good on you for planning ahead!
here are my tips:
pump - definitely hospital grade electric. the lactina is good but some mothers find it a little harsh. if you can rent at first and try both the medela symphony and medela lactina and then purchase your choice of pump, it would be better.
as for double versus single: i read somewhere that double pumping is generally more effective in keeping your supply up. personally, it did not make a difference for me. i actually found pumping one side at a time was more effective.
pumping schedule - in the early days, you may want to try hand expressing the colostrum and syringe feeding, instead of pumping it out. there are a few reasons for this:
*you will lose alot of colostrum in the pump and at the bottom of the bottle as it is quite thick and not runny at all.
*you will get more with hand expressing.
*hand expressing is kinder to your nipples.
*you are stimulating the breast in a way the pump cannot.
*you have the added bonus of learning to hand express which is valuable later on.
once your milk starts to come through, you should start to pump every 1.5-2 hours. do not go longer than this as you NEED to mimic a baby's natural feeding pattern to build and maintain your supply.
pumping technique - either double pumping or pumping one side at a time. if pumping one side at a time:
step one: pump one breast till the milk stops flowing
step two: take the horn off and massage that breast and try to hand express for a few minutes
*put the horn on the other breast and repeat steps one and two.
*keep repeating till you can no longer pump with any result (usually about 30 minutes)
you can move the angle of the horn to try and reach all the ducts, while pumping. you can also try breast compression while pumping. that will sometimes help stimulate another let down. the goal is to get as many letdowns as possible, as you will get around 1oz of milk with each letdown.
while pumping - you will need to keep your children occupied while pumping. the babe you are pumping for will be alot harder to keep occupied. sometimes the baby will be awake, sometimes asleep, sometimes crying. i generally do not like to keep a baby crying for the sake of pumping (and that's probably why i had trouble keeping up my supply with pumping alone). i would either sit there and talk to my dd, shake a rattle in front of her to get her attention and focusing on that, turn the vacuum cleaner on and she would quiet down, use a white noise cd, put music with drum beating on very loudly etc. if someone can help you, PLEASE take advantage of it. let them hold the baby while you pump. when you pump in peace you are more likely to get more milk. anxiety about the baby crying or waking up soon does not help the let down reflex or the milk flowing in general. i know i was alot more relaxed when i knew that my dd was safe in someones arms as opposed to her being on the couch asleep, ready to wake up any minute. it caused alot of anxiety because i put a time limit on myself and needed to meet 8oz before that deadline was over. very stressful and it didn't help at all. while you are pumping it is also helpful to focus on something else other than the milk in the bottle. watch tv, read a book, put your fav music on and sing out aloud like you are on stage, or go online. do ANYTHING but look at the bottle. think good thoughts. and have a peice of chocolate while you pump. it's not the most pleasant thing in the world to be attached to a plastic horn that is tugging at your nipple.. so treat yourself!
i have noticed when i am warmer, i get more milk. so it's worth it to be comfortable and warm and not try to pump in the cold.
things you can take to increase pumping output -
fenugreek (9000mg daily worked for me)
blessed thistle
drink mothers milk tea
eat plenty of oatmeal
and do get a prescription for domperidone. better yet, buy the domperidone ahead of time just in case you need to wait a while to get some in the mail.
a note on bottles - i would use glass bottles for storing breastmilk and for feeding. plastic bottles leach a toxic chemical into the milk. most glass bottles have a standard top that will screw onto the pump directly.
nourishing yourself - first and foremost, you need to nourish yourself. pumping uses up more than just calories, but mental energy as well, as it is quite hard. take good quality vitamins and plan to have little to no prep healthy snacks on hand. unsalted nuts like almonds, walnuts and macadamia's are good. have good quality milk ready to mix with fresh fruit to make a high calorie smoothie. milk and muesli is good - high calorie and you sneak in some oatmeal. maybe you can post in the nutrition section of mothering for more ideas? if you can cook and freeze foods from now, it would be great for when lunchtime comes around and your still in your pj's with unbrushed teeth, you need to pump, you have a baby crying in the background and a toddler running rampant through the house. of course, that could just be my house and no one elses.
:
take time to rest. prolactin is highest after a good rest.
let your expectations of what a house should be like, slide. don't put too much pressure on yourself and get your partner to take over the other household tasks that you deem neccessary as being done daily. honestly, everything else can wait.
as for water intake, i found that taking in 4.5L (160oz) every 24 hours works best for me. it sounds like alot but each body uses water differently.
look up pumping on
www.kellymom.com. they have lots of great advice.
goodluck mama. your son is lucky to have you! and whatever happens in the end, know you did everything in your power to give your son the best.
