Feeding Questions/Concerns

[mtnprotracy]

Had too much time to be thinking over Christmas break.......thought I'd throw some questions out there.

I'm considering breast feeding this little one. To be honest, I've only had success breast feeding my oldest child--who is now 16. I don't really know if you'd call it success or not---we made it 6 weeks. At that time, I went back to work. I teach. My schedule was not conducive to pumping, so we transitioned to formula.

I plan to work until spring break...mid-April. Baby is due in mid-May, but I've always delivered early. I'll be able to take the rest of the school year off plus summer break.

So, my questions......

If you know you're going to be required to pump, when did you begin pumping?

What type of schedule did you follow?

What types of bottles did you use?

What type of pump did you invest in?

Thanks for any advice you can offer .

Tracy

 

[Torontogal]

Sorry I'm of no help at all but I'm interested in this too as I'm planning to pump as well (for slightly different reasons, one biggie is having hubby feed baby). If anyone has any tips I'd appreciate them too! (hope I'm not hijacking thread).

 

[Gia7777]

Sorry I'm of no help at all but I'm interested in this too as I'm planning to pump as well (for slightly different reasons, one biggie is having hubby feed baby). If anyone has any tips I'd appreciate them too! (hope I'm not hijacking thread).

me too.......And Tracy, if you don't get a whole lot of responses here, perhaps try posting this is the breastfeeding forum? Im very curious as well.

 

[mtnprotracy]

Thanks, girls. I may try posting in the BF section....but the other sections scare me a little bit...lol.

I have done some reading that indicates you should wait until past 6 weeks to pump. I am fortunate enough to have a co-worker who was very successful pumping at work. She pumped twice a day--once during lunch and once during her planning time. I plan to have a nice long chat with her after break . She had a medical grade pump--which are insanely expensive, but she claims she still came out WAY ahead in regards to purchasing formula. I just wonder how long it will take to "build up" a supply of stored milk so there wouldn't be a need to supplement with formula.

I guess I'm just nervous. It's been 16 years since I've tried this, and honestly, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. Lots of moms say if I'd hung in there a few more weeks I wouldn't have thought it was so difficult. I really want to do it--though I admit, I'm more than ready for a big glass of wine...lol.

Take care,

Tracy

 

[Gia7777]

I agree with some of the other sections - I tend to get really feisty in some threads if I spend too much time over there..LOL

I have read the same about waiting 6 weeks, and my reason for wanting to pump is so that my hubby can feed. And I agree about the cost of the medical grade pumps....just insane. Even to rent one s like $50/month so I'm trying to find a 'mid range one' that will be efficient but not too over the top since I do not plan to pump as much as someone who has to return to work full time, etc.

I'm hoping to be successful with bf, as I have heard that some women are just not able - I mainly want to do it for the health benefits for both of us, not to mention the cost savings as well when you think about the cost of formula.

Here's a good article I found about breast pumps

https://www.breastpumpcomparisons.com/how-to-choose.html

 

[suzimc]

I may be able to help a wee bit since all my babies have been breastfed to a year...mind you that was back in the dark ages! You should really not do much pumping or bottle feeding till your baby is 4 weeks old as it can put them off taking the breast...bottlefeeding is less like hard work and human beings are inherantly lazy from an early age! Just try to enjoy the fact that for those 4 weeks its a job only you can do...if you can enjoy it with the sore nipples and lack of sleep! Stick with it and ask for help if you need it, I don't know about the states but in the uk there are breastfeeding support groups and specialist nurses who can help, its the best feeling in the worldwhen you look back and think..well, they may be little buggers now but I gave them the best possible start in life!
As far as pumping goes I used a manual pump last time...electricity was yet to be invented! That was ok but I got cramp in my hands so I'm going to invest in an electric pump this time, make sure you buy the slowest flow teats cos otherwise baby gets too much milk too fast and gets colic and there's the laziness factor again...make him work for his meals!
Hope that's a wee bit useful! x

 

[Torontogal]

Thanks, suzimc for advice, and Gia7777 for the link. I have heard different things about electric vs/manual - some people swear by the hospital-grade electric ones and others were just fine with the manual ones. Lacking any definitive answers, I bought a cheapie manual one and will only upgrade if I have to/want to at the time.

I have also heard this advice about the low-flow nipples and will make sure to get those - don't want colic!!

Tracy I hear you on the wine thing and I admit that is one other reason for wanting to pump - so sometimes I can have myself a nice big drinkie and "pump and dump" every once in a while once pumping and my supply is established.

As for the wait - I do want to wait long enough to get baby into breastfeeding but I am worried that if I wait too long the baby will get too used to the breast and won't take a bottle. I have a friend whose youngest never took a bottle and it was a big hassle for her as she had to take the baby and the nanny to court with her so that she could breastfeed during recess (she is a lawyer) and at the same time she was paying for child care at home with the toddler as she couldn't bring both kids to court (just the infant raised eyebrows although when she told people the reason they were cool with it).

Thankfully I at least will not have to deal with work but I know there will be times I will really want to leave the baby with dad, grandma, etc so that I can get the basics done. Has anyone else had a baby refuse a bottle entirely or was my friend a one-off?

Katy

 

[mtnprotracy]

Great advice, ladies. I think discussing it helps me feel less intimidated about it . My co-worker who was so successful had better luck with the bottle feeds (she only used bottles with the sitter while she worked) by having her oh offer the bottle. There was crying and fussing, but her baby finally settled into just fine. The advice about the low flow nipples was great--hadn't thought about that. We're either going to do glass bottles or the playtex nursers with the inserts. I used the nursers with the other boys---back in the dark ages, too...lol. I really like them because they're so easy to clean.

I will check into the support groups close by. We live in a very rural area in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I had little support when I tried this almost 17 years ago. My mother and MIL raised children in a generation of virtually no breastfeeding. Although they tried to be supportive, they weren't much encouragement. They just saw how much "easier" it would be if I'd use formula. Fortunately, hubby is agreeable and supportive in every way possible. I broached the subject with him last night, and he said all the right things .

Thanks again.....I'm going to read the link gia7777 provided again and go to the big city and look at breast pumps...lol. Have a great day .

Tracy

 

[Sunshine12]

Ive been wondering about this too. Ive been investigating for a few weeks and I believe that you cant extract before 6 weeks because baby can suffer from nipple confusion if you try and do breast and bottle earlier than this.

Ive heard that manual pumps are a nightmare so electric ones are the way to go but Ive been advised to check with my midwife if they will lend me one as some people just cant express even if they can breast feed fine (Im not sure if its psychological but Ive heard it definately happens so not to go to the expense if you dont have to.) When you get one from midwife all the attachments are brand new so you wont be using anyone elses tubes or the bit that attaches.

Re. bottles, again Ive been trying to find out a bit more and think Im going to go to try and get the teats that are shaped like nipples as it can cause less confusion for baby. I intend to extract and freeze my milk so OH can feed baby too. You can freeze it for up to 6 months and I believe its fine in fridge for up to 5 days.

Not sure if this helps or not! Its a minefield!! x

 

[suzimc]

dont ditch all the milk after wine ladies! A wee glass of wine or a beer into me always settled both the baby and myself! xxx

 

[mtnprotracy]

dont ditch all the milk after wine ladies! A wee glass of wine or a beer into me always settled both the baby and myself! xxx

My husband will be glad to hear that too .

 

[cath]

I BF my daughter until she was a year old, despite going back to work when she was 12 weeks old. I'm going to slightly disagree with some of the advice above but this is what worked for me:

1. I started pumping almost immediately to manipulate my supply and build my freezer stash. In most cases, you have an abundance of milk in the first few weeks, but then it tails off so that supply meets demand as your body works out how much your baby needs. By pumping straight away, it fooled my body into producing more milk so that there was enough to feed baby AND put some aside for the fridge/freezer stash. It doesnt matter how good a pump you have, it will never be as efficient at draining your boob as your baby is. So that means you will usually need 2 or 3 pumps to make a full feed which means you need to get a good supply going.

2. Buy/hire the best pump you can afford. I started off with a medela swing but soon realised I needed a double so upgraded to a medela freestyle. You can get a double Ameda pump for around £100 I think & the amedas are meant to be good because they are a closed pump system so milk cant get sucked into the motor.

3. At work, pump both sides at least twice. I used to pump in the morning before I left for work(while OH dropped C off at nursery), mid-morning, lunchtime & then midafternoon. If it got past 4pm & I hadnt had chance to pump, I didnt bother as my boobs then wouldnt have had chance to refill before I needed to feed C.


I cant comment on when to first offer a bottle as we had latch issues and had to use nipple shields initially which meant C had nipple confusion anyway & we had a struggle to wean the shields. The official guidelines say something like dont offer bottles before 6 weeks. But if you need baby to take a bottle, dont leave it too long-I know lots of BFing ladies who left it too late & baby wouldn't take a bottle at all.

All of the above makes it all sound quite hard work but it isnt too bad when you get into a routine with it. And dont be put off by the scariness of some other areas of the forum, the BFing section is very friendly & helpful & the ladies across there are always willing to answer any questions. Hope this helps, if anyone wants to ask me anything, feel free to ask away & I'll do my best to answer.

 

[happymamma]

I bf'd my 5 babies until 18 to 21 months each,.. some were stubborn to get off I never had to go back to work full time, but I did pump so that when \I did work, there was a supply. The ultimate best pump out there that I've come across is the swing. It cost about $200 cnd but so worth the money, cheaper then renting,and just about as good as a hospital grade one. The best way to pump is when the baby is nursing off one side, Id stick the pump on the other. That bs about 20 min each side I never listened to, and all my babies grew like weeds! I think its choice, or as I call it,.. motherly instinct. You just know if they're getting enough of the fore milk and hind milk.

The more babies you have, the quicker you get your milk in. Mine came in the 1st day after I had my 5th baby. He wasn't ready to drink all that I had, so I had no choice but to pump,.. if I didnt want to suffer lol. So I saved the colostrum. Just keep in mind, the more you pump, the more milk you will make. So if you're pumping in between feedings, within 24 hrs you will be making twice the amount of milk needed/ I made that mistake once, got engorged, and ended up with mastitis. So if you're planning on going back to work full time, I would try and pump only once a day,.. but the time you go to work you will for sure have enough for a full day of bottle feeding. Then while at work you'll need to take the time every 4 hrs, or whatever your baby's schedule is at to pump so your body stays on track.

I hope this is somewhat helpful. I didnt read all the responses so I dont know if you already got your answer

Oh, I have to add,.. manual pumps suck!!!
xx

 

[happymamma]

I just read the posts on this page,.. lol, I had a dr, a really old school one tell me to drink a beer a day,.. it helps the milk. I couldnt bring myself to do that though! Just made me feel better when Id taste my hubbys beer once in a while.

Like Cath said, its true, you need to pump a few times to be able to get a full bottle feed. No pump is as efficiant as the baby suckling.

And yes, the first few weeks you make way more milk then your baby needs, it slows down to what baby needs as the weeks go by. I just try to avoid pumping too much during that time so I dont keep making that amount. I just let them drain in the shower and manually expel some until Im comfortable.

 

[mtnprotracy]

I BF my daughter until she was a year old, despite going back to work when she was 12 weeks old. I'm going to slightly disagree with some of the advice above but this is what worked for me:

1. I started pumping almost immediately to manipulate my supply and build my freezer stash. In most cases, you have an abundance of milk in the first few weeks, but then it tails off so that supply meets demand as your body works out how much your baby needs. By pumping straight away, it fooled my body into producing more milk so that there was enough to feed baby AND put some aside for the fridge/freezer stash. It doesnt matter how good a pump you have, it will never be as efficient at draining your boob as your baby is. So that means you will usually need 2 or 3 pumps to make a full feed which means you need to get a good supply going.

2. Buy/hire the best pump you can afford. I started off with a medela swing but soon realised I needed a double so upgraded to a medela freestyle. You can get a double Ameda pump for around £100 I think & the amedas are meant to be good because they are a closed pump system so milk cant get sucked into the motor.

3. At work, pump both sides at least twice. I used to pump in the morning before I left for work(while OH dropped C off at nursery), mid-morning, lunchtime & then midafternoon. If it got past 4pm & I hadnt had chance to pump, I didnt bother as my boobs then wouldnt have had chance to refill before I needed to feed C.

Thanks so much! #1 is really what I wanted to know, but was having trouble phrasing it. I know I'll need some "reserves" for all kinds of reasons. The co-worker I keep mentioning must be a breast-feeding beast...lol. I witnessed her express 4 oz from each breast (less than 10 minutes on each side) in my vehicle on the way to a workshop. She is my hero!! I'm fortunate to have a very flexible schedule and a private office now, so I really have no excuse not to make it work!! Thanks again for all the great advice !