

Thanks for the advice Jas & Barb. I am trying to make some changes. I have managed to get her to take an extra feed, so now she is having 6 per day and the last 2 days she took 690ml and 605ml, which is around the volumes my paed was suggesting, but i note a little short of your suggestion Barb. I am persisting though. Unfortunately Lucy just wont seem to take more - she clamps those lips tight and when she does open her mouth, her tongue is up on her palate!! She is unbelievably difficult to rouse at night, so the 5-6hr sleep overnight still continues. Most importantly, i forgot to mention she is on a once daily (7pm) dose of Phenobarbitone (an anti-convulsant) which is most likely making her so drowsy. We literally can't wake her for a feed overnight - we try undressing her, changing her nappy, rubbing her tummy & back, wiping her face with a cool face washer, talking to her - it is like she is totally unconscious & impossible to get her to rouse.

In the meantime, i am happy that she is getting at least that one extra feed and at least around the 600ml/day mark. Of course my over the top, in my face, 'i know everything' mother insists that my breastmilk doesn't have the nutrients that Lucy requires and hence that is the reason she is not gaining enuf. My mother has insisted i try her on formula - and if u knew my mother u'd realise sometimes it is easier to just let her do things her way (trust me on this) - so i have allowed her to give lucy one feed per day of S26. She thinks because Lucy's stools are so liquid-like after takin EBM, that she can't be getting anything out of it. I have told her all the info about how BM is specifically designed for my bub and that it will give her runnier poo than formula etc... but she wont listen. She is cranky that i wont let her give Lucy any more than one bottle of formula per day.

To top things off - i was expressing so much milk that i had stored tonnes in the freezer (>3L) and had managed to get my supply down to a point where i only need to express 3 times per day to yield enough for Lucy's daily feeds (600-700ml). Then i got home yesterday and DH had accidentally left the freezer door ajar... we lost everything... totally defrosted... all the stored BM, not to mention kilos of sausages, more than a dozen lamb chops, a dozen scotch fillet steaks, a dozen t-bones and all the frozen veges! grrrrr. I had just done a huge shop so i didn't have to undertake another shopping adventure for a while!!!

[Fleur]

Oh Emmykate

My third child (DS2) was on phenobarb for a bit too, it does make them sleepy & is very likely why she's not feeding overnight.
I know very well how hard it is to feed a baby that won't feed & TBH I have given up trying. If she clamps her mouth , then I know that's it for now - but one thing that can work sometimes is trying again half an hour later or so. I do this through the day & then let her do her own thing at night.
I think in your case with Lucy on phenobarb, the extra feeds probably aren't going to happen overnight - I would perhaps save my energy & concentrate on feeding as much as possible through the day. Don't worry about the timing, just offer the bottle whenever you can.
It's great that she's taking another feed through the day. Have you had her weighed recently?
As for your mother...hmmm. The only thing I can suggest is that there are some very good, informative articles here on BB that you could try showing her. Apart from that , no advice just hugs, I guess she is coming from a place of love & concern but boy they miss the mark sometimes don't they you need to deal with it however works best for you.
And the freezer door left open...I would have cried! You are doing so well to be coping with it all

AFM...Arlea is still very short of her quotas but her most recent weigh was much better than her last
I am feeling a bit fed up with expressing lately it will pass I guess. I had got to a place where I was quite happy & comfortable doing it but the last week or so I am feeling very time poor & resentful of all the time I spend pumping - especially at night when she goes down to sleep & I wait until it is time to express, then wash up & give her a dream feed, then I get to go to bed...
ahhh well. I keep telling myself it's not forever... it's a few months out of the rest of my life...I can do it everything else is going really well & she is so healthy & happy, it's all worth it really.

hope everyone else is good?

[MantaRay]

Jas. Expressing full time is hard work, it's no wonder you have times when you are over it! You are doing a fantastic job hun. Just let us know when you need your personal cheersquad to give you a boost!

EmmyKate, it sounds like you are doing a great job of increasing Lucy's intake. Well done hun. What a shame about your mum hassling you. Would it help to give her information to read - perhaps from the WHO or ABA websites so that she will find it credible? I feel your pain about losing all that EBM and food - that is really heartbreaking

[belfie]

Jas - you're doing an amazing job . If it's any consolation, I had those patches - boy, did I have those patches - and I used to come in here & post and it would help get me through. I had one time (when DH did his back) and I just thought about NOTHING but stopping pumping. In retrospect I'm really glad I pushed through it.
What are you doing while you pump? Can you try do some things that are really "you" time (as much as possible anyway!). You said you're waiting until it's time to express, can you express a little earlier then go to bed? Sometimes I think that feeling tells you that it's time to tweak your schedule a bit... Also, what are your goals? I think it helps to focus on the next short-term goal (well that's what the wise ladies on here suggested ) and I found that was helpful.

Emmykate82 - will she take a dream feed? Otherwise, I agree, if they don't want to feed, then they don't want to! Very difficult to force that. I'm sorry to hear about your mum, that sounds so frustrating. I had my MIL, FIL & a paed all telling me to wean at one stage, and it was so annoying. Just remember, your body, your baby, YOUR MILK! Besides, what if you stopped expressing, gave her nothing but formula and the situation worsened? As for the defrosted freezer.... ooooh if that was me I'd be bawling. That's a horrible thing to have happen and I agree with Jasp, you are coping with everything SO well!!!

[star child]

i have been exclusivly expressing for two months now & have noticed that my milk supply has reduced quiet a bit scince my DD has been sleeping straigh through the night.
I am expressing approx 5-6 times daily & am getting approx 80-100mls (both sides) each time expect for the first morning session when i get approx 100ml each side.
What would you recomend to increase milk supply as i dont want to give her formula just yet as she is 3 months old & I was planning to BF for 12 months?
BTW- im using the electric medela swing pump.

[Fleur]

Hi Star child

At this stage the best thing I could recommend to you to increase your supply would be more frequent pumping - sorry probably not what you want to hear lol but I do think it's the best option. Your body will produce milk based on supply & demand - so, the more that goes out, the more that is produced. Especially considering you are at the 3 month mark & I think that is around when the hormone driven milk production ends & demand plays a biggr role.
Not sure but I would expect a 3 month old to be having more than 5 feeds a day? So I would be expressing for as many feeds as she has, with a couple extra if you need to increase supply.

Other options - you can try herbal teas, I think raspberry leaf is supposed to help, you can get a script from your GP for Motilium, and there are some recipes floating around here for lactation cookies, I will see if I can find them for you.

Good luck hopefully Barb or Mantaray will be able to offer some better advice

How is everyone else doing?

We are still going we have hit 4 months & I am feeling pretty good about it all - I guess it's a bit like running a race & I've hit my stride - I can't wait to stop but I know I can keep going until we hit the finish.
At this point goal number one is to reach 6 months, and I have started talking to Dh about going further. I am hoping that at 6 months when we start solids I will be able to drop one pump a day? And it will take me a while to wean anyway.
NOt much more to tell really, I still have quite an oversupply & have to be careful not to go too long between pumps, I have had a few blocked ducts now - ouchies!
I keep telling myself I should be reducing but I can't quite do it - the only way would be to express less & I hate NOT emptying my breasts. I guess at some point when I stop I will have to learn to reduce though

Hope everyone else is well!

[Rach75]

well my supply dried up to nothing not a drop, but I got 1 month of EBM so better than nothing, in the end is probably a good thing on my side as I am having some PP issues with my heart and have had to take fluid pills,

[Fleur]

Rach, absolutely 1 month is better than nothing and well done to you for being able to give your little one such a good start!
Sorry to hear about your health issues, hoping you get better soon

[Rach75]

thanks Jasp just wish I held off buying my pump and my hands free bustier now I have to sell them LOL

[star child]

thanks all for your comments- i have another questions.
should i be expressing in the night also every 4 hours?

[Fleur]

Star child, I expressed every 3 - 3 1/2 hours around the clock for the first couple of weeks, at about 3 weeks I think she was sleeping well & I was able to go 5-6 hours overnight. My supply was pretty well established by then.
I still don't go much more than 6 hours overnight, occasionally i will do 8 hours but it's more by circumstance than planned.
She's not sleeping as well now as she was then & often it's 4-5 hourly overnight now basically I just get up & pump after she has woken for a feed. Can't wait until she is sleeping through, I will start weaning off my night pumps then

ETA - that didn't really answer you, did it sorry I'm very tired tonight!
If you are looking to increase your supply, yes I would probably pump overnight, maybe not 4 hours but at least 5 if you can. Basically the more you pump the more milk you will produce.Is your LO still waking for night feeds?

Rach good luck selling your stuff

[belfie]

Starchild - I expressed for a year, and my DS slept through from about 10 weeks on. I didn't get up to express in the night, but sometimes if my supply got low, or I needed extra, or he was having a growth spurt, I just used to do some extra expresses for a day or two and that would help. So for example, if I was usually expressing 4 hourly (during daytime), I'd try to do 2-3 hourly for a day or so, but still get my sleep. The other thing is if your'e going short of sleep or fluid your supply will drop too. Rest up & drink heaps of water It depends a bit on you as to what works, but you'll find that you definitely can increase it, it's just a matter of working out what works for you. Sometimes I'd write down totals for what I'd pumped during the day versus what he'd drunk, so I knew if I was about right or not.

And while I know that nothing compares to just expressing more, I also found that RLT (tablet form or tea) really helped me too, whereas Fenugreek didn't do much. I had to take it for a few days then it kicked in. GL with it, let us know how you go.

Rach75 - absolutely a month of EBM is great and a lot of work! Well done to you, you should feel so proud of yourself.

Jasp - congrats hun, you're doing an awesome job . I agree that learning to reduce is tricky - I never thought it would be, but it sure is! We spend so much time trying to get more, more, more - going the other way is tough! If it helps, I found that expressing from 6 months onwards became sooo much easier. I'd always aimed for 6 months, and nearly quit around then. I wish I'd known how much better it would get, and then I would have been more confident about keeping going. You'll be amazed at how much more freedom you get, as you slowly drop pumps. But... on the flip side, short goals are good goals, so stick with 6 months, and just bear my words in mind once you get there

[Fleur]

If it helps, I found that expressing from 6 months onwards became sooo much easier. I'd always aimed for 6 months, and nearly quit around then. I wish I'd known how much better it would get, and then I would have been more confident about keeping going. You'll be amazed at how much more freedom you get, as you slowly drop pumps. But... on the flip side, short goals are good goals, so stick with 6 months, and just bear my words in mind once you get there

Ahh Belfie I think about you & your journey HEAPS, you have been such an inspiration
and it's one of the reasons I am already considering going past 6 mths. DH was a bit when I first mentioned it but I think he is getting used to the idea. I set 6 mths as my firt goal cause back when I started it seemed so far away! but as it gets closer I think I can probably do more, especially if it means I get to drop a pump!
ooohhhh, I'd love to lose this overnight one

Starchild how are you going?