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Question
Hi Sally,
Many thanks for your quick response, my baby is 16 weeks, so the breastfeeding is well established, as you suggested expressing on the one breast whilst my baby is suckling on the other is impossible as he is such a hungry baby that 1 breast is not enough, so if I express then he will not have a 2nd feed. (if you know what I mean). I will however carry on expressing and hopefully more will produce. Thanks for your advice.
Michelle.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
-----Question-----
Hi there, It is my 30th Birthday on Friday and my husband wants to take me out, so I have my friend coming round to babysit, however I have been trying to express everyday in order to have enough bottles for her, I don't seem to even be expressing 1oz at one sitting at the moment, I do however feed my baby just before I express, would this be the reason I am not getting anything out or am I drying up?
Thanks,
Michelle Bowden.
-----Answer-----
Dear Michelle,
Happy Birthday! And congratulations for giving your baby the best start in life by breastfeeding.
You are doing the right thing by expressing as much as you can on a daily basis so you can leave a couple of bottles while you will be out. You don't say how old your baby is, so I don't know how well established the nursing is. I hope your baby is at least six weeks old because it often takes that long for the breastfeeding routine to get set.
You never can express as much milk as a vigorously suckling baby can extract from your breast, so it's not unusual that you are not getting much. And you are right, that if you are expressing immediately after nursing, this could explain why you are getting so little. Try expressing or pumping from one breast while you are nursing from the other.
If your baby seems content with the feedings, you are probably not drying up. And one evening away should not have a bad effect on your milk supply. Nurse your baby just before you go out and as soon as you return. And have a good time!
Good luck.
Sally
Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.
Hi Michelle.
Thanks for getting back to me. Maybe you should try expressing halfway between feedings instead of right afterwards, which will give the milk supply a chance to power up again!
Good luck!
Sally
Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Expertise
What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.
Experience
I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.
Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.
Other points of interest
I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding.
To find out more about me, go to
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