How often to express breast milk?
8 September 2010 4 Responses
Question by Megan L: I gave birth 2 weeks ago and had been breast feeding up until yesterday as i had to be rushed to hospital due to severe pain in my uterus. I found out i have a uterus infection so i need to go on some pretty hard core antibiotics. Due to this my doctor has suggested formula for the time i am on the antibiotics as it can be a possible danger to my lil girl if i breast feed while on antibiotics. My question is, how often would i need to express in order to keep my milk flow so i can put her back on the breast after i have finished my course of antibiotics???
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I’m not sure that’ll work, I’ve heard that the actual act of the baby breastfeeding keeps the milk flow going. But it’s worth a try! I would do every 3 hours if possible to try and keep it going, but afterwards when you are ready to start breastfeeding again keep the formula handy. Generally babies tend to drink more when they get it from the bottle, so you might need to just finish off with the formula if baby is still hungry.
as much as you can as she is so young they feed on demand so i would try every 2-3 hours you can put her back on the breat afterwoods but she may not take but ebm is fine to give to her after you have finished your antibiotics id talk with your doctor as to how long till its out of your system as to when your milk is safe again, make sure you hav e a good pump i sugest the medela select
also try and keep as much skin to skin contact as this helps stimulate your milk, id talk with your doctor about if its still safe to express as it causes your uterus to contract like breastfeeding and im not sure if this could be bad with a infection
i hope your feeling better soon
You can definately express to keep your milk going while your on the antibiotics. It depends on how much milk you normally produce anyway (we are all different) but try expressing as often as you would normally have fed, around every 3 hours. Make sure you completely drain the breasts each time. I also had a uterine infection and the ER doctor told me the same about putting my bub on formula while on the antibiotics. I asked an obstetrician and a midwife for a second opinion as I really didn’t want to use formula, they both said it’s still fine to feed while on the antibiotics as any risk to the baby is very small, although it may depend which ones your on. The doctors just say don’t breastfeed so they are covering their backs. If I were you I’d get a second opinion. I breastfed while on them (sorry, can’t remember what they were called) and my bub was fine. Good luck
how often does your daughter feed ??
if she is on her own schedule , stick to that
if not . i would pump at least ever 3 hours .. maybe 5-6hours over night .
you supply probably isn’t well established yet , so it is crucial to pump if you want to continue breastfeeding later .
pump both breast too at each sitting .
congrats on the new arrival .
( if you havent already got bottles and teats , try getting the wide teats .. they resemble nipple and are easier for bub to change between breast and bottle with out confusion )
edit
if you havent brought a pump either .. may i suggest an electic pump .. your hands will get very sore if you are using a manual pump .
some places ( chemist , maternaty hospitals , mothers groups ) rent out eletric pumps .. much cheaper then buying one if its only going to be used for a short period of time
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