What do I do with expressed milk for my 11 day baby?
I have an 11-day-old newborn and wondered what to do with the expressed milk. Is it fed to the baby or stored for emergencies? I have also noticed that my baby is sleeping well but not always needing the amount of time on the breast that you suggest and not always demanding the second breast. He tends to posset when overfed. He is a bit of a barracuda when feeding – latching on fiercely, sucking hard and fast for 10-15 minutes and then not wanting any more. My nipples are very sore. He is feeding at all the times you suggest and sleeping at the right times too, except waking for an extra feed at 12:30 am. I have been doing the routine for a baby at two weeks for 2 days.
There are several questions involved here so I will try to cover all the aspects you need.
Firstly, you mention sore nipples. Have you had your baby’s position checked by a breastfeeding specialist (your health visitor will be able to refer you to a local breastfeeding counsellor)? Nipples become sore through a baby being incorrectly latched on. As your son is an efficient feeder he is getting his needs met but, by being told of small adjustments you can make to his position, the soreness should rapidly disappear and your son will be able to empty your breast even more efficiently. In my experience this is really worthwhile to do as soon as possible. Your son is gaining weight well and his needs will grow. In order to carry on breastfeeding as well as you already are it is vital to sort out this problem now.
As he is an efficient feeder he genuinely does not need to spend longer at the breast. As long as his weight gain is between 6-8ozs each week, he is settled and sleeping well between feeds and you sort out any positioning problems, be thankful he is so quick! As he gains in weight he may well begin to need the second breast. Be guided by his needs. If he is unsettled after a feed, or doesn’t settle well in the evening begin to offer the second side.
Once you have his position checked you may find he feeds better at 10pm and will lengthen his time in the night. Sometimes giving him a break mid-feed at 10pm, with a period of 20 minutes gentle kicking will encourage him to sleep longer in the night. Once he has had 10 minutes at the breast, change him and let him lie on the bed kicking. Then dim the lights and offer the rest of this feed. As he enters his third week you may well notice an increased appetite due to a “growth spurt”. This is the reason I advise expressing milk. Decrease your early morning expressing by 1oz to let him have his needs met. This is also a good time to introduce a bottle feed of expressed milk at 10pm. You will still need to express between 9:30-10pm but you could allow your partner to give this feed so you can get an early night. As your baby’s needs increase you may need to sometimes give a top-up at the end of the day to settle him. Having a good supply of expressed milk frozen is always reassuring.