where do you put baby while you pump?

[mousebandit]

Hi mamas!  I am wondering what you mamas that are nursing and pumping round the clock for a preemie do with the baby while you are doing the pumping, especially AP type mams?  I am currently pumping after nursing, but that leaves me with a sweet little baby who may or may not be asleep yet, and I don't want to ditch her back to her bed every time I pump.  I can't figure out how to pump and have her froggy-style in my wrap, nor can I figure out any other solution other than to pump before nursing.  I am afraid that decrease the amount of milk she's getting straight from me (versus the SNS), and lengthen the amount of time it takes us to get off the pump/SNS. 

I want her on me as much as possible right now, and I hate having to put her back in bed before I pump.  PLus, I don't do it unless she's asleep, and sometimes that just takes a while (which is good!  She is alert!) and that lengthens the whole cycle time and leaves me less time to eat and sleep in between! 

Thanks so much!! I'm just kind of frazzled and brain-dead over here!  Oh, we are home now, so this isn't a NICU setting.

THANKS!!

MouseBandit

[justKate]

Hi there, congrats on your new little one!

I pumped a lot when DD first came home, and then tapered off a lot.  When she first came home, I pumped at a desk and put her in a bouncy chair at my feet.

If you really don't want to pump when she's awake, how about nursing her on one side in a football hold while pumping the other side?  It would take a little more prep to get everything ready before she nurses, but then you'd be mostly done when she was finished, but for the clean up.  Or how about nursing side lying, in bed, while pumping the other side?  Then you could nurse her to sleep and then get up, finish pumping and clean up.

Just some thoughts.  I hope you find a good solution, mama!  Remember putting her down so that you can pump for her is okay--even AP mamas don't have to be martyrs. 

[moongazer]

I  pumped sitting up cross-legged on my bed with ds in my lap.  Or with my feet together but knees apart to make a little "cradle" for him.  Sometimes I would put a pillow on my feet to prop him up.  DS wasn't a preemie though, and he weighed 10+ pounds by the time we left the NICU, so not sure these positions would work with a tiny LO.

Good luck.  You are doing an awesome thing! 

[Hesperia]

Just a doula, not a preterm mama. But...

How about you sit on the couch, legs up length wise. Nurse (and if you can pump on opposite side) and when baby is down prop slightly on your tights so you can gaze at each other and finish pumping.


Ease exhaust any typos, set from my itouch.

[sunnygir1]

Yeah, if you can get set up on the couch, you can have your babe beside you up against your leg or between your legs while you pump.  I did the bouncy seat thing too, or had dh or someone else hold the baby.  I never had any luck pumping and nursing simultaneously, and neither of my babes could nurse in the side-lying position until they were a little bigger.