Breastfeeding/pumping question

[Tripledagger3]

Hi ladies, FTM here (still pregnant in my second tri) so please excuse me if this is a dumb/silly question for those of you who have breastfed before- did you also pump so your SO could share in the responsibility/opportunity to feed the baby? Or did the feeding rely solely on you? I am asking because I would imagine it would be nice for my husband to at least be able to do one night time feeding

 

[icegurl470]

Unfortunately you either have to pump or nurse consistently to keep your supply consistent. Night time feedings are especially important for establishing and maintaining supply. Generally you want to nurse exclusively on demand for the first 4 to 5 weeks to allow you and your baby to acclimate. Then you can introduce a bottle of expressed breast milk. If you have a care provider feeding your baby while you're away It's important that you still pump regularly. I've been pumping and freezing milk in pouches once a day in the morning from day one to get a frozen stock ready. Starting around 5 weeks I give one bottle of expressed breast milk a day to allow her to get used to both the bottle and the breast because she will be with a care provider when I start work in a few weeks. When I'm away I generally need to pump every 3 to 4 hrs.

The first 3 to 4 weeks is rough baby will want to nurse every 2 hrs or so day or night. If your partner wants to help at night let them burp and change diaper so you can go back to sleep, trust me every little bit helps! Around 4 to 6 weeks their tummies can hold more milk and they can go longer between feedings you just have to stick it out.

 

[MamaBunny2]

This is my experience, as a third time mom who is breastfeeding for the first time. I took my pump to the hospital with me and glad I did because achieving a good latch was difficult at first, painful and stressful. A nipple shield helped me so much the first few days and weeks. Be sure to consult a LC while you are in the hospital if you need to, even before you give birth may be helpful. I was able to pump and syringe feed my LO colostrum and the beginnings of my milk as it came in. My SO did the syringe feeds. At home, I mostly nursed on demand (whenever LO showed signs of hunger, I nursed). I did pump some because I would be returning to work and thought I needed to have a stash prepared. This may have been a bit of a mistake on my part, as I now have an oversupply. I have pumped 25 ounces a day at most during my three breaks since returning to work, which is A LOT. Anyways, while at home or even while I am out with baby I exclusively breast feed. No bottles. I try to avoid bottles as much as possible but that's because LO already gets a bottle while I'm away at work. If you are going to be a SAHM it's ok for LO to have a bottle at times but I would suggest waiting until you have breastfeeding well established, around 6 weeks at least. My SO has our LO at times while I'm at work so that allows him time to feed and bond with baby. I have never given my LO a bottle myself and don't plan to if I can help it. This way, he knows Mommy=breast and anyone else is bottle. So far it is working amazingly for me.

Like PP said, your LO will be very demanding during the first few weeks. VERY demanding. Your nipples will likely crack and bleed and it will be sore. Lanolin helped me and I still use it when I pump. It may seem like he/she isn't getting enough but that's not always the case. Baby's constant nursing signals your body to produce the milk he/she needs. Pumping will also stimulate your breasts to produce milk, but not as efficient as baby. There are also wonderful breastfeeding support groups on Facebook (if you have an account) that have been amazing help to me personally. Good luck to you, breastfeeding is an amazing experience!

 

[Hayley90]

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