I need to have a little surgical thing done. I will be able to nurse after. I need to have it done. I suppose I can wait, but I can't. I cracked my tailbone just before I got pregnant and I am in tons of pain. I was going to wait until the baby was over 6 months old and established on solids to do it. But I am just in so much pain. I still have two weeks left.
All I need is something to hold him over. I cannot pump. Nothing comes out and now I no longer even own a pump. It is just one feeding, I thought organic bananas. But I normally wait until after 6 months old and then, at some point, start with something like bananas or avocados.
Would you start the baby on organic bananas at 4 months so he will be able to have that while I am in the procedure? It should just be a few hrs I am gone for. Or do I need to suck it up and wait longer?
I would not start a 4mo on solids. Have you tried hand expressing? It can often be more effective for people who have trouble letting down with a pump. You could also try hand expressing one side while feeding on the other side. You'll probably need to get your partner to hold the container though.
4 months is early for solids, and even at 6 months, solids are not going to nourish like milk would. Do try hand expressing, or maybe borrowing a different pump if you can. If all else fails, a single feeding of formula is not the end of the world, and is probably better than solids at this stage.
Is formula (or clean water to mix formula) unavailable where you are? If breastmilk isn't available, formula is really the only safe alternative for a four-month-old.
I had a similar separation when one of my babies was 8 wks. He wasn't happy about getting formula bottles for 24 hrs, but it kept him fed and hydrated until we could be reunited.
I would nurse as much as possible before and then give to the partner/caretaker and have a back-up of formula if breastmilk cannot be accessed from someone else you trust. I would give the formula in a cup if the child is not used to bottles as that does not require any training for the child and not a lot for the adult if it is just for a short time. If the child absolutely refuses formula I would offer boiled water. It should not be given regularily to a 4 month old but they can have small amounts of water if necessary.
I can't pump either, but I can hand express a bit. You may be able to piece together enough for a bottle if you express bit by bit from now until the surgery. I can usually get half an ounce pretty easily. Second choice would be a good formula or milk from a close friend or relative.
i agree with all of the above suggestions. You may also find that you can express (by pump or hand) more than usual if you up the demand for the days or week prior to the break. Try encouraging your babe to nurse more frequently (not necessarily longer) if s/he is willing to do it, and for all hours of the day and night if you can. That will up your demand which will increase the amount to express temporarily. Your babe is just out of the "supply setting" 3 months and your milk should respond quite well to this approach. I did it for quite a while and was able to store milk for donation starting at 3 months, after never having pumped before that at all.
ETA: I may have been unclear: when I say up the demand, I mean, increase the nursing itself (i.e., the demand) in order to increase the supply. Not reduce nursing...
And of course, the point of all of this is to cup feed (or bottle if you choose) your babe your own breast milk during the absence period. It has been done....
I also had to have surgery when my first DD was little (she was 5 months). We used formula for the feedings that had to be missed, and she went back to BFing like a champ. I had to skip nursing for about 24 hours.
Make sure your Dr. knows that you are BF so that all your meds can be chosen around that. For me, they changed a couple of things on their regular protocol to be safer for my DD.
The great thing about formula is that if, for any reason, you need to miss more than one feeding, there is already a plan. It just takes some stress off.
The other thing is that since my body was used to nursing often and couldn't because I was in surgery, I became engorged. I also felt rough after the surgery because, well, it was surgery. Taking long warm showers and expressing in the shower was a life saver for me when I was recovering.
Also, call all favors people owe you. You will be recovering from surgery, caring for an infant, and re-establishing BF. Let other people do everything they are willing to.
Good luck! I hope your surgery goes well and you are out of pain SOON!
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