Expressing....cows milk....breastfeeding.

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bun_in_the_oven Members Profile Find Members Posts Senior Member Joined: 09 February 2009 Location: Wellington Points: 294	Post Options Post Reply Quote bun_in_the_oven Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Expressing....cows milk....breastfeeding. Posted: 21 June 2010 at 9:06pm
	Oh boy I am really battling this whole thing at the moment.. time to vent and ask some advice from all you supportive mamas out there DS has been bfeed for the past 10 months.. he started childcare a few weeks ago and thats when my challenges started.... I had the idea of expressing and giving him bottles until he was 1 year old (6th Aug so not too far really) but its all gone terribly pear shaped. I am finding it hard to get the time to express while working and when i do express for up to 40min i am lucky to get out 30-40mls YIKES... hardly seems worth it right ?? (i understand the whole milk production thing pretty well) DS will take a bottle from his dad happily but at childcare he wont have a bar of it.. maybe 20mls and then its tipped down the sink UUURGGGH He has two bottles throught the day before sleeptimes while away from me. If its a day with me he has 4 bfeeds. so here is my dilema... what do i do for the next 6 weeks.. suck it up and keep expressing in the hope he will learn to take a bottle at childcare ?? offer a milk alternative.. rice milk... soy milk... I am not really into formula (it just icks me out for some reason) So what are my options ?? rang plunketline today but they were not so helpful.,,, she suggested offering a 'blankie' or something as a substitute for sleeptime comfort and a yoghurt before bed.. Hhhmmm ?? I feel like a faliure.. and the pressure to keep going.. but im burning out and its bloody hard work love to hear your ideas and suggestions... thanks in advance

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AandCsmum Members Profile Find Members Posts Senior Member Joined: 13 May 2008 Location: Palmerston North Points: 8432	Post Options Post Reply Quote AandCsmum Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 June 2010 at 9:16pm
	I could never express at work. I struggled to express at home. I'd sit in A's room at night looking at her & struggle to get much out as well I suggest that if you are giving the daycare bottles then for now give them in 25ml portions. Save all your hardwork going down the sink! He will learn to take the bottle there, but it might be a few weeks before he will take more than what he's drinking there now. When my little CC started she'd skull 240ml of formula from her parents, I only ever got 40mls into her. Now she drinks 180ml from me. Some times all of it sometimes not. If he's not going to take BM off them the chances are he won't take the other milk either. Try expressing at the same time you feed him at home? I know it's super hard having been there before, unfortunately my DD was younger so had to stick her on formula during the day.
	Kel A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12

Mrs_B Members Profile Find Members Posts Senior Member Joined: 08 April 2008 Location: Hamilton Points: 1142	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mrs_B Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 June 2010 at 9:19pm
	I was in the same situation as you. DS was having 3 BF a day when he started daycare at 10.5mths for the first two weeks I went down at lunchtime and fed him as I hate expressing, then I dropped that feed and asked daycare to offer cows milk in a cup if he wanted it, he didn't so goes without milk there and just BF morning and night. He eats really well during the day and drinks lot's of water. At 10mths I wouldn't worry if he doesn't have milk during the day at daycare as long as he eats well and drinks water or is he unsettled and wants a feed? or are you thinking he needs it? How many days is he in care and for how many hours? Edited by Mrs_B


bun_in_the_oven Members Profile Find Members Posts Senior Member Joined: 09 February 2009 Location: Wellington Points: 294	Post Options Post Reply Quote bun_in_the_oven Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 June 2010 at 7:22am
	hes there 2 days a week.. hes there from 8am - about 3pm he is mostly unsettled before sleeptime and not sleeping so well... I know there is a lot of new things for him to adjust to.. like sleeping in a room with other children and seperation etc ... at hm he sleeps 2nhalf -3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon... at childcare hes lucky to get an hour at each sleep.. he gets woken by other kids and then im picking up a ratty overtired messy kid who hasnt slept and hasnt had any milk through the day.. it makes for a very stressful few hours from 3pm-bedtime at 7 May just stick it out and see what happens over the next week.... I know it will take time. Its a great team of teachers and they are very supportive.. I feel fine with leaving him and hes content while there.. eating and playing... thanks ladies

Mrs_B Members Profile Find Members Posts Senior Member Joined: 08 April 2008 Location: Hamilton Points: 1142	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mrs_B Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 June 2010 at 7:54am
	Wow that is some impressive sleep times at home! Does he sleep all night as well? Just curious, nothing to do with your question! I was lucky if my son was having 1.5hr AM and PM at that age. He also didn't sleep well when he first started daycare 40min-1hr max and I think that is just part of the settling in as 8 weeks later he is sleeping much better. Although he seems to enjoy it and they say he is happy there, I always find he is tired and cranky on the days he has been at daycare - guess it just a very busy day. As for the milk thing I wouldn't push it, he is old enough to go 7hrs without milk. Forcing him to take a bottle is obviously stressful for you and him. Can you feed him as soon as you pick him up before you leave?


E&L+1 Members Profile Find Members Posts Senior Member Joined: 15 April 2009 Points: 737	Post Options Post Reply Quote E&L+1 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 June 2010 at 10:13am
	Hey I was in almost the exact same position as you a couple of months ago, although E was 5.5 months. She is in DC 2 days a week 8/9-3ish We get 1-2 1.5-2hour sleeps at home, at daycare we were getting 2-3 sleeps of 30-45minutes 2 months later she will do about 1 hour (sometimes but usually less). As for bottles, I am lucky in that I can express 150-200mL when I am away from her. I leave expressing until lunch time so about 1.5 hours longer than what I would go at home with E. However we were lucky to get 10mL into her (off a spoon so 180mL tipped down the sink) at DC, she was taking a bottle at home until she started then she refused! It has taken 2 months and she has just started drinking about 150mL from a bottle when she chooses. (She makes up feeds when I pick her up). I let DC reheat her bottle once within a 4 our period. It's not like formula which you can't reheat. Apparently Rice milk tastes similar to breast so If you aren't getting enough expressing he could have that just put it in a seperate bottle from the EBM and get them to give him that first. He will be fine not having the bottles while he is there. E eats more solids while she is at DC compared to home and she gets offered water frequently if she is refusing the bottle. Hope this helps


bun_in_the_oven Members Profile Find Members Posts Senior Member Joined: 09 February 2009 Location: Wellington Points: 294	Post Options Post Reply Quote bun_in_the_oven Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 June 2010 at 8:08pm
	Mrs_B ....yes hes a great sleeper.. he sleeps 7pm - 6am most nights although we still get a curve ball every now and then with him being awake and wanting to play at 3am WHAT DA !!??!! we have worked REALLY hard to use the self settling techniques... and its paid off.. bloody hard work though. i managed to get 30mls and 40mls today expressing.. so enough for one bottle at childcare.. i think because hes not feeding im not producing and pumping just isnt the same eh thanks for your advice and suggestions without any judgements..

E&L+1 Members Profile Find Members Posts Senior Member Joined: 15 April 2009 Points: 737	Post Options Post Reply Quote E&L+1 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 23 June 2010 at 9:30am
	It isn't the same. I only got 40mL yesterday which is unusual for me. I am hoping to get more today otherwise my freezer of milk will deplete real quick. One thing that I did that seemed to help expressing is I expressed of one side using a manual pump while E was feeding on the other first thing in the morning. I would get more because she was feeding and then she would finish off the other side.

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