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Pumping for my new Premie - Page 3  

post #41 of 51
2/25/06 at 2:52am
I wouldn't worry much about ther "not until thier due date" talk. I think that is sorta thier wrost case scenario no let downs, speil. Mine was trying in 3 days and they said it could take 6 weeks.

keep pumping but don't go overboard. if you are making enough that is enough. I figured if 15 on each side every 3 hours (what the nurses recommened) was good, 30 minutes on each side every two hours was even better. right? right! wrong! It actually delayed her ability to latch on and our ability to take her home because I was to engorged for her to get a good grip on me. I mean pump frequently and all but don't go crazy if you are making enough.

congratulation on Maggie!
post #42 of 51
2/25/06 at 5:55pm
Congrats on your babe!

No personal experience with that early a babe, but I have a friend who had 24 and 28 week girls in a Northern Canadian hospital. The Dr - who was an OB for many Inuit women and learned from them, encouraged pumping, and an Inuit version of kangaroo care as soon as they were ready, and later recommended cosleeping and extended nursing to "at least 3 years" to help the girls 'catch-up'.

As an aside, he also encouraged her to eat a diet really rich in nuts and oily fish (I guess it was the white guys version of seal meat) take efa supplements and eat seaweed salads - I guess he wanted to match the Inuit diet as closely as possible, because he felt as a people they had remarkably healthy premie babies.

Both the girls were strong enough to nurse as they approached 3 lbs. She nursed the older girl until 4 years (stopped when her sis came) and the younger until 3.5.

The two have done fantastically btw - hitting all milestones and developing perfectly
post #43 of 51
2/25/06 at 6:09pm
Thread Starter 
Diane- thanks for the encouraging words!! We also eat that way anyhow so that should not be an issue

Mad- Oh wow 30 minutes! Your poor nipples! I could see how engorged you could become. My nipples are huge enough already and even if Maggie could nurse at 25 weeks, my nipples are too wide to fit in her mouth.

But I think they suggest the 2-3 hours to build up your production and keep it there and there are moms who need to do it. If this is your second or more, it should (loaded word btw) be easier to build it up but it could still be hard to do. I do 3-4 hours and I am getting up at night to do it also but worth every drop of the liquid gold for my Maggie just like I did for her sister.

Now if I could just get others to do like the mamas here and some very good people congratulating me. I keep getting thinking of you cards or sympathy like cards saying we are sooo sorry and they are literally killing me when I open them. Why cannot people say Congrats on this new beautiful life we have? We did not want this, but we are happy we have our new little girl. We got a great pink arrangement from my moms group with a card saying looking forward to meeting her and a speedy trip home, and a few others but these other cards were like stabbing my heart! Sorry to vent.

Back to pump talk!
post #44 of 51
2/25/06 at 6:49pm
As a fluke my friend just called - this may have been said but she was told when away from the hospital to pump while holding something the baby had been dressed in (for the smell) and while looking at a picture (although it sounds like your production is doing fine

They also encouraged her to sleep a few nights with a small natural fibre (wool in her case) doll that was later attached to the babies incubator - so the babe always had a mama scent nearby. This was a 'ahem' basic hospital though that didn't have rigid protocols...
post #45 of 51
2/26/06 at 12:32am
Congrats on your new baby! I did not have a preemie, but I had a critically ill baby who was on a vent for awhile. I pumped in the NICU and then continued pumping for her for about 13 months. It is difficult, but you can do it! It made an enormous difference in her life and overall health.

I am lucky to also be in Chicago where they encourage pumping to the point that it is difficult to get on one of the 4 breastpumps in the NICU! Everybody pumps and there is a ton of support.

Let me know if you have any questions about extended pumping.
post #46 of 51
2/26/06 at 3:19pm
Thread Starter 
Susan- I think its fair to say you know what its like to have a baby who is hurting and how it hurts you as well. I pmd you!

We are lucky here in the Chicago region they really really encourage the pumping. A Friend of mine said how when her twins were in the nicu, the mothers would be in line at the NICU pumping station just glaring at each other to hurry and pump. Since she is a LLL Leader she said it was tense but all she could do was smile that they were fighting over pumping breastmilk.

post #47 of 51
2/26/06 at 4:38pm
I know what you mean about the sympathy cards. I didn't ant people to ask me what her problems were. i wanted people to ask me about her name, whose nose she has and how much did she weigh again? You know, new mom questions. One of the first nurses just gushed and gushed al the new mom stuiff and went on and one about how beautifl she was and howm uch she loved her name and how if it wasn't against policy she would smother her with kisses, and kept tking pictures for me of just everything. Its been almost 10 years and i still remember that nurses name. She was such a blessing of normalness to me. She was a mom initiating a new mom into the sisterhood. She wasn't talking tubes and feedings and medications. She was gushing over a newmom and baby and it was heavenly.

At the same time I did kinda wish peope would have not been so optomistic about "she'll only be in there for a few weeks, your lucky she is so healthy" . i wanted them to acknowledge that it really sucks to go home at night without your baby. That it sucks to have to pump and live in a hospital. even if it was just a few days. So I can see how they are trying to be sensitive to that. but at the same time WooHoo!!! new baby who is doing really well, hows about a little congrats.
post #48 of 51
2/26/06 at 7:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilyka
I know what you mean about the sympathy cards. I didn't ant people to ask me what her problems were. i wanted people to ask me about her name, whose nose she has and how much did she weigh again? You know, new mom questions. One of the first nurses just gushed and gushed al the new mom stuiff and went on and one about how beautifl she was and howm uch she loved her name and how if it wasn't against policy she would smother her with kisses, and kept tking pictures for me of just everything. Its been almost 10 years and i still remember that nurses name. She was such a blessing of normalness to me. She was a mom initiating a new mom into the sisterhood. She wasn't talking tubes and feedings and medications. She was gushing over a newmom and baby and it was heavenly.

At the same time I did kinda wish peope would have not been so optomistic about "she'll only be in there for a few weeks, your lucky she is so healthy" . i wanted them to acknowledge that it really sucks to go home at night without your baby. That it sucks to have to pump and live in a hospital. even if it was just a few days. So I can see how they are trying to be sensitive to that. but at the same time WooHoo!!! new baby who is doing really well, hows about a little congrats.
Exactly well put. That nurse must have a special place in your heart! At the hospital I delivered they took a picture right away for me and said she looks just like both of you and started saying how Maggie didn't like anyone messing with her and laughing about it and saying thats a great skill to bring to the nicu.

We finally came up w a diplomatic response. We said it a few times at church this morning. When someone says how sorry they are, blah blah blah we say with a smile. "Well we are very happy about the birth of our second daughter but we just didn't like the circumstances that she came into the world in. But thank you for keeping her and us in your prayers" But most people said congrats and then asked how she was doing which we liked.
post #49 of 51
4/14/06 at 9:17pm
hey, just wondering how Maggie is doing!
post #50 of 51
4/15/06 at 1:25am
hope all is going well
post #51 of 51
4/15/06 at 2:14am
Is she home yet? Nursing?

Does anyone know if it's possible to insist that the NICU use non-bottle methods of feeding only? Like can you insist on finger feeding? (Heaven forbid anyone should ever need this information.)
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