Planning for pumping-- any advice? - Page 2

[savithny]

Originally Posted by 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

Actually, this isn't true. The articles at Kellymom that discuss introducing the bottle recommend doing it for the first time at between 4 to 6 weeks. Too early is bad, true. But waiting too long can lead to bottle refusal, and if you *have* to go back to work, knowing that they'll take a bottle for the childcare provider can make going back to work at least a little less difficult. Yes, some sources will go on about how your baby doesn't *need* to take a bottle, but finding a childcare provider who will take the time to spoon-feed a small baby isn't necessarily simple -- and while a baby *can*, as Jack Newman says, be okay on 3 -4 nursings in 24 hours, that does not mean they'll be *happy* about it. Newman also suggests introducing solids to a 4 month old instead of bottle feeding if the baby refuses the bottle (?!?)

Here's two articles, found from the Kellymom search engine. They say the same thing that I was told when I was planning to return to work at 16 weeks:

http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/offerbottle.html
http://www.breastfeeding-basics.com/..._bottles.shtml

[cheryllynn]

I started pumping regularly around three months, when dd started sleeping through the night. My breasts were too full to go all night without nursing or pumping. I would be up between 2a.m. and 3a.m. every morning until just this Feb. DD rarely woke for a nighttime feeding. In the meantime I had accumulated a nice freezer stash.

We bought a 5 cu ft deep freeze specifically to store breast milk.

I'm glad I did. I did not anticipate that my previously abundant milk supply cut in half and then half again. I've been going through the freezer stash and now am a donor milk recipient.

We introduced paci at 5 weeks.
We introduced bottle at 6 weeks. Even though DD is now 10+ months old, we never switched to the fast flow nipples, she still has her newborn slow flow ones.

Now that she is almost old enough for a cup, I'm not going to get anything new.

I did not mind pumping at all. I did find pumping after breastfeeding irritating. It wasn't until about four months when I was comfy enough to do this. Otherwise I always felt too sore to attach a pump after DD nursed.

I am not sure what the issues are with oversupply nor do I know what oversupply means from one person to the next. I would suggest having a bit of an oversupply would be easier to handle than an undersupply. Like I said, I was very happy when I could freeze 4-6 ounces every day. I would not consider that an oversupply.

oh, I much prefered the cloth breast pads to the disposable ones. My LC at the hospital has new hemp fabric that looks scrumptious. The fabric is nice and soft and comfy - soothing after nursing. It also helps with leaks both in the day and at night. I did purchase a nightime bra just so I could use the breastpads to keep from waking up soaked at night.

[Quinalla]

I just got back to work at 16 weeks, though I pumping all the milk for her to eat at daycare while I am here so it is a little different than your situation.

I highly recommend getting your pump(s) before you give birth and putting them together and read everything so you only have to refresh that knowledge after your baby arrives. On little to no sleep, every bit of preparation helps! I wouldn't worry about pumping the first 2 weeks at least (barring any problems/engorgement), just let your baby nurse. After that, start slowly and don't worry about getting much at first, get used to the pump and figure out how to best stimulate let-down and all that on the pump. Freeze what you do get unless you have an immediate need or want to try introducing the bottle.

As far as the bottle goes, I fed my daughter bottles and she took them from me fine, so don't be afraid to try it if you want. Some babies won't take them from Mom when the breast is there, true, but mine didn't mind. Introducing between 4-6 weeks is recommended to avoid confusion too early and rejection too late. I introduced a bottle at 3 days myself because she was such a sleepy baby she would only suck for 2-3 times and then fall asleep and be impossible to keep awake, so she wasn't getting much from the breast at first. I could have done finger or syringe feeding, but it worked out fine for me luckily. She actually latches onto the bottle just like she does the breast (well close as is possible).

It doesn't sound like you have need of a huge stash, really most people don't need one as ideally you pump anytime your baby gets a bottle and do some extra pumping after feeds for emergencies.

And yeah, definitely get a LC to see you as soon as you can. I didn't see one until the day I left and I had thought things were going pretty well because I didn't realize she wasn't really sucking after an initial 2-3 sucks since this is my first until the LC watched things. The nurses at my hospital were morons about BFing and said things were fine so don't necessarily trust the nurses on this.

[Ruby2]

I stressed out trying to get used to my pump and build up a supply before I went back to work and it was NOT neccessary! It was really hard for me to pump at home and I never got more than a few ounces at a time. I finally found a book (Nursing Mother, Working Mother) that reminded me I really only NEEDED enough milk for one day in my freezer. My dd drinks about 12 ounces while I'm gone, so I needed 12 ounces for my first day back at work. That's it.

I ended up with 30 or 40 ounces by the time I went back to work and this was more than enough. Pumping to make up for missed feedings is completely different than pumping to build up your freezer stash. I try to pump a little more than 12 ounces during the day so that I can add to my freezer stash "just in case," but I've never had to use it. Dd drinks the milk that I pumped the day before. I put Friday's milk in the freezer and pull the oldest 12 ounces out to put in the fridge on Sunday night.

We introduced a bottle about 3 weeks before I went back to work. Dd had a total of 3 from 3 different people (dad, grandma and babysitter) to make sure that there wouldn't be any problems, but that was it. Pumping during those bottle feedings was good practice for work and helped build my confidence up a little bit.

And, it's not awful at all! I love getting a chance to go into a quiet room and think about dd for a few minutes in the middle of a busy work day. It makes me smile and feel connected with her while I'm gone.

You can do it!!!

[dollysods]

I had the medela freestyle,which was awesome and less to lug around since I worked different places a lot. I didn't use the hands-free option.

For returning to work at 8 weeks, I started pumping once a day in the morning around 3 weeks. My husband gave her two bottles/week from 4-8 weeks to get her used to the bottle. I pumped during those missed nursing sessions.

I had a 30 hour call shift my first day back so I had to have a lot stored up. But I just tried to do it little-by-little, day by day. You will get more from the pumping after the first few sessions so don't get discouraged. I did not want to end up with an oversupply or alter the composition of breastmilk she was getting with all her other feeds. If you are going to pump a little to relieve engorgement early on, by all means save the milk. But I would be careful about pumping too much... unless you like the reassurance of having a huge freezer stash, there is not a good reason.

At work, I aimed to keep up with what she was eating, not really store extra. Most of the breastmilk she had was fresh after that first day back when we used most of the freezer stash. I usually would go about an hour more between pumpings than she was going between feeds-- so pumped about every 3 hours when I first went back, and eventually by 10 months or so was just pumping once a day at lunch. The days that I pumped less than she ate, I would try to pump a little in the evening (like pumping the other side while she nursed on the other). When she started to eat solids and eventually took in less breastmilk, I tried to continue my usual pumping schedule for a while to have more in the freezer since I had many pumping friends who started having difficulty with pumping enough in the later half of the first year.

I think if you are going to be pumping a lot during the day and be rushed, having an extra set of pump parts would be nice to spare the at-work washing. I wish I had done that. A shortcut is to throw all the milked parts of the pump into the fridge...

[HungryCaterpillar]

I'll be in the minority who says NOT to pump right away. Having a newborn and getting breastfeeding established is hard enough without adding the stress of pumping! Oversupply is NOT fun, and puts you at risk for breast infections. Just keep the baby at the boob constantly at the start to get your supply up, and ENJOY the time you have together! The tiny newborn phase flies by, cherish every moment and don't spend time worrying about when you have to go back to work.

Start pumping whenever you feel like you have the time and energy! This might be 2-3 weeks for you but it also might be 6 weeks when you go back to work. You can introduce a bottle (well, YOU shouldn't do it - it should be DH or someone else) whenever you feel like your babe has a good latch and you both are really comfortable with your BFing relationship. This is often around 4 weeks. For me, it was closer to 6 weeks! So don't rush it

Since you have a flexible work situation, I wouldn't worry if the day comes for you to go back to work and your LO still has never had a bottle. I went back at 3 months and my DD had only had bottles a couple of times (and hated them); she resisted bottles at first but by the 3rd day was totally over it and now sucks down 20+ ounces a day.

Congrats on your pregnancy, mama! It's a shame you have to return to work so soon after birth; but your determination to provide your LO with your BM while you are at work is wonderful