Can I breastfeed and bottle feed my 11 week old baby?
hi, my name is linda and i would like to know if i can breastfeeding my 11 week old baby and bottle feed him when i`m not around to feed. i have tried to express milk but it doesn`t come out, even if is full. i start by hand expressing thne i put the election pump on but it does not work. i have a breastfeeding to help me but it does not work for. should i get a hand pump and see if that would work. thank you for your time.
Leann...
Answer:
Hi Linda,
Yes definitely, if you can express some milk and have it handy for when you are not about (it stores for up to 3 months in the freezer), that can be so great!
If you are having a bit of trouble with expressing I would recommend taking your pumps down to the child health nurse (or buzzing them and asking about a lactation meeting) and just see if they can help you. It can take a few minutes for the suction to create a let-down and then for your milk to start to flow. Personally, I found the electric ones fab and could never get the hang of a hand-pump. You may find you only get 20-80 mls at first, this is very normal, to a degree practice is required.
Hope that helps.
All the best,
Leanne
Answered:
08 Jul 2009