I just given birth 1 day ago. My LO not latching well so i want to pump my milk out and feed her using the bottle. But i dont know the steps. Do i pump 1hr in advance before LO feed? If so, do i keep the milk in the freezer immediately or the normal fridge area? How to thaw it and make sure the milk is good for LO?

Hi, Congratulations! Pumping or direct latching, for me, i feel more impt now to ensure the bb is well fed. I had a crying mad baby the first day i reach hm n end up we went back hosp within only 24hrs going hm & was just told your bb is HUNGRY!! i was so Upset. Latching wise, u can consult the lactation consultant for better advice. I usually pump every 2 ~3hrly or when the breast feels full. I prefer to keep about 3 or 4 bottles in the fridge. Any more then i will pour into milk bag put into the freezer. I was told if u wanna freeze then it's fresher/better to freeze directly. Note those milk u put in fridge ones, have to be consumed within 3days to ensure freshness / it doesnt turn bad. For frozen ones, max i keep it to 3months. For frozen milk, u can bring it down to fridge 24hrs beforehand for it to thaw in fridge. Note, the milk after thaw, needs to be comsume within the next 24hrs. If i want immed use the frozen milk, then i take the frozen milk bag n put under running water. It thaw in a few minutes. Thereafter i pour into a bottle n warm up the bottle of milk in a cup of hot water. U have 1 hr to finish feeding bb before milk turns bad. All thawed milk or warmed up milk cannot be refreeze for consumption. If any leftover, i will label it in fridge to make milk bath for bb next. Or my own foot bath. Haha. Really very moisturing. In case if u got the nipple confusion worry, i tried using pigeon n it was lovely no prob switching between latching & bottle. Until bb realise there's a diff between me & grandma then she started rejecting me for bottle and only wants direct latch. But she can still accept bottle feed by all other ppl. Hope the above helps

I highly encourage u to get the lactation consultant to help u with the latching as much as possible because once u are out of the hospital it is more expensive and troublesome to seek help. Like the above mentioned, try not to bottle feed so fast - unless need to - like baby jaundice and not drinking well - got the crystal urine (red urine) U can pump any time, it doesn't need to be in sync w LO timing - tho it will be more convenient. Freshly express milk can stay at cooled room of 25 degrees for abt 4 hrs, in the normal fridge for 48 hrs (some sources say 3 or even 5 days), freezer can be 3 months. To encourage ur boobs to produce a good amount of milk, pump every 3-4 hrs, for good stimulation. If from freezer, thaw in the normal fridge area - take it out the night before. If from the fridge, put the container/milk bag in a bowl/cup of hot water to warm up the milk to slightly warm will do - u may need to change the water a few times - or invest in a bottle warmer - milk bags/containers sometimes can fit in it. But I strongly encourage u to latch - will make ur BF journey easier - lesser bottles to wash, easier for u to look after LO by urself too Congrats :))

Congrats! You must be still at the hospital? How do you know you are not latching well? You dont need to bottle feed right now - you can still try latching. I suggest not bottle feeding for atleast a week so you can establish a good latch. When you do choose to pump, you can express anytime you feel heavy - it can be few hours in advance or even just minutes befoe you feed baby. You can keep the feed in the fridge - i would always keep 3-4 feeds in the fridge and the rest in freezer. When the stash of 4 packs in the fridge would be over, i would take out the stash from the freezer and leave it in the fridge to thaw from frozen to cold milk and then just warm up as usual.

Congrats! I faced the same problem of my LO not latching well when he was young. Both in hospital and when we went home. I bottled feed the day I went home but I do try to latch everytime b4 I give the bottle ....It was only when he is older then he began to latch. So don't give up! Some Ple say that by doing this will lead to nipple confusion though but so far my friends n I have no problem with this ... If u want, u can pump 1 hr in advance but put in fridge instead of freezer. Then when it is time for feed, use a warmer to heat it up. Other wise can use the traditional method of putting the bottled milk into hot water to heat it up

If not enough BM first, can supplement with FM. As Long as baby is well fed.