BF ? - Popping Over From 2nd Tri For A Moment!!

[DSemcho]

So I was wondering, would I be allowed to pump while in labor if I wanted to, or should I wait until after baby is born and try to BF first?? I'm just planning ahead because we move about two weeks after we find out gender (between 22 and 26 weeks) and we will not get ANY of our household goods until right before baby is due. We are shipping it from overseas. And this is my first lol.

 

[Munchkin30]

It might be preggo brain but I don't get this!! Why do you want to pump IN labour?!? Do you mean do you need to keep your pump out of the stuff that's being shipped?? Normally you'd try and breastfeed and then start pumping and adding the odd bottle if you want to after about 6ish weeks?? If yours planning on just pumping I think it can be pretty hard work getting your supply established but I know some women do manage. I really wouldn't bother pumping during labour other than the reallg early bit. If someone had attached a pump to my boob during contractions I'd have walloped them with it xx

 

[DSemcho]

Lol I guess I'm just not sure what to expect in labor. Maybe when it first starts - before it gets bad? I'm just wanting to get a head start that way if something goes complicated I still have breastmilk I can give baby instead of formula.

 

[Munchkin30]

There were posters up in my hospytal last week about expressing antenatally. I think they suggest women with gestational diabetes or other expected problems do it in the last few weeks. There's a thread on here about it too. They recommend hand expressing though. I pumped a couple of times to try and induce labour (I was at least 41 weeks and it didn't work!!) so I managed to stash a bit of colostrum. I think that's all you'd get out before labour but so long as you don't try pumping too early and risk early labour I don't suppose it would do any harm. Largely with newborns you just need to keep them on the boob as much as possible and try try try again with latching etc. Any confusion with bottles and stuff in the very early days might be more trouble than it's worth. Try getting this book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thats-What-Theyre-For-Breastfeeding/dp/159337285X it's a bit American and splurts a load of anti formula rhetoric but other than that it's fantastic for practical advice and feeling confident in the first few weeks however hard it is xx

 

[DSemcho]

American is perfect lol. I'm American - just happen to live in Turkey for the next few weeks until we go back to the states.

 

[Munchkin30]

Oops sorry!!

 

[DSemcho]

lolols why are you sorry?? I know people in other countries think we're weird - because we are. It's allll good.

 

[ssjad]

You won't get any milk while in labour. At best you'd get a few drops of colostrum, which would be wasted in a pump....wouldn't even make it down the tubing.
And I agree... if anyone touched my boobs with anything in labour they'd be taking their last breath!

 

[DSemcho]

Lols - well at least I know what to expect right now.

 

[ssjad]

Oops sorry double post

 

[Munchkin30]

Lol!! I did defibitely get some decent amounts before labour but I had an electric pump and probably did it for ages. I got a good couple of 50mls out definitely!

 

[Feronia]

You can pump if you need a way to keep early labour established. Pumping or nipple stimulation can help keep labour going if it is stalling out, but like other posters said, you'll only get a little bit of colostrum.

 

[MindUtopia]

You can definitely pump in labour if you want to. You're allowed to do anything you want - or at least you should be! But unless you need to intensify contractions and speed things along, I probably wouldn't. Pumping during labour or any sort of nipple stimulation should bring on stronger, faster contractions. This is good if labour is stalled and there is a reason to speed it up again (just being stalled isn't a bad thing, labour can stop and start and slow and speed up and that's all normal). But if it's just for the purpose of having milk stored up for after, not to strengthen contractions, then I wouldn't as it might just make things harder for you when labour was already moving along just fine. That said, babies don't need milk the second they pop out. It's good to get them feeding in the first couple hours, yes, but if you really can't get baby latched for some reason after birth, you can always pump or hand express then. I spent a good week hand expressing into a cup. I wouldn't have wanted to pump in labour though. There is some information out there on expressing in late pregnancy and if you are term and you have a reason to and are being supported in doing it, I can't see why not? But I wouldn't want to actually be pumping in labour. There's enough going on already.

 

[mum140381]

i also would not want to pump in labor its drains you for 1 thing and when you are in a lot of pain its the last thing on your mind x

 

[mwah_xx]

Yeah I can't imagine pumping in Labour, I don't think I even owned at pump at that stage I was just going with the flow! This time I'll be trying some nipple stim to avoid a c sec if possible!!

 

[Feronia]

I've had start and stop labour where I progress a cm or so, labour around for half the day, and then it stops. I'm 5 cm now just waiting for things to pick up again. Sometimes I nurse my toddler to try to keep things moving along, so in this sort of a situation I can see the benefit of pumping during labour.

 

[stripeycat5]

My lo ended up in scbu when he was born so I could not feed him straight away. He was on Oxygen for the first few hours then the next day I expressed some colostrum that they could give him. I didn't actually use the breast pump until my milk came in properly at 2-3 days post partum. They threatened me with giving him formula but luckily managed with the colostrum and then I managed to feed him. So that would obviously be a worst case scenario buy I didn't need to pump at all for the first few days just hand expressed. Hope this helps with your planning x

 

[NellyLou]

I don't think you will want to pump while you're in labor, and there is no need to really. It's best to wait and feed your baby asap after he/she is born to establish breastfeeding anyway. Good luck!

 

[DSemcho]

Thanks ladies! I want to try to bf - but I went ahead and got a pump just in case. I only bought one so early because someone was selling it completely unused for $200 instead of the $450 the set is worth.