My doctor told me to express my milk to make my uterus contract when i was at my 6 week checkup. should i?

Question

i never did brest feed but i had enough milk to feed an army. now i feel like i should have and by doing this i can see if my baby will drink the milk.

when my milk did come in at first my breasts were huge and i would leak a lot.

it has been 2 months now and i cant find out anywhere how long it would take for my milk to come back in if i did do it. she would still be bottle feed. i would just put the milk in it. i think that changing the way she eats now will be too traumatic.

Answer 1

Your uterus will contract with breastfeeding or nipple stimulation, and expressing milk by hand would probably be the most effective way (if your baby won't latch on). It's not so much the milk coming out, rather it's the stimulation that causes your body to release Oxytocin (natural hormone that causes uterine contractions), Pitocin is the 'artificial' version administered via IV drip in the hospital following delivery, to stimulate uterine contractions.

so anyways, breastfeeding, hand stimulation or pumping would all cause your uterus to contract.

and if you pump out milk, give it to your baby! you most certainly can do that.

visit http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/relactation.html for more info on "relactation" if you're interested in feeding your baby breastmilk.

Oh by the way, I pumped breastmilk for my son (and he didn't need formula i pumped enough) for 3 months straight. and he went back on the breast when i had built up my milk to where it would've been if he had been on the breast all along.

he weaned himself at 11 months, and while i was breastfeeding him or pumping for him he didnt' need formula. you can build up your milk if you want to, just gotta look into it.

i pumped every day, 5 to 8 times a day, and my milk gradually built up, in a matter of weeks i had a full supply.

you can do it mama, if you want to i'm sure you can. especially since you said you had plenty of milk.

Answer 2

Breastfeeding or pumping/expressing milk will certainly get your uterus contracting and return to its normal size faster. It will also help you get back to your pre-pregnant weight faster. If you want to give breastfeeding a second (or first?) try and you're still producing milk, go ahead! Breastmilk is sweeter than formula and most babies prefer its taste. The catch is that it's harder for a baby to get milk from a breast than it is to get formula from a bottle so the switch back to breast might seem unsuccessful at first. You and your baby will have to learn how to properly latch on before you can establish a good nursing relationship.


Edit to add:
Here is more information on "re-lactating"

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/relactation.html

http://www.naturalchildbirth.org/natural/resources/breastfeeding/breastfeeding01.htm

http://www.artofbreastfeeding.com/relact.html



I believe it takes at least 2 weeks to relactate, but I may be mistaken.

Answer 3

Mirena at 6 weeks? Yes. Pill when you leave the hospital? Not likely. Just call your insurance and ask them if its covered. I'm sure it is. They usually will NOT give you something to dry up your milk. If you choose not to breastfeed your child when s/he is born, then you won't produce breast milk at all. You'll have some of the colostrum leaking for the first few days, but as long as you wear a very supportive bra, it should subside rather quickly. Just remember to use nursing pads to absorb any leaks.

Answer 4

Yes! This will definitely help with that, and you can feed your baby too!
Most resources say re-lactating is possible if the baby is under 4 months old.
There are many more benefits for you if you feed your baby breastmilk - less chance of certain cancers and osteoporosis, faster weight loss, better bonding, and more (money saving, no bottles to wash...).
The benefits to your baby include less chance of allergies, less chance of ear infections, better immune system development, and less chance of colic, among other things.
See here for a more complete list of benefits for you and baby
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T020100.asp
Also, if you do decide to try to re-lactate, see this site for lots of good info and support on how to get your baby to take the breast:
www.kellymom.com
here's the direct link for re-lactating:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/relactation.html
Good Luck!

Answer 5

yes, expressing will make your uterus contract. I'm not gonna judge you for not BF but since you've got so much milk you could at least express it for him/her

Answer 6

YES you should, he is your doctor and should be looking out for your best. He is telling you this so that your bleeding stops and you dont bleed to much. I really cant think of another reason he would tell you this.

Answer 7

If you're trying to dry up its not a good idea. But if you want to try nursing go for it! And yes, it will cause your uterus to shrink back up faster.