expressing milk?

Question

I am 28 weeks preg and until now I have been on the bottle-feed with formula bandwagon. I am not so hot about breast feeding but am not opposed to expressing milk though (mainly because I want him to have breast milk, it will allow father/baby bonding, and it's cheaper). Has anyone just expressed milk? Can I just express milk (not use formula) even though I will be going back to work? I haven't the slightest clue as to what to do!

Answer 1

Yes, you absolutely can just express your breastmilk if that is what you want to do. Yes it will still be best for your baby, and it is still free, and yes it allows daddy to feed the baby more often. It is wonderful that you are willing to still give your baby what is best.

My only concerns are listed below:
1. It is actually easier sometimes to just let the baby nurse. Pumping can become tiring and gets fairly annoying quickly. At least when the baby is nursing you get to hold him/her and cuddle so it makes it a more wonderful experience.
2. If you don't nurse for the first couple weeks and only give your baby the bottle, he/she won't ever learn how to nurse and it will be nearly impossible to convert them to the boob if you find out later thats what you'd rather be doing (because pumping is too time consuming.)
3. Pumping is a good way to express your milk, but it isn't as efficient as your baby is. So your supply may not be as strong as if your baby was nursing directly, and this may cause your supply to decrease more quickly than you'd like.
4. If you express only, you will still be burdened with buying, cleaning, warming, storing, etc with bottles and bottle accesories, and one of the major benefits of breastfeeding is that you get to avoid all those things.

All the above being said, I still congratulate you for taking a second look at breastfeeding and trying to come up with a solution that fits you best, where you can still give your baby the best nutrients.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Yes you can just expressed milk. Is it the best choice, no. But it's a much better choice than formula. Feeding at the breast is the best way to establish a milk supply. The baby is the best at doing this not a pump. So I would suggest trying to breastfeed for a few days at least to get your supply established and that way your baby will get all that wonderful colostrum!! My concern is what are your reasons for not wanting to actually breastfeed? Knowing why you don't want to could really help in giving you a better answer.

Now in exclusively pumping, it's very hard work. I had to exclusively pump for almost a year because I had a preemie who refused to nurse. I'm just going to give you the honest truth here. It is very time consuming and you need to pump very regulary to keep up your milk supply. But since you are going back to work, then pumping is something that you'll need to do during the day anyways even if you did decide to feed at the breast also. I would recommend a hospital grade pump for sure, they are way better than the retail ones you find.

I really would try to breastfeed until you go to work. Believe me it is so much easier than bottle feeding. Yes it can be hard work for you during the first few weeks, but you know what so is bottle feeding. At least with breastfeeding you don't have to worry about washing all those bottles, worrying when you go out will you have enough milk? with breastfeeding, you always have your milk with you. At night it is so much easier just to give your baby the breast than running to the kitchen, getting the bottle ready while listening to your baby cry because he/she is hungry. Breat feeding is instant gratification to the baby.

Answer 3

i recommend that you at least breast feed the baby for at least 2 weeks before saving your breast milk in a bottle for the daddy. that will put a never ending bond between you and the baby and the baby needs the colostrum for those 2 weeks. after that you can store your milk in the freezer for up to 6 months and use it as needed. no more than 8 hours in the fridge and in the freezer for up to 6 months and thaw it as needed. i could only breast feed my kids for the first 2 weeks i never got milk only colostrum. it is the best thing for your baby. but if you can breast feed when you are not storing or letting dad do the feeding it will keep you and the baby close


mother of 5

Answer 4

i was iffy about breastfeeding too, but once i tried it at the hosp it wasnt that bad at all- actually seemed very convienent. I would pump whenever he was sleeping so that way my husband could feed him as well. I had to switch to formula when he was 4 months because he wasnt gettin full with my milk anymore, and we are broke!!! Formula is so much money. If you go back to work, just pump in the bathroom and store the milk in a fridge or bring a cooler with you. But before you go back to work-pump as much as you can for the first few days so you can catch yourself up. LOTS of woman do this.

Answer 5

breast feeding is not bad. they say that the more baby sucks out, the more you will express. i tried it, i have a 4 month old, and i do 50/50, i did the pump thing, but it made my breast look like bananas...really gross, and mine cost me like $200. so now i just let her breastfeed usually in the morning when i have the most, and during the day she has formula and when i get home i breastfeed/formula. while formula is more expensive, its a little more convenient, anyone can feed the baby, at anytime, no need to lose sleep because you have to feed. and trust me, u will be exhausted after delivery. the positives on breastfeeding, is it helps you sort of lose the weight, but keep in mind that the more u feed the more you will need to eat to keep your energy and nutrients for yourself. plus with breastfeeding you have to watch what u eat. i did so much research about this, and many people disagree, but im just going by what i have learned...that when breastfeeding, the baby techinically eats what u ate. the bad thing is, example, if you eat something spicy, the spices may cause the baby to have a tummy ache. but if your one of those women who can express a lot of milk and dont mind the pumping and all that, go for it. breastmilk is the best thing for a baby. its been proven that a breastfeed baby has less of a chance to get colic. if u can stand the pump go for it!! i suggest try it all, and see what works best for you. as for formula go to enfamil, and all the formula companies and sign up, they will send u free samples plus coupons. the coupons help. Congratulations, and good luck!

Answer 6

Sure, you can buy a really good breast pump (spend $100) And you can pump enough breast milk to bottle feed when you're away, and breastfeed when you're around.

I say to buy an expensive pump, because I had a cheapie $30 one and it didn't pump enough to do me any good.

Congrats on your choice! Breastfeeding is best!

Answer 7

I did express some milk because I couldn't get my son to latch well. I was able to rent a hospital grade pump. In your case, it may be cheaper to buy one. I can't give you advice on a good one(it's been a while), hopefully others can give you advice on which one is a good one.