minti, powered by parents Powered by Parents
First Visit?     Register     Login
 

Breastfeeding Support

Breastfeeding Support
Global Global
Blog Calendar
« December 2008 »
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31

Groups » Breastfeeding Support » Blog

14
Mar
2007
chelsied

Expressing

by chelsiedComment Published at 22:3222:326 comments6 comments234 Visits234 VisitsReport

I am a first time mum of a 13 week old and love breastfeeding him. I have expressed twice so far, and have not quite got my head around it.  I know the milk supply is the best in the morning, but I don't think I get enough, so I usually express over 2 morning and then freeze it.  I feed him first and then express the left over.  I have put it into bottles, but am only getting 80-100mls.  Any ideas on how to get more and any storage suggestions?

Cheers

External Links

No external links found

Related Content   [Login]

No related content found

 
Add a comment on this blog.


Comments

gillygirl
March 2007 | gillygirl
Storage suggestions

A great way to store small amounts of breastmilk is in ice cube trays as they roughly take 20mls per square. You can then store up the small amounts and then put in a clip seal bag. Then use as many cubes as you need for a feed. It is great as you don't waste milk seeing as you only defrost what you need.  The tupperware ice trays are great as they have a lid. But you could just cover with a plastic bag. The trays are also great for baby food when you son is a little older.

Try to relax and take a deep breathe to encourage your milk to flow. I know it can be hard to relax - sometimes visualising your baby can help the milk to start flowing.

 



Reply to this person
graciesmom
March 2007 | graciesmom
my experience
hey i'm also a first time mom. i've found that the manual pump i have isn't working too well as far as expressing goes(well enough, but i feel i could probably do better with a better pump), so i'd say buy as good a pump as you can afford and pump as often as you can so your body makes more milk and gets used to the pump as well as the baby. and use the bags that are made for breastmilk storage. the ones(by Lanisoh) i use have a double zip lock seal that is great and are freezer friendly. and i know this is pretty obvious but don't reuse them. my boyfriend tried to wash them out after use and dry them and i think that's just unsanitary and gross(not to mention it's cheap in a situation where it's okay not to be cheap!). don't give up! you'll get your own system down soon. if i did, anyone can! good luck.


Reply to this person
samantha
March 2007 | samantha
express into ice cubes

what i do is, you know the ice cube trays, well, before every feed express out some milk directly into a couple of the empty ice cube tray blocks, then put in the freezer, keep filling them up ready for when you need some milk, then just pop them into a bottle and let them defrost, the reson why its a good isea to express before feeding is that even if your baby needs for milk than you have left that is okey as your baby will continue to suck and then you will produce more, then stick her back on 10 min later for another feed and this will encourage more milk supply to compensate for the extra your expressing, you will prduce as much milk as your baby demands, even if you had 2 baby's and so on



Reply to this person
elizabeth
March 2007 | elizabeth
Good on you
When expressing, it normallly takes quite a few goes for your body to get used to the different actions so persistence and expressing at the same time of the day is the key to being successful. Having a warm shower or a warm drink before expressing helped me aswell as visualising/imagining my babies feeding. 80 - 100ml is a really good quantity. Some women only manage 5mls. You are doing really really well.
As far as storage, and you probably already know, milk should only be kept in the freezer for about three months and 24 hours if kept in the fridge. If storing in a bag, use two or three to protect the milk from freezer burn and to also reduce the amounts of antibodies lost. All the brands Izzy spoke of are available in Oz. Keep up the great work and try to express everyday and soon you will be able to express ample amounts of milk.


Reply to this person
Izzy
March 2007 | Izzy
expressing

First off, I would ask if you were expressing in addition to your baby's normal feedings - so as to have a backup when you finally wean? or are you expressing instead of nursing?  The reason I ask is that if you are still keeping up with your baby's scheduled breastfeeding and pumping is extra, your milk supply should be going up. If you're pumping and eliminating regular breastfeeding sessions with your baby, your milk supply may be going down.

I have heard/read/experienced that pumping in the morning works well. Usually your breast will full very very full in the morning when you wake up, more so than any other part of the day.

Also, you'll have to scrutinize the pump you are using. Are you using a manual or electric pump? And do you feel a let down while you do? If you don't experience a let down, it is fairly difficult to express a significant amount of milk. When I tried pumping after my son was born, I used a manual Avent pump and I could only get barely 2oz of milk in it took 45 minutes. And then I bought an electric one by Medela and that did the trick. It simulated baby's suckling and stimulated a let down, which allowed me to pump up to 4 oz from both each breast in barely 10 minutes.

As far as storing, stay away from glass. Any kind of glass is not good for storing breastmilk - I've learned this from a breastfeeding class. You can buy plastic bags especially for this purpose at the store, or you can get an Avent storage cups. I used the Avent ones and they work great.

Sorry - I keep using this name brands, but I don't know if they are available in Australia.



Reply to this person
kseers
March 2007 | kseers
I'll try!
As far as storage goes, you can buy special bags that are probably the best.  I have only had to express for immediate use so have not frozen it - but this is what friends tell me.

I'm no expert on expressing, but have you tried both sides, tried expressing while holding your baby (and thinking loving thoughts), tried expressing after your baby has gone to bed (only if your baby won't need it for a while - I could never manage this one)?  Sorry I can't help more!


Reply to this person