I don't know how to do this!!!!

[Sleepyheaded_Mama]

I have a quick/urgent question for the mamas that have to pump for daycare bottles:

I am no stranger to nursing, been a mama for 15 years and all three of my kids self-weaned between 2.5 and 3.5 years of age, but I attribute my amazing breastfeeding success to the fact that I have always found a way to stay home with them the first year or so. I've never HAD to pump, never HAD to have a stash for anything other than the occasional 2 hour babysitter, kwim?

This time I HAVE to work. So I will HAVE to pump and I will HAVE to have a stash. I am FREAKING out. I have no idea how many bottles a day is appropriate, I'd imagine it changes from time to time. I've always just nursed on demand, so when they were full they pulled away and that was that. How the heck does that translate into ounces and bottles and bags, etc.???

And perhaps more importantly, because I am broke and without this we are doomed - what is the most efficient breast pump for the least amount of $$?? Do I really need to spend $300 on a Medela?? I've always just used my old Avent hand pump for my occasional pumping needs, but now I need INDUSTRIAL strength to build a mega-mama-milk stash in little time.

I have never ever had to resort to using formula and I am terrified this LO is going to end up getting some if I can't keep up.

[fairymom]

Can't help w/the stash ?s because that's what I'm here for too- wanna buld one but at 4 mnths don't know how to.

But I would suggest for the pump checking out OUAC (once upon a child).The ones here in MN are used Medela pumps (just the pump its self) for around $50 bucks (we're talking the pump in style double pumps) and then buy the replacement parts- you can get those at Target for I think $25ish. Otherwise if youre having a hospital birth talk to the LC there and see if your insurance will cover one for you. I got one that way w/my DS4 (a Medela) wish I had kept it but didnt think I'd be having anymore dc after him! and this time my nurse in the hospital didn't follow thru on my request to see a LC so pump.:

GL!

[ErikaS57]

I wouldn't use a used pump, personally. Instead, I'd suggest the Ameda Purely Yours. It's about $150 for just the pump, more if you get a bag/backpack with it (but you can use any old bag really). It gets great reviews, is quite powerful (I'd say as powerful as the Medela), and it's a bargain at that price.

As for ounces... a good rule of thumb is 1-1.25oz/hour that you're away. And more frequent, smaller bottles is good too. I'd probably try 3oz bottles to start and see how that goes.

Best way to build a stash is to pump one side while baby nurses on the other. Best time to do this is in the morning, when your milk supply is highest. I've also added in a pump at 10PM right before bed (DD goes to bed at 8).

[Sleepyheaded_Mama]

Originally Posted by ErikaS57

I wouldn't use a used pump, personally. Instead, I'd suggest the Ameda Purely Yours. It's about $150 for just the pump, more if you get a bag/backpack with it (but you can use any old bag really). It gets great reviews, is quite powerful (I'd say as powerful as the Medela), and it's a bargain at that price.

As for ounces... a good rule of thumb is 1-1.25oz/hour that you're away. And more frequent, smaller bottles is good too. I'd probably try 3oz bottles to start and see how that goes.

Best way to build a stash is to pump one side while baby nurses on the other. Best time to do this is in the morning, when your milk supply is highest. I've also added in a pump at 10PM right before bed (DD goes to bed at 8).

Wow thanks for that! I can find a way to pay $150 and use one of the many bags I have just lying around the house to transport. Do you pump at work during the day as well? How often? Every two hours? I work as a clinic nurse so I don't really get a break all day other than my lunch break. I wonder how it would go over if I had to leave for 15 minutes every few hours to go pump? To complicate matters, I'm a float nurse, which means I get sent to every department, so it's not just ONE group of co-workers I'll be dealing with...

[sundaygirl]

There's good information on kellymom.com about calculating how much milk your babe will need: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

I was freaked out about figuring out how much milk to send at first, too. Before my leave was over I started giving my son bottles during what would be working hours to figure out how much he would take at a time (for him, it's about 3-4 ozs). As for how many, at four months he's eating every 3-4 hours, whether he's nursing or taking a bottle. Which means I pump every 3-4 hours during the workday and nurse him exclusively on the weekends.

Sounds like you're no stranger to breastfeeding. Pumping is not so bad! You can do this!

[GoestoShow]

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Edited by GoestoShow - 12/7/10 at 6:52am

[Italiamom]

I don't know where your income levels are, but I know that WIC (women, infants, and children) sometimes provides pumps for working moms, at least in my area. Women who EBF save the program money, and so they're happy to do what they can to keep women breastfeeding. At the very least they might have suggestions for your area. You can find your local chapter by going here: http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/Contacts/statealpha.HTM. From my experiences with them they have been incredibly supportive.

And remember to breath! It sounds like you were able to bf quite successfully before. Just because a milking robot is part of the equation now doesn't make you any less likely to provide the best for your babe. You can do this!

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Contact your local hospital and see if they provide pumps for rent. When mine craps the bed, that is what I will do. The Medela in style double with back pack is what I use. Someone gave it to me and I got replacement parts for it. Not always an option, but def look into your local hospital. I have been pumping successfully for almost 9 months now, only having to suppliment twice, with very little amounts of Formula. Here is what I did.

When DS was born, and for the (only) 6 weeks I was able to stay home with him, he was at the breast ALL.THE.TIME. I worked my butt off to establish a supply.

If he hadnt ate in two hours, I would pump (and empty) at least one breast. I would put the milk into storage bags and put into the freezer.

Once I had to go to work, I would set an alarm on my computer every two hours to go and pump. Knowing pumping is not the same as nursing, I wanted to make sure my body didnt decide to deplete its supply. When I was home with him and on the weekends, it was nurse nurse nurse!

After about a month of pumping 5 times in an 8 hour shift (10 minutes each) I dropped it back to 4 times (still 10 minutes each). About a month ago, I dropped it back to three. I get about 12 ounces a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. I pump into glass bottles and put them in a fridge we have in the office.

PLEASE NOTE* everything you read tells you to store your milk in the back of the fridge. Not on the door, and if you are not going to give to your child right away, refridgerate right away, dont wait. A few times I made both said mistakes, and had to toss an entire STASH I had built up because it had gon a little bad. (I smelled it and it did not smell right, hense why I had to suppliment a couple times)

ALSO NOTE* There have been a couple times when I bring my pumped milk home in my cooler, and forget to put it in the fridge and it sits out over night. Not saying this is right, but I still give it to my son, and hes not dead yet. :

I have found that on a BIG eating day, he wants almost 16 ounces, which is 4 4 oz bottles. But usually, and this is good since I cant pump that much unless I really work at it, he will take 3 4oz bottles. Hes almost 9 months old and 20 lbs and 28.5 inches long!! One thing I found to be true that I read at Kellymom is the compostition of your breastmilk changes over time. So BF babies dont need more like FF babies do. FF babies need more because the composition of formula never changes. As your baby grows, your breast milk changes to suit their nurtrional needs. And it really does, you can actually SEE a difference in the thickness and color. Its pretty amazing what our bodies can do!

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Originally Posted by Sleepyheaded_Mama

Wow thanks for that! I can find a way to pay $150 and use one of the many bags I have just lying around the house to transport. Do you pump at work during the day as well? How often? Every two hours? I work as a clinic nurse so I don't really get a break all day other than my lunch break. I wonder how it would go over if I had to leave for 15 minutes every few hours to go pump? To complicate matters, I'm a float nurse, which means I get sent to every department, so it's not just ONE group of co-workers I'll be dealing with...

Look into your BFing rights in your state. I have a nice little pamphlet my local hospital gave me to present to my employer incase they gave me a problem. Not only do I have the right to pump during my paid break, but I have the right to pump as often as needed during unpaid breaks. I am willing to bet your state might have simliar protections for you.

EDIT:

Uh oh, i just did a search for South Dakotas laws, because i figured thats where you are, and there are no laws protecting your BFing rights. That stinks!

[Honey693]

See if your insurance company will cover a pump. Mine covered whatever pump I wanted, just so long as I got it from the hospital. It was covered under medical supplies.

[Sleepyheaded_Mama]

Originally Posted by Barbie64g

Look into your BFing rights in your state. I have a nice little pamphlet my local hospital gave me to present to my employer incase they gave me a problem. Not only do I have the right to pump during my paid break, but I have the right to pump as often as needed during unpaid breaks. I am willing to bet your state might have simliar protections for you.

EDIT:

Uh oh, i just did a search for South Dakotas laws, because i figured thats where you are, and there are no laws protecting your BFing rights. That stinks!

Oh of course. Effing backwards state. : I should have known since, while still in nursing school, a classmate of mine delivered her baby while we were in clinicals. One of the instructors told her that if she chose to breastfeed she might as well drop out of the program because they weren't going to make special accommodations for her to pump. She took it to the nursing program director and she was eventually allowed pump breaks, but she wasn't popular among the faculty.

Thank you all so much for your advice, I will probably actually print this thread out, lol, my head is swimming these days as it is, and I will need to reference some of it at times I can't be online. I think I qualify for WIC (fortunately or unfortunately, lol) so I will look into what they offer as far as pumps go. It's a place to start at least and maybe they can direct me to other local programs I'm not yet aware of.

[jecombs]

Many, many hospitals provide a pumping area for employees as well as parents of babies in the NICU. Look into this! You may not have to buy an expensive pump at all!

I also have to 2nd (or 3rd) the WIC suggestion. I borrowed a WIC pump for over a year. It was hospital-grade and wonderful (although a bit heavy). It's important for you to apply for WIC before you go back to work, so your income looks as low as possible. If you can't get the WIC pump right away, you can still start building your freezer stash up with your hand-pump.

Good luck! I know you will figure this out because you sound so committed to it. I went back to work when DD was 3 mo. old. She was EBF until 6 mo. and went on to BF for just over 2 years and never needed any formula. So it can be done!

[eirual]

I was able to buy a used Ameda Purly Yours for $75 on e-bay. It's a fantastic pump.

I didn't notice how old your babe is, but if they're pushing a year, I ended up sending what milk of mine I could, and left a carton of goat's milk (DS didn't much like my high-lipase milk). DS was hydrated through the day but reverse-cycled and took in most of his nutrients through nursing at night. Don't stress about it. If you're still nursing on demand, your DC will find the time to get what they need.

[Sleepyheaded_Mama]

Originally Posted by eirual

I was able to buy a used Ameda Purly Yours for $75 on e-bay. It's a fantastic pump.

I didn't notice how old your babe is, but if they're pushing a year, I ended up sending what milk of mine I could, and left a carton of goat's milk (DS didn't much like my high-lipase milk). DS was hydrated through the day but reverse-cycled and took in most of his nutrients through nursing at night. Don't stress about it. If you're still nursing on demand, your DC will find the time to get what they need.

I have an e-bay phobia, lol. Heard so many horror stories lately. My baby isn't even born yet, he's due in November, I'm just trying to figure out how the heck I'm going to do this, lol. I don't have my old Avent hand pump anymore, so if I'm going to have to spend $ on a pump, I just as well get an industrial grade one. I really wasn't a fan of the manual pump anyway. Too tedious.

Oh and someone else mentioned hospital nursing stations, but I don't work in a hospital. I'm a clinic nurse, sometimes I'm on the hospital campus working, but I can't count on it. I go everywhere and I never know where I'm working until 7am every morning.

[suelain]

I pumped at work for a little over a year beginning when my son was about 5.5 months. I began pumping when he was less than a week old due to a latch problem. We got that resolved, but I was paranoid about not having enough milk when I went back to work. I began pumping once to twice a day in between feedings. It was discouraging at first, because I could only pump 1 to 2 ounces but over time my supply built up. I kept it in the refridgerator for my dh to use when I had to leave the house, but soon I began using milk bags. These were very convenient and easy to store. I emptied the contents of what I pumped, regardless of how little it was on the bag, labeled the bag with the amount of ounces and date and shoved them into the freezer.

I pumped when I was able to, and didn't have a set schedule. I heard that it was best to pump in the morning, but this never worked well for me - I'm just not a morning person.

It turned out to be very nice that the bags had different amounts in them, because then you could adjust exactly how much to defreeze for the next day during work. Before going to sleep I would put the amount of ounces I would need in the refridgerator and it would be defrosted in the morning. I started out taking 2 small medela bottles to work, each containing about 5 oz. for my 5 month old, but I was able to go breastfeed during lunch each day, and since he preferred that, 10 ounces ended up being a waste. Sometimes he was fine with only 6 ounces and made up the difference during lunch with me.

At work, I'm lucky. I have my own office and kept my pump there. I used a medela I got from my sister. At first I wasn't sure whether I wanted to use someone else's pump, so I ordered an Ameda, but after seeing how the pumps work, I wouldn't have a problem anymore using someone else's. With the Ameda, they actually have closed off tubing, so if you borrowed someones, all you would need is the tubing. With the Medela, even though the tubing isn't closed off, its highly unlikely that someone would actually get milk into motor unless they purposely tried to do this.

I pumped about 2-3 times at work and slowly lowered how often I was pumping. Make sure you are comfortable while pumping. Bring a book or sit in front of a computer so that you can read something, but it helps if you are not bored while you pump. I always tried to pump the same amount or more than my son was drinking in the daycare, but in hindsight, it really didn't end up being so necessary. I started a few months before I began working, so I already had my freezer sorted by month. I remember my dh asking me if I had plans for so much milk

I always gave ds the frozen milk supply if I could starting with the oldest batch, and ended up staying about 2 months ahead of him in supply - even when he was older. I finally used all the supply when he was 18 months old and I had to go on a 2.5 week business trip. I was frightened about my supply going bad, but I pumped literally everywhere during the trip and found that regardless of where I was, if I asked for special accomodations for pumping I usually got it. (Medela also has a convenient battery pack for on the go, or if you have to pump where there isn't an electric outlet).

If you don't have a convenient place to pump, I wouldn't be bashful about asking where you work. We don't have a great place in my office for young mothers who don't have their own office. I've offered mine up at various times during the day to several moms who work here - but I had to ask whether they were interested in using it, they never asked on their own.

I breastfed my son until he turned 3. You won't like pumping at first, but you can do it!!

[smeep]

Originally Posted by ErikaS57

I wouldn't use a used pump, personally. Instead, I'd suggest the Ameda Purely Yours. It's about $150 for just the pump, more if you get a bag/backpack with it (but you can use any old bag really). It gets great reviews, is quite powerful (I'd say as powerful as the Medela), and it's a bargain at that price.

Just a note on the Ameda, they were (last I checked) owned by the same company that makes the Plastibell - used in circumcision. I, personally, would not buy one for this reason. Just in case the OP cares.