expressed colostrum

the boys are too little to feed yet obviously and im getting mixed answers in here so i thought id ask some with experience.
Im expressing colostrum to give to the boys especially as I think Jackson is coming off his drip today (not 100% or they may have been turning it down and upping his EBM)
Now the boys are only a day old so how much colostrum should i be expressing?
Im expressing every 3 hours by hand with a syringe and usually getting 0.7-1.0 ml is that bad or good?
Ive been sat here now for 20 mins to only get 0.4ml from both sides, how can i increase the supply to support 2 babies, im drinking plenty of fluids not touching caffine, expressing regularly. i know its early days i just hope im giving them enough

That is a normal amount - you're doing great. All mums will only express really small volumes on the first few days. It is all the babies need. Just keep on doing what you've been doing, expressing really regularly and the volume will increase and change to milk. Your body will do all the milk making, just keep on expressing :)

thanks kiwimummy one of the SCN people is driving me nuts i just went down to take the colostrum i mentioned before as its been 3 hours and she starts not having a go but being a bit patronising "its really important we get this and we need to get more of it we have to take the drips off soon you'll have nothing to feed them" had me in tears back to my bed but im determind we will successfully feed yes this maybe a hurdle but we will clear it!

Boo to the biatch!! I can't believe she said that! :( I am sorry hun!

You are doing amazingly!! Just keep trying, the more you do it the more you will make!

Good luck xx

Is there a good middie you like, who has b/f or expressing experince babe?? With Kane, I had a great middie who "man handled" the "girls" for me!! She expressed my colostrum for me, and she was MUCH better than me at it!! Once your milk comes in, you'll be fine my love!!!! I too only had a couple of drops in a little cup thing at first.. you'll be great sweets, give yourself some time lovey!! xoxoxoxo

It's not easy, even for one. I found the midwives got so much more too. It's hard when they are in the scn and you have had a c section. Hold them as much as they will allow against your skin as it helps encourage your body to produce more.

Mrs s tell the rude nurses to f off! They had me in tears too by the end of my stay with my boys! Your volume sounds fine and the colostrum will not really increase. Did you breast feed last time? If so your milk should come in earlier this time. Are they feeding the boys the colstrum yet or still by tubes? If you have given them a few syringes already than you are already winning the race!!! Do not let them make you feel bad you can do it! In a couple of days you are going to have so much milk it won't be funny! Exclusively bf babies have only the colstrum for the first few days and are fine! I found the nurses tend to get panicked over prem twins when mum chooses to give bf a go. And you know what if all else fails they will have something to feed them ... Formula! So don't let them get you down you are doing great!

You are doing great. I had some really rude staff as well, I was so stressed and in tears. Then that affects your supply as well. Just ignore them. I hand expressed into a tiny sterile cup, then put it into the syringe, got a similar amount to you. But it will increase slightly day by day. You can try the breast pump after a few days, think it was about day 3 - 4 when I gave it a go.
Keep it up, you are a star Hun.

Oh I remember the days of expressing into a syringe, the first time I filled it I cried so many happy tears. You will get there to hun. Make sure you are eating lots of healthy snacks, keep your water up. If the boys are strong enough do lots of kangaroo care. Also if one is coming off the drip ask about finger feeding. We used that when ds wasn't quite strong enough to suck the whole feed. Let me know if you want me to explain it better.
Next time the nurse is rude ask her flat out what she would have you do different, either she will make suggestions or look embarrassed she got caught out. Sending lots of strength and weight gaining vibes to your little men

also hun another thought, ask to speak to your sons head paed and ask them directly if you should be expressing more. Even if you express more during the day and go back to 3hrly expresses over night. I only expressed every 3 hours, but I only had 1 child. I also found that keeping a diary of times and amounts I expressed as it was a great reminder of how far we had come, great celebration to when you make it your 10ml, 20ml and the party time at 50ml! :) GL hun.

you guys are amazing thank you! its just that one nurse i just expressed another ml in front of a different SNC nurse and she said im doing great and id make a good jersey cow therefore implying for this stage what im getting is good. The boys arent doing without theres probably 4ml in the fridge and they have just been fed and both still on the IV

AND (i get excited here) the 1ml i just expressed was AFTER both boys had a go at feeding they didnt latch perfectly of course but seemed to pick up what the boob was and how it worked quite quick in fact i went to re adjust and Jackson pulled my boob back like dont take it away! There was only a few little sucks in there from each but its progress :D

1.7mls wwwooohhoooooo im crying happy tears! To think a week ago I would have laughed at that amount now i know the true value of 0.1ml!! It took me about an hour to get it but i got it! Now to get some sleep before the next expressing session

Hun that is amazing that they are on the breast! Well done. It's fantastic progress, a huge monumental step of progress. They will be booby monsters in no time :D

yeah i thought so too :D they didnt really do much on there but its all learning, its all a step forwards.
One question with expressing as ive been told 3 hourly does that mean from the last time i started or finished?
I started expressing the last lot at 11pm finishing just after midnight so next express would be 2am yeh?

WOOHOO!!!
:leap: bf is such a great acheivement at this stage!!!!!!!!!!!

Your boys will be feeding like champs soon enough :)


Sent from my iPhone so sorry for the spelling and punctuation!!

Well done !!!

My iPhone app (total baby) takes the time you start a feed to the time you start again as the time between, so 2am if you started the last at 11pm

It's from the time you start expressing. Once your milk comes in you should be able to go four hourly overnight. After a breastfeed or skin to skin contact is the best time to express as well as it will have caused your let down to occur.

Gah, expressing into a syringe is a drag, isn't it? I had to do it while I was in hospital. DD was at the Childrens and due to her complications and such, she didn't start feeds until she was 9 days old.
Make sure you drink lots. At least 3 litres a day. It helps, it really does. Make sure you eat plenty, too.
By day 3 I was on the electric pump, but my milk came in mega quickly. But on the 2nd day I remember crying my eyes out because all day I got about 4ml -- for the whole day.

You'll get there. I'll be thinking of you. Hopefully the boys will be up to feeding soon.
Because you're able to have so much contact with your bubs (which I couldn't have with DD. I didn't hold her for 4 days, and then I only held her for about half an hour every 2nd or 3rd day. It sucks. No skin to skin either), try and express while you're with them. Take your syringe and sit by their crib and express. It really helps.
Or have a picture of them with you while you express and think about them alot.

Don't worry about the M/Ws.
I remember telling a midwife that my milk had to be frozen straight away. She kept saying how that I could just express and then feed the baby when I go visit.
I kept telling her that the baby wouldn't have any milk for 2 weeks (result of her surgery, she was on TPN). She kept telling me I was wrong and there's no way they wouldn't feed the baby milk because without milk it'd die and such. She was so dumb.

Big hugs.

Thanks hunni, the boys are coming off the IVs they have had feeding tubes inserted and each need 250ml of milk a day. I've been getting bout 7ml everytime I express today so 3 hourly I'm not even getting 100ml when I need 500.
The midwife is letting me use the pump this afternoon I'm going to ask if I can try now it's been almost 3 hours and I'm feeling very full now that my milks on it's way in.
They are having to top the boys up with formula until I can produce enough so I am hoping and praying that happens soon I didn't want them on formula but I can't starve them either.


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You are doing a fantastic job MrsS.
It is very hard pumping for bubs in the nursery.
It may be worth having a chat to the lactation consultant at the hospital I was found them wonderful for our stays.
Does your hospital hire the Mandela symphony...it is great for double pumping and is noce and quick.
I hired them for my LO's 9 and 15 week stay...it helped a lot.
I could never quite pump snough for them so both of them where on donated BM top ups.
My little man didn't have any milk for the first three weeks he was only on TPN so what colostrum and milk I got was stored and frozen until he was ready.
Have they said anything about trying the boys on the breast? The more that they try the better for you and them even if they didn't get much.

I'm allowed to use the electric pump now :) the last 2 times I've expressed I've got about 50ml so a big step forwards and the milks not in properly yet because it's still a yellow colour compared to white but I'm starting to feel full and engorged just before expressing time


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Wow, 50ml!! Thats awesome! Electric pumps make a huge difference.
I think someone suggested this, and I agree with them if they did (lol), but try and get some breast contact with the bubs.
It does help your supply and its good for the boys to get the idea of breast feeding.

That's great 50mls so soon is awesome!

i was still pumping when i posted that i ended up with 90mls that session i broke down in the biggest happy tears when i measured up :) the boys will now not need any formula tomorrow if i can keep these numbers up and should be taken off the IV tomorrow night so will solely be on EBM after that!
We are doing a bit of skin to skin and breast contact DH is doing my head in though he tries being helpful trying to help the bubs latch on but TBH he gets in the way and annoys me but im not saying anything as he is trying so hard and is trying to be helpful. Both do try latch on Lleyton is bigger than Jackson and finds it a little easier although once he has the nipple in his mouth theres no room to do anything like suck - damn me having large nipples i wonder often if things would be different if i didnt but i guess no point dwelling on that i have what i have so we have no choice but to work with it!
Got another pumping session in about 45 minutes i might go get the pump and start early so i can go to bed earlier and get some rest in