Questions about pumping.

[bumbblehorse]

I had a few questions about pumping that i wanted to get everyones thoughts on.


1) is there an exact time in between pumping or is it as I feel them fill up?


2) as time goes on and pumping continues, can i expect my supply to increase?
I am concerned that as he drinks more, can i produce what he needs?

3) how often can i pump to start putting some away in the freezer?


I know that feeding from the breast is the correct way to do it (plus it saves time and washings) but both baby and I have had a hard time with it. I had a csection a week ago and my nipples seem to be a bit big for his mouth at this point so i opted to pump rather than from the breast. I have always wanted to use breast milk and not formula and want to do whatever i can to feed him the right stuff!

Any suggestions/answers are welcomed!!

[Monkeygrrl]

I exclusively pumped fulltime for both of my birth boys. I was working and going to school with both of them, and didn't want to have any issues with nipple confusion at all, so just pumped.

I pumped every two hours around the clock for the first two months. Then I pumped every three hours from 7am to 11pm - then pumped at 3am. It gave me a few more hours of sleep, but also made certain I wasn't engorged too much at night. Eventually I was pumping every four hours and not during the night at all.

I would pump for a minimum of 15min at a time. If I was still producing milk at that time, I would continue to pump. If not, then I would stop. The two or three or four hours would be from start of pumping to start of pumping.

As my babies got a bit older and I started to not be able to keep up with their needs, I started taking domperidone to increase my supply. I got it from New Zealand. The american version of this medication - reglan - crosses the blood/brain barrier and can only be used for a short period of time. Domperidone can be used long term with minimal or no side effects for most women who use it.

I was able to have a full supply for the first baby until he was 10mo, and 8mo for the second baby. Life had more stress the second time around. I supplemented with formula and continued to pump until they were 12mo. The first one started pulling the tubes from my horns at that point, so it was pointless to continue.

Edited to add:
At first, I would keep 10 to 15oz in the fridge (enough for 2-3 feedings) and put the rest in the freezer in 9oz bottles. I labeled the bottles with the date that it was put in the freezer. As my babies got older and started drinking more, then I would keep more in the fridge so that I had 2-3 feedings worth. Does that make sense?

If you are putting your milk in the fridge freezer, it can stay there 6mo before you have to start using it. If you are putting it in a deep freeze or stand alone freezer, then it can stay there for 12mo before you have to start using it.

Hope this helps.

peace...

[bumbblehorse]

thanks sooo much! Im very new at this and reading books doesnt help. I like to know from real people how they are doing it. So far it looks like i am doing it right: pumping every two hours, 3-4 overnight, keeping one in the fridge for feeding and the extra for later.

Thanks again!!