How many mamas pump?

[Amila]

I plan to breastfeed for at LEAST 1.5 years, but plan to pump occasionally for when my mother wants to watch the baby or if I decide to go out and leave her with DP. How many other mamas do this? Also, how long should I wait before pumping? I don't want her to get confused, as I plan to primarily breastfeed her from the breast.

[alegna]

I never pumped (and never missed it...) but I wouldn't start pumping for a couple of weeks at least and I would not give a bottle until 6 weeks at the earliest.

-Angela

[marisa724]

I believe that LLL recommends no artificial nipples for the first 4-6 weeks. Try to get past the 3-week and 6-week growth spurt first, since her nursing during those times will have the greatest impact on your supply staying strong and growing to meet her needs.

Don't stress about pumping. In the first couple of weeks, as you settle into something of a routine, you might find that there's a predictable time when your baby naps, and you can give it a shot. If you're starting to pump at a time before you want to introduce the bottle, you can save the milk for another day. Frozen breastmilk, stored at the back of a freezer or (ideally) in a deep freeze can last for 3-6 months, so you can stash little bits away in 2- or 4-oz. increments for that day when you want or need to leave her with someone else.

[MamaChel]

I pumped occasionally for my first child from about 4 months on. He would take the bottle if I wasnt there. He nursed until he was just over 3. I pumped a lot for my 2nd baby, I was refinishing our house immediately post partum and he was with others while I was working. I was working with some yucky chemicals and was not always available. He had no nipple confusion and nursed for just over a year (I had to wean for medical reasons related to my last pg). I'm pumping for my newest baby because in Sept I go back to school FT and she'll be with a sitter. She's 4 months now and I'm not getting a whole lot out with my pump yet but I've not found the ideal time to do it either.

I would recommend storing milk in smaller increments because more can be thawed but thawed milk can't be refrozen. Honestly, if I had a choice I'd wait a few months and try pumping after a good supply has been established. I found it just as easy to pump a bottle right before I left for a few hours as it was to pump and store.

[charmcitymama]

Originally Posted by MamaChel

I would recommend storing milk in smaller increments because more can be thawed but thawed milk can't be refrozen.

You should get something like this http://bediboo.com/etc/milktrays.html

I am still trying to get into a groove of pumping and one thing I realized yesterday was that if I hold my boob at different angles during the pumping session, as to kind of force other areas of the boob to release milk- a lot more comes out.
I think it's good to start as soon as you can, to get the stash stored away, you don't have to feed the baby a bottle for a few weeks.

[MamaChel]

Originally Posted by charmcitymama

You should get something like this http://bediboo.com/etc/milktrays.html

Thanks! Those are so cool looking! I'm starting to set up a supply, I could get a decent amount with my handheld but the PIS is just not working for me right now, I'm not sure why. I do hold my breast at different angles and milk it like the baby does but for some reason my breast does not like this pump.

[2Sweeties1Angel]

I pumped because I WOH and I'll do it again with this baby. I start pumping once/day as soon as I get home from the hospital and freeze it. Frozen BM can be stored for quite awhile, I forget exactly how long and will have to look that up, but early pumping is a good way to build up a freezer stash. Obviously, this doesn't apply to the OP but it's a good idea for WOHM's.

[Pariah]

I pump so I can donate milk. I'd also like to have a "just in case" stash for ds, but we don't bottle-feed. Ds goes where I go.

[MamaFranklin]

I pump when I am leaking... just a few ozs. So should I ever be away... someone can feed the baby when she REALLY needs it. But most of the time she is with me... but I haved used my stash to get 4 hours of sleep together!

[foxyBFer]

i pump to replenish my freezer stash when necessary...and/or to increase my supply. other than that i get lazy about it and just carry my baby around with me wherever i go. GL!

[widdlelou]

I pumped at the beginning. I was really sick when I had the baby and just exausted from being a new mom and just being so sick so my husband stepped up and offered to take a feeding every once in a while. So I started pumping at like 3 weeks. Then I had an issue with over supply actually really early and I also had like the humma mumma let down that gagged my daughter. And she was really gassy and the LCs thought it had to do with my foremilk b/c she would get so upset after switching breasts so I went to feeding her on only one side and I would often pump a little first till let downa nd then feed her (usually only during like the morning and then after a really long nap when I was bulging). So I would get a few ounces at at time that way. And I used that milk like on Friday nights when I was tired and my husband would take one of the night feedings. Now I always had the opposite of supply issues so skipping a feed never bothered me much... I had to sleep with a huge towel to stop the leaking but It hink I'm a freak that way.

But I gave up on pumping pretty early on. ONce I got over nip and once she slept through the night (like 3 or 4 months) then I didnt' really see the need. It was a major PITA and I hated figuring out if the milk was okay and taking up freezer space and she really hated the bottle, and then cleaning out those bottles and if you accidnetly leave a used bottle in the car liek one fell out of my bag and rolled under a seat and i coudn't figure out why my car smelt like really bad feet. UHHH! It was gross, the boob is easier. But then again I think we left her like maybe a half dozen times in the first year. And now she can handle missing nursings.She's gone 24 hours without the boob and was just fine and went right back to nursing (granted she is 16 months old ). Oh and I had te Advent Isis and it worked great for me. Like I said I had this fire hose let down and I could get a four oz bottle filled in about 10 mins.