Thanks for your replies all - I will perservere!

I'm sorry hun, but they do pretty much feed constantly at this age and it is very painfull. Things WILL get easier but for now you just have to take each day at a time. Put your feet up and carry on as you are, soon enough you will have time to do other things but right now the only thing you need to concentrate on is getting thru these first few weeks.

Expressing is something you will get better at. It's a skill you learn, unfortunatly it doesn't just happen ( i expected it to be easy as well!). It's still early days for expressing. I'd wait a couple more weeks, then, the feeding would have eased up a bit and your nipples will have toughened up a bit. YOUR MILK SUPPLY ISN'T LOW!!! 1 to 2oz is a pretty good yeild in the evening with a constantly feeding newborn! It's easier to express first thing in the morning and you will get more if your lo is feeding on the opposite side to the one you're expressing on. Also breastfed babies only actually take about 2 - 4oz per feed, which is why they feed more frequently than ff babies.

Also, if you keep following the advice in your leaflets and at your breasfeeding group, your lo's latch will improve with time, it's a skill they have to learn too. Hth xxx

As pp says Kellymom is a great source of information to make you feel better throughout bf.

Please don't bank on the 6 week mark, it took us more like 12 weeks to settle, but it does get better bit by bit..... it is hard but well worth it.  Poppy is nearly 9 months now and we're still going strong and we both love it!  Remember there are lots of growth spurts along the way too.

Expressing is a funny thing, some people get more than others, I never got more than 3-4oz from both boobs on a very good day (this was when I went back to work INSTEAD of a feed) and usually more like 2 oz from both boobs, you do need to stockpile it to make a complete feed!  It is absolutely no reflection on what your baby is getting, and it sounds like you're doing really well don't get disheartened.

We all have worries from time to time about our milk, its so had to guauge.  But please have faith in your body.

Enjoy this time with your lo, Poppy is now so independent, she feeds in 10 mins and rarely wants a hug unless she's going to sleep.  Yesterday I was yearning for the days that I was stuck in my chair all day everyday feed / sleep / feed / sleep and at the time I never thought I'd want t be back there again!!

If you want to go out, if you're okay with it don't put then extra pressure on yourself and leave a bottle of formula for lo.  I am really pro bf and wouldn't have considered anything else, but it was good to have a couple of hours off every month or so and nice to know that Poppy had a feed if she needed it without me pumping for days and days before hand!! I you only do it every now and again it won't effect your supply, but you might need to pump on your return!!

Hiya, Your doing really well. I remember the early weeks so well. The cluster feeding is hard, It will pass. The 6 week mark can be hard as they have another growth spurt. Once thats over it gets better. Then you will have another spurt at 8 weeks, it gets better again. As long as your prepared for lots of sitting down and just feeding you will be fine.

This tells you when to expect the growth spurts -

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurt.html

As for expressing 2oz is a good amount for your first try. I think i got about 1/2oz. The ammount will increase as your body realises you want more milk. If you can, try to stick to expressing at the same time everyday. Stay relaxed, as stressing about how much your going to get only makes it worse.

This is the page on expressing for some tips -

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/index.html

I hth.

Claire

Thanks for that. I can't wait for the 6 week mark!

Hi, the first 6w are the most demanding.  You are building up your supply to meet all the growth spurts & it sounds like you are doing well!!  I personally felt that my supply settled around 8w, though things were better after 6w, by 10w I felt we had really cracked it.  At 12w there is another massive spurt but after 12w I feel that the time now flies & although bf continues to be demanding (now at 23w), it feels part of my life & doesn't hold me back in anyway.  And I love it.....

As for expressing, 2 oz in 40 mins is good for is it your first attempt?  Don't forget that breast milk is richer in quality compared to formula, so ff babies will increase the volume of milk they drink ie drink more and more ounces whereas  a bf baby may be taking the same ammount of ounces that they always took but it has grown richer to meet the demands.  Babies are more efficient at draining the breast compared to a pump so you will never see exactly how many ounces your lo is drinking in a feed but it is not likely to much more than 2-3 ounces at this age I reckon.  Most of my pumping friends pump off anything from 1 to 4 ounces in a session & store it up to offer as feeds.  And the more you pump, the more you will be able to get in a session.

Please don't feel disheartened, you're doing ever so well.  I found I couldn't leave my son in those early weeks as he cluster fed in the evening but it gets easier,your baby will start going longer between feeds & sleep more in the evenings too.  If you are able to go out for a couple of hours then do, hth xx

My LO is 5 weeks old and I am exclusively breast feeding. I am still waiting for things to get better as he is constantly on me, especially during the evenings. I haven't really done anything but feed him since he was born! When does it get better again?!

Anyway, hubby wanted to take me out tonight so I have just tried expressing some milk and I am nearly in tears. All I have collected in 40 minutes is 2 oz I have an Avent Isis IQ Uno pump. Could this be why he is constantly wanting a feed? My suuply may be low? I am so disheartened. I hope he is getting enough. He seems to be alert and well, and his nappies are fine too (soaking wet, and 5-6 dirty). How can i increase my suuply, I mean what really works? I eat and drink well, although sometimes I miss breakfast! I want to make this work, I don't want to give up. I just want to see him content, not screaming for more after a 3 hour session, at 1am...

Your advice would be really appreciated, thank you.

PS If it helps to let you all know... I have been using nipple shields since week 2 as he made me sore and bleed - since then, he has failed to latch on to breast even though we try several times a day, every day. I think I have only continued due to these shields. My local breast feeding advisor hasn't been of much help.