u/Elderberrywisp

Hiya

Im using nipple shields and in the process of trying to wean LO off them. In the meantime I've started pumping once a day to create a stash to take out and about, I find navigating nipple shields, large boobs and a toddler in public just awful.

I have two questions:

1. my LO is only 4 weeks old, how much should I store per container so as not to waste any? I'm currently expressing 70ml, 5 mins off each breast.

2. if this is frozen how do you take it out with you? I'm just talking about going out to the park etc, not full long days out.

Thanks x

After my LO struggled to latch in hospital I have been breastfeeding on nipple shields. We are still early days at 17 days old but I always said I didn't want to bf if it meant using nipple shields. I used them all the way through the 8 months of feeding my first and I described them as a "necessary evil".

This time around I am struggling to see how I am going to be able to look after my toddler and feed my baby if I need to tackle the shields too. I wear a facecloth under my boob, then a muslin and have a muslin over my shoulder - this is difficult to set up when holding a baby and that's before I then need two hands to put my shield on and not something I want to do out in public. He also has terrible wind, meaning he sicks up what looks like a lot of milk every feed.

I am about to start trying to wean him off the shields but I have read this process could take months and I had no luck with my first (he had a tongue tie and I have very low profiled nipples).

I'm torn about what to do. The guilt I feel about putting him on formula is immense as I feel I wouldn't be giving him the best start my body is able to give him (I would still be doing all of the night feeds to there is no added perk there) but at the same time bf is currently making me miserable.

Anyone else had similar experiences?

Thanks

X