Hi. Can someone tell me if it is possible to exclusively express milk without having the baby latch on me? Will that reduce or slow down the milk supply? I have been latching as well as expressing so far and lately my boy isn't comfortably latching on me. He cries a lot. He is quite comfortable with the bottle. I was thinking of purely pumping milk but worried that it might reduce the milk supply. Any expert advice would be much appreciated.
Kalyani
Written by
KR2105
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
No the complete opposite of what you think will happen, will happen. The more you use,the more you produce. Which is why most specialists advise to express whatevers left after feeds to promote production.
As for you issues with child feeding please check and see if it's tongue tied. My first was and it makes feeding impossible.
This is definitely possible, many mums exclusively pump. If you're already pumping then it shouldn't be too difficult to make the transition 😊
However I'm wondering why he's not comfortably latching on? Have you had your HV check his latch? My lg had tongue tie and it was agony at first until we got the latch right x
It's possible yes. You will have to pump every 3 hours roughly I've had friends do it for 1-2 years! It's very hard work though.
Before you leap to exclusively pumping please get some bf support: it could be that your baby has a tongue tie or something else which can be sorted out. Most midwives and hv are not trained to check for them though and neither are Drs so you need to see a lactation consultant (ibclc) who is. You can google for ones in your area or our hospitals or local bf group can help as as some have one working there. They can help with all feeding issues x
It really depends. I've had alll kinds of feeding issues and in the end it got too much and my LO is now formula feeding.i pumped all day every day for weeks pretty much and didn't keep my flow up enough. But for some people it makes them produce too much so it really does depend.
Yes it is possible. I exclusively pumped for 3 months. It is very hard work though. After that I did mixed feeding till baby was 6 months old as exclusively pumping is very time consuming. It means going out less or timing when you go out. I had lots of milk and had to freeze most of it. It works by supply and demand. The more you pump, the more milk you produce. If you want to go down this route, it's best to get a good quality double pump.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.