Confused after breastfeeding class

[MeredithK]

I went to a breastfeeding class last night and while I was there, everything sounded great. But, when I got home, I started to think about the instructors' suggestions.

She really advocated getting a hospital grade double pump before the baby comes. She thinks that they work the best and are important to have BEFORE it becomes a problem.

Her main reason for advocating pumping is to keep up the supply. She suggests waiting until 4-6 weeks before introducing a bottle (if needed, she suggests a small cup, spoon, or soft feeder), but during those first few weeks, she said that it's important to have a good stable supply.

I don't work outside the home and am not expecting to need to have to pump regularly. It just seems weird to spend so much money on something I may not even need.

I'm all for being prepared, but now I'm just paranoid. If I am going to spend money, I want to get one that will last and be worth it.

So, I'm wondering...did you buy a pump before the baby came? If so, single or double.....manual or electric?

Thanks in advance.

[bajamergrrl]

I didn't buy a pump until about a week before I had to return to work when my DS was about 6 weeks old. My supply was just fine and I think the fact that I feed him on cue/demand helped. If you're going to be a SAHM you might not need to pump often so I don't know why you'd need a double electric pump.

[MeepyCat]

Is she getting kickbacks from hospital pump rentals or something?

Hospital-grade pumps are heavy duty equipment. They are meant to bring your milk in and build your supply when, for some reason, the baby can't. If your babe winds up in the NICU, or if there's some major medical issue, or a really severe latching problem, you'll want to rent one.

However, if none of those things happen, your best bet for establishing, building and maintaining your supply is your baby. Nurse, nurse, nurse. If the baby is losing weight, or too slow to gain, then again, you may want to rent a hospital pump, but I wouldn't be using one of those things "just in case."

The reason I wouldn't be using one "just in case" is because I followed an LC's advice to do just that with my first (she was concerned because my milk wasn't in yet at 48 hours PP), and I wound up with incredible oversupply. It was painful, and it contributed to feeding difficulties for my DS.

The hospital grade pump isn't even the sort of thing that might be useful if you were going to work after the baby - they're these giant things in BRIGHT BLUE plastic boxes that look like you're lugging a set of carpenter's tools. If you were going back to work, you'd want a more compact, retail double-electric one.

I don't think it could hurt you to have a manual pump on hand to relieve engorgement, or to pump the occasional bottle in case you need to be away from the baby. (Or in case you need to control amounts fed to the baby - like if the kid gets stomach flu, and you're trying to give him an ounce at a time so he can digest better.) But if you aren't planning to work, I wouldn't spend the money on a double-electric, and if you DO need the hospital grade pump, the hospital should be able to tell you where you can rent one.

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by MeepyCat

Is she getting kickbacks from hospital pump rentals or something?

That was my first thought too!

OP, I agree with MeepyCat. If your baby has a hard time transfering milk at first, hand expression is best for colostrum anyway. Plus you can usually rent a hospital grade pump if you ever were to need one.

Congratulations and best wishes for your birth Stop back and ask any questions you can think of.

[rebeccajm]

I might not be much help, but I will try!

I did work outside the home, and my son had pumped milk as a breast supplement from 9 weeks on. I started building up my supply almost immediately.

After returning to work, I continued to build up my frozen supply little by little. It ended up being absoultely necessary, because I got a staph infection when he was 3 months old and barely had enough to get him through the 7 days that I had to "pump and dump" because of the meds. So in that regard, I think it's wonderful to pump and store milk for an emergency situation. I plan to do the same this time. (I am due Wednesday with another boy!)

And it absolutely bumps up your milk supply just like you were told. I have a double electric pump, and I was able to provide plenty to feed him plus store a few bags every day. I have the Playtex Embrace, and it is wonderful!

Good luck!

[MeredithK]

Originally Posted by MeepyCat

Is she getting kickbacks from hospital pump rentals or something?

No, not all all (I don't think). She is an independent lactation consultant that teaches at the birth center. She is also a midwife. I think she was trying to make a point of getting a good pump. She suggested staying away from any of the brands that also sell formula. She thinks they are destined to make you fail so that you turn to formula.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by MeepyCat

Is she getting kickbacks from hospital pump rentals or something?

Hospital-grade pumps are heavy duty equipment. They are meant to bring your milk in and build your supply when, for some reason, the baby can't. If your babe winds up in the NICU, or if there's some major medical issue, or a really severe latching problem, you'll want to rent one.

However, if none of those things happen, your best bet for establishing, building and maintaining your supply is your baby. Nurse, nurse, nurse. If the baby is losing weight, or too slow to gain, then again, you may want to rent a hospital pump, but I wouldn't be using one of those things "just in case."

The reason I wouldn't be using one "just in case" is because I followed an LC's advice to do just that with my first (she was concerned because my milk wasn't in yet at 48 hours PP), and I wound up with incredible oversupply. It was painful, and it contributed to feeding difficulties for my DS.

The hospital grade pump isn't even the sort of thing that might be useful if you were going to work after the baby - they're these giant things in BRIGHT BLUE plastic boxes that look like you're lugging a set of carpenter's tools. If you were going back to work, you'd want a more compact, retail double-electric one.

I don't think it could hurt you to have a manual pump on hand to relieve engorgement, or to pump the occasional bottle in case you need to be away from the baby. (Or in case you need to control amounts fed to the baby - like if the kid gets stomach flu, and you're trying to give him an ounce at a time so he can digest better.) But if you aren't planning to work, I wouldn't spend the money on a double-electric, and if you DO need the hospital grade pump, the hospital should be able to tell you where you can rent one.

The best way to start producing milk is to nurse, early and often. If your baby is in the NICU, then yes, you will need to pump, but otherwise if you pump, you'll be expressing precious colostrum, which is most important to go into the baby ASAP, instead of waiting to feed it via some other method.

A hospital-grade pump is best to establish supply. Once it has been established, either by baby or by pump, if you are nursing directly, there is no need for a hospital-grade pump. A standard pump will be sufficient for maintaining supply.

I pumped for DS for the 6 weeks he was in the NICU, and then for 2.5 months after he came home while I transitioned him to the breast. I rented the hospital pump for 2 months and then switched to a Medela Pump In Style with no decrease in output, as my supply was already well established.

[stormborn]

Was she suggesting that you buy one to keep up supply just in case there were breastfeeding difficulties? Surely she wasn't saying everyone should pump and nurse for the first few weeks?

I'm not a LC, just a nursing mama, but that sounds like bad advice either way to me. Chances are your newborn will keep up your supply all by herself but if there are challenges you could always get a pump then. If I recall hospital grade pumps are in the $400 range; that seems like a lot of $ for a "what if".

I bought a Purely yours for $150(? I think, it's 9 years old now and still in use!) double electric with my first because I had to go back to work. If I didn't plan on pumping I wouldn't have bothered.

HTH

[LemonPie]

A healthy, uninhibited newborn baby does just fine drawing the milk supply in on it's own. Assuming your baby is healthy, fed on cue, and can transfer milk well, adding regular pumping can lead to oversupply issues. Not to mention tire and frustrate a newly postpartum momma.

Of course pumps have their place when there are problems. But they aren't necessary for someone who is planning to SAHM and have the baby with them round the clock.

[twins+1]

You may find that you rarely ever pump. I used to hand express a bit if I was engorged in the beginning but it was better that I didn't pump because I had oversupply and if I pumped it would make my body think I needed to produce more rather than regulating out to make only what my baby was drinking. So, for that case I rarely pump and even now that things are more even and I'm not making too much I don't pump much cause otherwise my body kicks into making a lot of milk.
However, there are times that I do pump like when baby goes to sleep at 7pm and I know he probably won't wake until 1am or so. So then I might pump one side. So, yeah they are good to have on hand, but I wouldn't spend the $ on a hospital grade one. Medela Pump in Style's are great pumps - I've used mine for 11 months (every 3 hours for 11 months) and now here/there with my new baby.
Congrats and good luck!!! Nursing is a challenge in the beginning but it is SO much easier than exclusively pumping.

[LianneM]

Yikes, that is scary advice IMO. While they certainly have their place, they are not necessary when the baby latches/nurses early and often. That is enough to build a good supply. Pumping in addition can cause oversupply issues which can be a big problem.

[Honey693]

The LC's at my hospital were very gung ho on pumps too. I still have no idea why, but my insurance company covered it under medical supplies so I got one just in case since it was free. I ended up pumping for the milk bank so it wasn't a total waste. i would say see if your insurance will cover one and if they will get it just in case.

[Heba]

I too find it very strange. In the vast majority of cases pumps are simply not necessary to establish and maintain supply (as someone else mentioned on another thread, I think, if that were true the human race would have been at risk of dying out thousands of years ago!). There are reasons to buy/rent a hospital grade, but imho to suggest that *all* mothers need one to avoid problems simply serves to undermine our confidence in our ability to breastfeed successfully.

Hand expressing, on the other hand, is a skill which may be useful in a variety of situations, which is why UNICEF Baby Friendly Accredited hospitals are required to teach hand expression to all bf mothers.

[Youngfrankenstein]

Originally Posted by Tiger Lily

A healthy, uninhibited newborn baby does just fine drawing the milk supply in on it's own. Assuming your baby is healthy, fed on cue, and can transfer milk well, adding regular pumping can lead to oversupply issues. Not to mention tire and frustrate a newly postpartum momma.

Of course pumps have their place when there are problems. But they aren't necessary for someone who is planning to SAHM and have the baby with them round the clock.

Yes to this. My first one took a few weeks to learn to nurse so that hosp. grade pump was invaluable but I never touched a pump with my next two. A little breast massage to relieve some engorgement was all I ever did other than nurse with the others.

[alegna]

Pumps are a miracle when needed.

But personally I think they tend to cause many problems these days.

2 babies- no pumping. And yeah- I had tons of problems with dd- none of which would have been helped with a pump.

-Angela

[femalephish]

nak

i had a small, single handheld before Jo was born. I did end up using it for my own comfort when I had a nipple issue on one side for about 2 days. It worked great. Now we are intoducing a bottle (sometimes) once a week just so she can take it if she needs to. I am SAHM, too. I can't imagine needing anything more than this little pump.

Good Luck!

[spicyrock]

What weird advice... I can't imagine why you would need to buy a hospital grade pump in a normal breastfeeding situation.

If you aren't planning to go back to work or leave the baby for long periods of time, you really don't need a pump at all. But if you do want one- to pump so baby can stay with grandma, or so dad can sometimes feed baby while you take a long bath, or because you want a rainy day stash- you still don't need the most hardcore pumping mechanism out there!

I had to finish school and work, so I picked out a double electric Lansinoh pump. It was about $150. I got my money's worth... and in your case, I wouldn't spend a dime more than that. Your breasts and the baby are all you really need.

Congratulations, mama! I know this is such an exciting time for you. I hope everything goes well with your birth and your motherhood.

[tanyam926]

In counseling BF women and meeting many LCs, BF counselors, BF educators, etc. over the yrs I have noticed that some of them are really pump happy. The pump is their answer to everything.

As a BF counselor and BF mother I believe that baby is designed to do the best job of building milk supply. If, and only if, mom and baby are having problems, need to be seperated, etc. do I rec a pump or other addition to the BF relationship. Some moms need the extra help for whatever reason but don't assume that to be the case. Women have been BF for a long time w/out hospital grade pumps.

FTR, people are always astounded that I have nursed 3 kids (still nursing ds2 and ds3), so basically nursing straight for the last 6 1/2 yrs and I have never needed to pump or give a bottle. Not once. (I was in college w/ds1 even but managed to arrange my schedule so that pumping wasn't necessary, and I have been blessed to only have had to work after my ds2 was over one yr).

There's nothing wrong w/needing to do that, however like I said before, if you will be w/your baby it is best to let baby build that supply.

[SubliminalDarkness]

I think, in a lot of cases, pumps complicate a situation where there doesn't need to be complication. If your baby is healthy and normal, and you have a healthy delivery and recovery, and you're a SAHM.... no real need to pump. You could probably get by even hand expressing enough should you choose to leave your child in the care of someone else on occasion.

[MeredithK]

Thank you for all the input. You all helped to make me feel a lot better. After the class, I felt like I all of a sudden had problems. I wasn't worried about breastfeeding before the class. Then, after, I felt like my boobs haven't grown enough and I needed to get the biggest baddest pump that there is.

I am a person who likes to be prepared just in case, so I think that I will purchase some kind of pump. I'm just not sure if I should get a manual or electric.

And I thought I was done with the researching after I picked out the diapers!