Planning for pumping-- any advice?

[bclare]

My first little one is due in a few weeks time and I am trying to be a ready as possible. I will be returning to work in about 6 weeks, but baby will be able to come with me so I can nurse most of the time. Still, I anticipate pumping and giving baby bottles once I return to work to make it easier for myself and the caregivers and for DH to do a feeding at night so I can get some sleep before work.

I have both a electric pump and a manual Lasinoh and a selection of bottles. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions of when I should start pumping and getting comfortable with these, and when I should give them to baby to begin getting used to a bottle. I understand it is easier if I leave the room / house when someone offers the first bottle. Sounds like if I wait too long baby might reject the bottle, if I start too early baby might get nipple confusion. When to start pumping here and there for myself? When and how to start baby get comfortable with the bottle?
Thanks everyone!

[quiminco]

Start pumping right away, when you're still producing colostrum. After the baby gets done eating, pump out as much as you can. This will help get your supply up to establish ample milk for both breastfeeding and storing. Make sure you squeeze all of the air out of the breastmilk storage bag (I found that the Lansinoh ones leaked at the corners when I thawed them out. The Medela ones are more expensive, but so much better!), and freeze it right away. The lactation consultant I worked with advised me to not mix milk of different temperatures, though I'm not sure why.

It is crucial that you not introduce an artificial nipple (bottle or pacifier) to the baby before breastfeeding is well established to avoid nipple confusion. The sucking pattern is different for each, with the bottle being easier and thus preferred if BFing is not well established first. I don't think that being in the room or not will make a difference as a baby's vision is not well developed early on and won't be able to see what's not right in front of them (the limits to their vision in the first few weeks is limited to about the distance of your face to them when they are nursing).

Ask for the assistance of a lactation consultant before you leave the hospital. They are wonderful resources and a wealth of knowledge for all things breastfeeding. My son was a preemie, and if it weren't for their diligent assistance, I don't think we would have had near the success that we do! Sam is a champion nurser now

[bclare]

Hoe long do you suggest waiting before introducing an artificial nipple? I haev heard some are better than others as well for this.

I have also heard that I shouldn't pump colostrum-- that it should all go to baby at that time since there is a limited amount before my milk comes in? Not saying this is right or not, just that I have heard conflicting things. Thanks.

[quiminco]

3-4 weeks is recommended for waiting to introduce an artificial nipple. You can always double check the timelines with your local La Leche League chapter leader or lactation consultants at the hospital. And be careful- some nurses will give your baby a paci or bottle without asking you first! If your baby rooms in with you, it's easier to let the nurses know to not give your baby one. I think there's a vendor on Etsy that sells newborn caps that say something along the lines of "please no bottles/pacifiers, I'm a breastfed baby" on it. You could always make a little sign to hang on his/her bassinet, too.

With the colostrum, it may be different for a full term baby... that does make sense to let the baby nurse it all out if s/he is able to. Sam had no concept of sucking or swallowing when he was born, so I had to pump and then feed him with a syringe. Then once he started suckling on his own, we'd let him nurse then supplement with the pumped out colostrum since that was easier for him.

Best of luck to you! Breastfeeding can be difficult at first (blisters on nipples, engorgement, blocked ducts, etc), but once your body adjusts and the baby gets the hang of it, it's wonderful

[quiminco]

Oh, and with the bottle/pacifiers, many claim to be the best for breastfed babies, but it all boils down to what the babe prefers. We went through three different types of pacis before finding one that Sam liked (the Soothie), but he'll take any bottle.

[alegna]

Breastfeeding-friendly sources suggest 6 weeks before introducing an artificial nipple. www.kellymom.com is a great source.

Not sure bottles are going to really buy you any extra sleep- every time baby gets a bottle, you need to pump to keep your supply up. You'll get more sleep with baby in bed with you and learning to nurse lying down.

-Angela

[groovyem]

You do need to pump every time the baby eats. I worked at pumping in the beginning, I should say I am an EPer for a few reasons, I use a Medela PISA. Double pumping in the best way to go, also, buy a cheap bra, cut slits where your nipples are and the breast shields can then be inserted and you will be able to go hands free and then you can use your hands to help get the milk out of your breast. At 6mo and still going I can now pump just 4 times a day and I am lucky I have always pumped more than I need so I still freeze milk every couple of days. You should know, pumping sucks, sucks alot. It really adds alot to your day, you have no idea. Personally, I wished I never gave up trying to breastfeed. But, if you do pump, this website is such a great resource and also with alot of people to support and cheer you on! Lots of luck to you!

[jessica_s]

I would have to respectfully disagree with the PP's info to pump right away and after every feeding. There are disadvantages to potentially pumping yourself into an oversupply. It's different for everyone of course, but letting your baby establish supply and then adding in the pumping will help to ensure you don't cause yourself avoidable problems from the get-go. You do not want too much milk and you do not want too little. The best way to do that is to leave the supply establishing to the baby! Exceptions would be a preemie, sick baby or a little one who was not transferring milk from the breast.
If you found out that your baby had a sensitivity to foods you were eating or you had something like excessive lipase all that pumping would be for naught. Waiting until you at least feel like you've got things under control and then adding in pumping is usually what a lot of moms find manageable.
Usually pumping once or maybe twice a day (in the morning is favorable since everyone's supply is higher in the morning) is good and that establishes that little oversupply you need to get some bottles.
Nighttime is really important to supply, too many nights telling your body that it shouldn't be making that nighttime milk can wreck a supply. A bottle at night sounds nice, but you ideally should be pumping if the baby is taking a bottle. Who wants to pump at 3am or wake up in the morning with rocks for breasts? Not fun! It nearly always easier in the long run to nurse and then hand off to Daddy for the other stuff if your little one doesn't go back into a milk coma right away.

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by groovyem

You should know, pumping sucks, sucks alot. It really adds alot to your day, you have no idea.

Pretty much says it all.

Get a head start pumping- like when your milk comes in. When you return to work, pump often if you can't nurse- at least every 2-3 hours would be ideal. Cosleep and let baby nurse as much as possible at night (might result in reverse cycling but that's ok too).

Hang in there!

[eclipse]

Personally, I didn't think pumping was that bad, once I got past the point of having to pump after every feed. I imagine had I had to EP, it would have been worse. But I liked pumping when I was at work. It was some nice down time, and time to think about my baby.

As to the other questions, I'd say wait until you absoloutely have to to introduce the bottle. You might have dh give him a couple in the last couple of weeks (but like others have said - that early on, you won't really buy yourself much in the way of extra sleep/ If you don't pump when the baby is eating, you're likely to wake up in pain and engorged), but otherwise I'd buy an assortment of nipples and let your baby and the caregiver work it out.

[bclare]

This is a lot of good help, thanks everyone. We are planning to cosleep, and I am certainly planning to nurse laying down. Some good friends of mine have worked out a routine where mom goes to bed earlier and when baby gets hungry the first time dad give a bottle out of the room, so mom gets a solid 4 hours of sleep, them baby is in with mom again and nurses on demand for the rest of the night. Seems to work well for them, but I can see what you are all saying about just getting used to doing it while you are in bed and sleeping, etc.

I still am not clear about how often to pump, when to start, and imagine I will just need to "feel it out". My mother had pretty intense oversupply issues for both of her babes-- she never pumped, just hand expressed an extra 8oz of milk a day for the local milk bank. This is one of the reasons I thought I would try the manual pump which some women seem to really like a lot ( I have the pump in style as well).

[quiminco]

I personally don't mind pumping; I'm able to pump out at least an additional 15 oz. a day but don't generally have any problems with engorgement. The only time my breasts get uncomfortably full is at night, but then I just move to the other side and let Sam nurse off of that breast (and nothing feels quite as good as a baby nursing down an engorged boob!)

If pumping hurts, check the fit of the pump shield. If it is too big or too small it can make it unpleasant. The LCs will be able to help with correct sizing.

But like the person above was saying about pumping too much, it's better to have too much than not enough! I'd recommend starting pumping as soon as your milk comes in (provided your baby is full term and can move the milk effectively from your breast). Pump after baby is done eating and DH is burping Then you get it in one fell swoop and don't have to worry about remembering when to pump.

Good luck!

[texmati]

I would also check out work and pump.

I agree that the advice to pump as much as you can as often as you can can be dangerous-- but as a mom who worries about not pumping enough, I definitely will pump more on my mat leave next time.

[JohannaInDairyland]

Here's what I learned between LLL, a breastfeeding and returning to work class locally, and trial and error with our guy. Disclaimer - this is what worked for us! Your mileage, of course, will vary.

Begin pumping after your milk comes in when you're ready to give it a try. Start by adding in one pumping session per day - best time is in the morning when prolactin levels are still high, usually about 45 min. after your first morning feeding. The time before returning to work is mostly for getting comfortable with the pump and storing milk. It's psychologically comforting to have a big stash in the freezer, but it sounds like it might not be necessary for you. Ideally, you'd send with your kiddo what you pumped the day before. (I haven't had to dip into the freezer stash for daycare supply yet).

Re: bottles, don't worry too much about introducing the bottle too late. We were really lax in practicing with the bottle, and Liam went from taking one at 6 weeks to rejecting the proposition at 12 weeks, two weeks before we started day care. I spent those two weeks stressing myself out, only to have him happily take the bottle from the day care provider as soon as I left! You've already gotten plenty of good advice about when to start, though.

I was able to take a class locally that helped me figure it out, and I know our local hospital offers one as well. Maybe there's one close to you - they're usually one session, but cover a lot of material.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by quiminco

But like the person above was saying about pumping too much, it's better to have too much than not enough!

Yes and no. Oversupply can cause a lot of problems.

-Angela

[OTMomma]

I pumped to put some in the freezer with my second- and this was easy, so I'll share what I did.

After my milk had come in, I would have dh sterilize the pump as we went to bed and leave it in the sterilizer (we had a microwave one). I would then get out of bed in the morning with the first feed and nurse baby on one side with a nursing pillow for support and pump the other side with a manual pump while baby ate. In those early days, both breasts let down at the same time, even if baby is only nursing one side- so I was just putting the milk in a bottle instead of letting it soak my shirt. My breasts were most full at that time of day, and it was easy to pump off at least 2oz- which is a very reasonable amount to put in a bag to freeze. I did this each morning until I was happy with my freezer stash and didn't stress about doing it at other times of day.

Baby didn't start actually drinking these bottles until he was over 6 weeks old.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by bclare

Some good friends of mine have worked out a routine where mom goes to bed earlier and when baby gets hungry the first time dad give a bottle out of the room, so mom gets a solid 4 hours of sleep, them baby is in with mom again and nurses on demand for the rest of the night.

While I'm sure there are women who can do this with no problem, in essence someone doing this pattern is telling their body that the baby does not need that feeding in the night and at some point (especially growth spurts) that can become a problem. What if you wanted to go back to exclusively nursing then but that time of night were having trouble keeping supply up? Could be a problem.

Also *some* (not all, but no way to tell which) babies have a real preference for the faster flow from a bottle. Some babies will begin to reject the breast when offered bottles regularly, especially when mom is available. This is one of the major causes of premature weaning.

-Angela

[Smithie]

OP, I also had a mom who could hand-express 8 oz bottles (in a public bathroom, on her 15-minute break from her incredibly taxing third-shift CNA job). While you may not have the same experience, I found it very comforting to know that highly productive low-tech pumping had most certainly been done before by somebody I shared genes with.

With my first baby, I regularly pumped 4 oz. in less than ten minutes with a hand pump. With my third baby, I couldn't get that much out with a double electric pump. While there are tons of different factors at work here, I will say that with baby #1, I was terrified of never being able to get any time alone and I TRAINED myself with that hand pump from the second my milk came in. By the time baby #3 came around, I had given up on the the notion of ever having time alone , and I did not train myself with the pump.

In your situation, I would spend those six weeks of leave trying to establish an excellent relationship with your pump. Freeze the milk, don't worry about bottles (although I wouldn't say no if your dh wanted to try his hand at a nighttime feeding with your frozen milk), but focus on getting some really excellent pumping habits. If you can pump what you need with a hand pump, then your transportation and sterilization will be much easier. If the hand pump just won't cut it after a month or so, then you can buy a PISA and practice with it for a couple of weeks before you have to go back to work.

[ParisApril]

Originally Posted by bclare

This is a lot of good help, thanks everyone. We are planning to cosleep, and I am certainly planning to nurse laying down. Some good friends of mine have worked out a routine where mom goes to bed earlier and when baby gets hungry the first time dad give a bottle out of the room, so mom gets a solid 4 hours of sleep, them baby is in with mom again and nurses on demand for the rest of the night. Seems to work well for them, but I can see what you are all saying about just getting used to doing it while you are in bed and sleeping, etc.

I still am not clear about how often to pump, when to start, and imagine I will just need to "feel it out". My mother had pretty intense oversupply issues for both of her babes-- she never pumped, just hand expressed an extra 8oz of milk a day for the local milk bank. This is one of the reasons I thought I would try the manual pump which some women seem to really like a lot ( I have the pump in style as well).

With both my kids after the first few weeks I was able to co sleep and latch my babe and not wake up at night.

With my first babe I was pumping after every feed until I developed an oversupply and a breast infection because of the oversupply. Not a pleasant thing to have ever much less in the first two weeks.

My advice is to try not to worry about it for at least the first 4 weeks. Just let yourself and the babe settle into a good nursing relationship first.

You are allowed to bring your babe to work with you so why go to all the trouble of pumping and bottles? Perhaps a few nice nursing tops and a good sling/wrap would work better without all the hassle.

[groovyem]

I agree with PP. Spend as much time the first month with your little one at the boob. As an EPer, if I didn't have too, I wouldn't. I don't know how working moms do it. I'm lucky to be able to stay home with mine. That said, when your supply comes in it can be a nice thing to pump and store, I'm using my frozen supply for making her food right now. Before your babe comes, I recommend finding a GOOD lactation consultant. Do your research, sometimes they are too quick to supplement and once that baby has a bottle there can be serious nipple confusion. My best advice is when the time comes the more relaxed you are about BFing the more the baby will be. Think positive relaxing energy. BFing doesn't always come easy, it can take a couple of weeks to really "get it". I wish my girl and I had been able to get.