Exclusive Expressers

[starangelk]

Hi everyone I was in here a couple of months ago asking questions and had lots of wonderful advice from you ladies. I am hoping I can pick your brains again please, I realise this is an exclusive expressing thread and while I am not exclusively expressing, I figure you would be the best people to ask for expressing advice! I have been using my pump since we got home from hospital, I have an electric Tommy Tippee which I have found great. Unfortunately I got mastitis in week 3.........partly from oversupply and partly from me thinking it was a good idea to go back to work super early as I thought I was wonderwoman (which I am not!) So I gave up on the pump for a while while I recovered from that. I have started pumping again in the last week. I am working half days at the office and expressing 1 - 2 times during this time.

X is 5 weeks old and I am building up to more time in the office and will be pretty much doing full days in a month or so. This means I really need to get this whole expressing thing sorted. So I am wondering:

1. Is it right just to express the breast that X would normally feed from at that time? I am doing one sided bf as I have big supply
2. For those that steralise, do I need to be steralising the pump again between expresses (I am at the moment) or can I put the pump in the fridge and this will keep it sterile? It doesn't sound right to me but I read it somewhere........
3. I am getting 150 mls from one breast easily in about 10 minutes but only about 100 mls from the other one in about 20 mins, is this unusual?
4. How long does expressing take you and will it get faster? I am happy with 10 mins but 20 mins feels like forever when I am at the office.

Thanks everyone in advance

[Fleur]

Hi starangelk,

1. Is it right just to express the breast that X would normally feed from at that time? I am doing one sided bf as I have big supply
If it were me I would express as you feed. So if you were only going to feed off that one side then only pump off it, ITMS. Anything different is going to muck with your supply & you don't sound like you need to increase
2. For those that steralise, do I need to be steralising the pump again between expresses (I am at the moment) or can I put the pump in the fridge and this will keep it sterile? It doesn't sound right to me but I read it somewhere........
I stopped sterilising pretty early. When I was in the office I used to boil the kettle & pour boiling water over the pump parts then stand them out to dry. I can't say whether this is the best option or not but it seemed to work ok
3. I am getting 150 mls from one breast easily in about 10 minutes but only about 100 mls from the other one in about 20 mins, is this unusual?
Yup my right breast will sometimes express twice as much as my left and much faster, I usually have to empty the right bottle (140ml) and the left might only have 20 - 30 ml in it. It's a PITA cause if they were both that quick I would be done much faster!
4. How long does expressing take you and will it get faster? I am happy with 10 mins but 20 mins feels like forever when I am at the office.
ATM I am pumping for about an hour. But I am down to twice a day now. It used to be 40 min at a time which I know is ages but I had a huge supply; this is just how long it took / takes me to empty my breasts. And it is working for me, because now I express twice a day for an hour & that does 4 big bottles for her.
I know that doesn't quite answert your question; I guess for me, it didn't get faster really and I totally sympathise, I used to hate expressing at work too, not so bad at home when I am in front of BB while I pump!

Hope some of that has been helpful good luck.

[belfie]

1. Is it right just to express the breast that X would normally feed from at that time? I am doing one sided bf as I have big supply Tbh i'm not sure on this as I never had that great supply, but intuitively it sounds right to do one breast as you would feed - then you're mimicking your normal feeding supply/demand.

2. For those that steralise, do I need to be steralising the pump again between expresses (I am at the moment) or can I put the pump in the fridge and this will keep it sterile? It doesn't sound right to me but I read it somewhere........ You definitely don't need to sterilise between expresses. The ABA lists this info:

Care of your breast pump kit
If you are the only person to use your breast pump kit, you are expressing several times a day and if your baby is healthy, breast pump kit parts should be:

1. Rinsed well in cold water after each use to remove surface milk. Store in a clean, closed container OR the kit can be stored unrinsed in a closed container in a fridge.
2. Cleaned well once a day when in frequent use, or after each use if used only occasionally.

How to clean well

1. First wash your hands well, with soap, and dry them on new paper towel or a clean, unused cloth towel.
2. Take the breast pump kit apart, and separate all pieces. Rinse in cold water all the parts that have been in contact with your milk.
3. Take care to remove all traces of grease, milk and dirt with a small amount of dishwashing liquid and hot water. Use a brush kept only for this purpose.
4. Rinse all parts in hot water, at least twice.
5. Drain bottles and containers upside-down on new paper towel and cover with more paper towel while they air dry. Finish drying all containers with new paper towel before putting away. Store the dry kit in a new plastic bag, plastic wrap, more paper towel or clean, covered container until next use.

3. I am getting 150 mls from one breast easily in about 10 minutes but only about 100 mls from the other one in about 20 mins, is this unusual? Is this when doing both breasts in the one session? I always used to find I got more from the first breast (but leaked from the second breast while pumping). If it's when you're doing only one side then maybe you have one side with better supply? Is it always the same side producing more?

4. How long does expressing take you and will it get faster? I am happy with 10 mins but 20 mins feels like forever when I am at the office. Double pumping will always be quicker, but if you have oversupply, mightn't be a good idea. Maybe you could just pump for a shorter time? If you're getting plenty of milk can you cut the time a bit? I started religiously pumping by the clock and then I switched to pumping for as long as I needed or until the flow had really stopped and I felt I'd emptied the breast. Given I was trying to keep my supply up the whole time, fully emptying was important... but you could experiment with how long it takes to get enough and to feel more comfortable?

GL with it all, hope it helps. Obviously my answers are primarily from the perspective of exclusive expressing, but I'm sure some others will be along with a range of responses & info too! Sounds like you're doing an awesome job, well done to you

[starangelk]

Thanks Belfie and Fleur for your responses I really really appreciate it alot.

[Fleur]

Just thought I'd come in & update where we are at.

Pie is 11 1/2 months now.. she will be one in exactly 2 weeks it's gone so fast.
So we have all but made it to 12 months

I am now expressing twice a day, morning & night.
I was a bit worried about dropping the midday pump, it seemed like such a long time to go between expressing but it's worked fine & has given me back so much time! It's amazing what a difference it makes not being worried about that one, makes planning the day so much easier.
I get 150 - 200ml off the left side and 250 - 300 off the other (at a time). Pie is down to three bottles a day, so I'm still ahead.

At the moment I am undecided about weaning, she still goes through stages of a few days at a time where she will really hit the milk hard, and I don't want to give her all that in cows milk, I just think it would be a bit much for her digestive system to cope with IYKWIM. Plus it's winter & there are so many bugs going around, she has had four in the last few weeks alone..I like to think the BM is helping just a little bit

I'm pretty happy just pumping twice a day, and DH is actually ok with it too (surprise!) - the main reason for me to stop would be so I can diet the way I want to. But I think I might just find another way around that.

So right now, it's just take it as it comes...I made my goal (nearly) and I can stop when I'm ready now

[Kmn]

Well done Jas!
From the diet point of view, as long as you stay clear from too much caffeine, diet drugs (which are somewhat similar to sudafed and therefore likely to wire up bub and maybe drastically drop milk supply) or excess alcohol you can diet for you. Your body is biased towards milk making, and hence is likely to take what is needed from "you" rather than "your milk" - so if you cut back too drastically you may feel like crap, but there will still be milk.
You're in the position where you know exactly what's coming out, and you can also make an educated guess of how much miss A wants. Should you make less milk than you want to then A can have cow's milk as a supplement - it might actually work well to get her used to it gently rather than jumping to half a litre a day! If you are thinking of taking up serious exercise - again there is no reason not to. You just need to make sure you have a couple of very well fitting and supportive wire-less bras, and that you wash your boobs off before you express, because noone likes salty milk!
good luck!

[surprised]

Hi all,

Fleur - was great reading your update, so I thought I'd throw in mine.

Started off bfeeding, too painful, was expressing full-time by the 5th day. Got to about 7 weeks and tried breastfeeding again. Excruciating, cried through many a feed, mastitis 3x in 3 weeks, ended up in hospital - a few days later thought 'I can't do this', and went back to expressing full-time. Life is much more peaceful (although I really do wish bfeeding had worked)!

Almost 17 weeks and full-time expressing. 5 bottles a day, 4 pumping sessions (20-25mins). I am managing to stay ahead of LO, but not putting any in freezer atm. Get from 160-360 (total) each pump, depending on time of day and how long in between (like you Fleur I often get very different amounts from both sides). I find I get about the same pumping 5x and 4x, so 4x is much easier. Am now in a nice routine - wash and sterilise parts before bed, then put them in the fridge after each pump until the next time. I can go from about 9:30pm-7am without pumping, so getting some good sleep. Now just trying to get my head around when I can drop to 3 pumps and still be getting enough.

Have got a long way to go, but I would really like to get to 1 year. And then I'll have a big party - for me! Hahaha. It's all hard but worth it for my little one to be getting breastmilk.

[Fleur]

Surprised sounds like you're going really well I'm really glad you ahve found what works for you.
Good luck and I will be partying with you (in spirit ) when you hit that goal

[belfie]

Oooooh Fleur - I've just seen you've hit your milestone!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
See, I knew you could do it . You must be sooo proud of yourself! Can we have a little e-party on your behalf cos i'm ridiculously excited for you

Well done to you!!

[Fleur]

thank you Belfie (I did post in the woo-hoo room (here) but forgot to post here can you believe it
and thank you too for being such an amazing inspiration. You were the first thing that made me think I could do it for 12 months

So, an update - yep, we made 12 months and now I am ready to wean, *someone* is not all that fussed on cows milk! so it will be a gradual process.
TBH I could keep going but I am paying $60/ month for the hire pump so I dunno, we'll see. I'm not keen to wean until she's good with her cow's milk, I can't leave her thirsty, lol - and she still has quite a bit overnight too. In fact it's been just recently that I've realised how much she actually behaves like a breastfed baby - I didn't think weaning would be a big deal cause she was on the bottle but it might not be as simple as I thought!

I am pumping twice a day for 40 min - an hour at a time. I have had a huge drop in my supply, for the first time I am having to dip into my freezer stash, but that's ok, there's plenty there. I'm getting about 100 - 150ml per side each pump. And it has made life much easier only doing it twice a day.

So... we'll see don't know what we'll do next or where we'll go from here but it's all good cause I hit my goal WOOT!

And thankyou THANKYOU to you ALL for all your support & advice I am in no doubt I wouldn't have done it without you all

[Belle]

Wow I was so releived to find this post and to find others going through the same as me. My beautiful DS is 11 days old today and we have never had any luck with BFeeding, he didn't even attach straight after birth. I feel like we've tried EVERYTHING with no luck and it has got to the point where each attempt at feeding is ending in him screaming and me crying my eyes out. It got to the point where I was watching the clock 24 hours a day and just dreading so much the upcoming feeds that I could never sit down and just enjoy my bub. So I have made the decision to feed EBM only. Sometimes I think I should persist for a bit longer, but yesterday it got to the point where I just cried all day and decided last night that it just wasn't worth it, I can't be the mum I want to be to him when I'm bordering on PND.

At this stage I'm just going to take it one day at a time and not have a specific time frame in mind. I have to admit that it is a bit of a mission feeding and then waiting for Kobi to settle and then expressing - especially on a night, but I would prefer to do this than to go to formula.

I'm still trying to work out a schedule for expressing, at first I had just been expressing after each feed as we were feeding every 3 hours but as of yesterday I am now just doing on demand feeding and he seems to want a feed every 4-5 hours, so I am going to try to express around 3-4 hourly (depending on his feeds) to get some supplies up.

I know I'm probably being a bit silly (and totally hormonal) but I do kind of feel a little bit redundant with the whole process, like once I express then I'm sort of not needed now. I do love my DP to be involved in feeding but my in laws are up on Friday and I'm worried that my role as mum is going to be taken off me a little. I know I'm being totally silly, and they are only here for a few days (hopefully, they haven't confirmed length of stay yet) but I can't help to feel like this. At least if I was BFeeding that would be time for just me and bub in the privacy of my room, but now I will be upstairs expressing while they are doing the feeding and settling etc. Anyway it's just something I am going to have to get over and deal with.

Sorry about the long post, I really was so excited to find this thread and know that I am not alone here.

Happy pumping to all xoxo

[surprised]

Hi Belle,

Congrats on the little one and welcome to the world of exclusive expressing! And congrats on making the decision to 'breastfeed through a bottle' I am just departing this world at 5 months - we have finally been able to establish successful breastfeeding. So there's always hope for down the track!!

I totally relate to feeling redundant. Actually, I felt more like a cow! And I know what it's like to be locked away upstairs while everyone else enjoys the baby.

If you don't want other people to feed your bub, you can always say that you want to keep the bottle-feeding to yourself and maybe your husband, as you are hoping to re-establish breastfeeding down the track and don't want your baby getting confused. That way you still get your special time.

You need to put you and your baby first - expressing is hard work and you need people to be understanding and not expect too much of you. So don't be afraid to channel your 'inner mean girl' and put your foot down about things!

GTG baby waking but feel free to ask all your questions here!

[Kmn]

Belle,
For such a little bub you should probably offer him a feed more often - something like 2 hourly during the day and when he wakes overnight. Little bubs would have an absolute minimum of 6 feeds, but more usually 8-10 per day. Sometimes they get too sleepy to really demand their milk - which is not a great situation.
It's fine to express 4 hourly if that gets you enough milk - and if things start to dwindle you can always express more often.
Up to you how you handle it - I was expressing in my kitchen with bub sleeping on a mat there too - regardless of who was here!
You can streamline things a bit by keeping pump parts in the fridge and just washing them thoroughly once a day. Also, consider hiring or buying a double pump and practicing until you ge the hang of it - it gives you back a lot of time in your day.
I expressed a lot initially with my bub, but after a few weeks he did get the hang of feeding, and when he was maybe 3 months old I stopped expressing. SO keep trying to attach occasionally (maybe once a day whenever he and you are usually at your calmest) - he may just surprise you!
Congratulations and good luck.

[starangelk]

Hi everyone I really hope you don't mind me posting in here, I am not exclusively expressing but I am back at work full time and express more often than I BF so I really like to read the posts in here.

I got sick of dragging my pump too and from the office so I ended up taking my electric pump to work and bought a manual pump for home. I also bought another electric steraliser for the office - I know there is now no need to steralise but I am a bit of a clean freak, especially with the whole expressing at the office thing. One thing I notice is that my manual pump seems more efficient than my electric one! I think this is just because I use the manual one first thing in the morning where my supply is great but I think it also stimulates the let down alot better than my electric pump. Does anyone else find this?

Belle - only my DH and I have given Xanthe a bottle, we haven't let anyone else do this yet. I totally understand how you feel.

Kmn - do you mind explaining to me about keeping pump parts in the fridge?

[Fleur]

Hi Belle,
welcome to the thread
I can totally relate to how stressful it can get trying to BF, for me in the end I had to leave it for my peace of mind - in saying that I wish that I had tried a bit longer, but there you go, I did the best I could at the time. Hugs to you & good on you for being able to draw a line for yourself.

ITA agree with Surprised, put your foot down about being able to feed & settle your baby yourself. Have him upstairs with you while you pump if youwant (it might help your milk come down a bit quicker anyway )
I was a bit wary of pumping in front of people initially, these days I pump in front of pretty much anyone, with a shirt over the top you can't see much. But it did take time for me to get comfortable with that.

Also agree with KMN, if you're planning on long term expressing a double electric pump will be the best thing you can do - costly initially but if you pump for a few months it will pay for itself, and if you don't , they generally have very good re-sale value. So worth the money. Also a pumping bra (I made mine by cutting holes in a couple of old bras) which will let you pump hands free (so you can surf BB while you pump, lol).

The only other thing I would suggest is that you might want to pump fairly regularly to start with (I pumped every 3.5 hours the first few weeks then 4 - 4.5 hourly). I know it's a total PITA, but it will do wonders for your supply. Milk supply is hormone driven in the first 8 weeks but you might find it drops a bit after that. And if bub 'wakes up' and starts wanting to feed a bit more, you don't need to worry about trying to catch up with him.

Good luck, it sounds like you are doing great so far. Keep us posted



Surprised - WOW! You're BFing! what fantastic news, I'm so happy for you
I have to say, when I was struggling I was looking for stories of women who had bottle fed & re-established BFing, I couldn't find much & I would have loved to have heard a story like yours, it is such an inspiration.
Huge congrats on pushing through


ETA - starangel you posted while I was typing
I would guess that you are right about your supply being better in the morning, it could be the pump too, some of the manual ones are very good. I used to wash mine after each use & boil it once a day for the first couple of months, then I gave up boiling it too. Breast milk bottles & pump parts don't breed germs as much as formula or other stuff & doesn't need to be cleaned as fanatically (although it's no problem if you want to!)

[Kmn]

Pump parts in the fridge is pretty simple - breastmilk doesn't grow a lot of bacteria, so you don't actually have to be sterile, just clean (may be different if your bub is very preemie or in some other way immunocompromised, but certainly true for normal bubs). I got several sets of pump parts too, just to make life easier - I borrowed off friends, but they are also pretty cheap on ebay.
Every couple of days I would wash all the pump bits in hot soapy water and run them through the sterilizer and then put them in a zip-lock bag in the fridge (and when bub was older just put them in a container on the bench). I would express, pour the milk into a storage bottle, and put the pump bits, milk drops and all, in a zip-lock bag in the fridge (either at work or at home). And when I needed to express again that day I'd get them out again (brrr - cold boobs), and do it all again. Each day I'd get a clean set of bits, and when I ran out of clean sets of bits (every 2-3 days) I'd do the big wash and sterilise again.
I had lots of teats - they still need washing each time they are used.

[starangelk]

Thanks - that is SO helpful. I am going to start doing that!!

[Fleur]

Just adding my bit while I'm here - we are still going weaning now, pie has decided she realllly likes breast milk. Stupid me thought it wouldn't be an issue to stop pumping, she's already on the bottle but she doesn't like cow's milk, goats milk or rice milk. Haven't tried toddler formula yet - but we're thinking if she won't drink the others, formula won't be any different.

So we are mixing EBM & cow's milk & that seems to be working, and just in time too as my supply has finally started to drop! and I am into my freezer stash sometimes now to supplement. I am hoping to finish up within the next month or so... I have finally had enough of the pump