Pumping strategies, the thrush version

[captain optimism]

Well, thanks to all who helped me get out of my denial about the thrush. I'm treating it now with all-purpose-nipple-ointment (apno). The baby is getting nystatin, though I've been warned it doesn't always work. I have all the home remedies, too, except for gentian violet, which is difficult to get here. Already I'm experiencing improvement.

Okay, another question. I've been pumping and freezing in preparation for going to work in a week and a half. My dh is encouraging me to go out of the house and let him give a bottle of EBM. Now that I have the yeast, I really shouldn't freeze the milk anyway, because I'd just have to boil it. I went out Sunday to teach, ds had a bottle of EBM, I returned and pumped and nursed on demand. Then I went out yesterday to the gym, and returned and didn't get to pump.

If I don't pump once for each time he has a bottle of my milk during the day--I'm going to loose supply, am I right? So I have to make sure I pump at least once if he's eating pumped milk, even though I'm nursing with him on demand the rest of the day? Help.

[DaryLLL]

Right. if you want to give your baby one bottle of EBM every day, you would need to pump once for that bottle every day. Eventually you would run out of frozen supplies, and then you'd be down one feed's worth of milk where that bottle fit in.

I worked with a mom of towns who had a system of one bottle for each baby at bedtime. She would give one and her dh would feed the other. Then they each had one asleep baby in their laps to go lay down. After they were in bed, she could come downstairs, put on her hands free, double pump setup and go on computer or watch TV. She would get out enough milk for both of their next day bottles in abt 20 minutes.