Pumping/expressing advice

[Cazran25]

My DD is almost 2.5, it was my full intention to BF her but following 5 days in hospital, lots of tears & a dehydrated baby, it was safe to say she would not latch & BF was not going to work for us. I used a pump at the hospital so she did get my colostrum but when I asked my midwife what pump they recommended I buy, he told me pumping wasn't really an option, it was boob or bottle.

Obviously this is not true but at the time I was miserable & confused & didn't even question it, I just put her straight on formula. I had quite bad PND following this and worry how it's going to effect me this time around.

Anyway, this time if bubs doesn't latch I'm intending to pump exclusively for a few weeks then potentially combi feed. Does anyone have any advice on how to pump efficiently?

Sorry for the massive post!

 

[kerrymom]

My DD is almost 2.5, it was my full intention to BF her but following 5 days in hospital, lots of tears & a dehydrated baby, it was safe to say she would not latch & BF was not going to work for us. I used a pump at the hospital so she did get my colostrum but when I asked my midwife what pump they recommended I buy, he told me pumping wasn't really an option, it was boob or bottle.

Obviously this is not true but at the time I was miserable & confused & didn't even question it, I just put her straight on formula. I had quite bad PND following this and worry how it's going to effect me this time around.

Anyway, this time if bubs doesn't latch I'm intending to pump exclusively for a few weeks then potentially combi feed. Does anyone have any advice on how to pump efficiently?

Sorry for the massive post!

I can tell you tons about pumping- I am not even sure where to start!

I had to pump 8 times a day with my daughter starting at about 2 weeks old. She was a "lazy feeder" and would just fall asleep before getting full. So I nursed her for 10- 15 minutes, then my husband gave her a bottle of 2 ounces of milk that I had pumped, while I went off to pump for the next time.
I would try and have someone else give her the bottle if possible, as some babies wont take a bottle from mom, who has the boobs.
So, have lots of extra bottles, and a storage system. A bin in the freezer and one in the fridge. You can get blue painters tape to label when the milk was pumped and put it on the bottle cap- then it will come off easily. You want to give the baby the oldest milk first, so it doesn't go bad. I had a high level of Lipase, which makes the milk smell and taste of soap after a few days. My daughter didn't care at all, but it did throw me off when I would open a bottle to give her and it smelled off. Google it for more info, if that happens to you. You can scald the milk before freezing it, which helps.
Remember to pump consistently, even in the middle of the night. Everytime baby has a bottle pump one for the future. Breastfeeding is very much about supply and demand, and if you are anything like me your body will respond to a missed "feeding", or pumping, but making less milk the next day. You will have an abundance at first, until things level out a bit.

That's all I can think of for now. Do you have any specific questions? Do you have a pump? I would also recommend using bottle to store, rather than bags. It's just easier all around. Also have a bottle warmer or small crockpot. I had a thermometer so I could test the temperature of the milk. Never use a microwave or shake the bottle.

Good luck!

 

[kerrymom]

Also, I would still offer baby the boob before a bottle. You have to give the baby an opportunity to learn. A bottle is easier the boob because it flows faster without as much effort. Keep the low flow nipples to mimic the flow of the breast. The reason we only did 10- 15 mins at a time was that it was exhausting for her and she was using a lot of calories in the effort. She needed to put on weight but she also needed to learn, which she did. It just clicks and she nursed for 18 months. I worked full time for a year of that time and I pumped while at work. Like I said, if I took a break my supply would lessen the next day. My second daughter never had any trouble at all.

 

[hercfreak]

There's a sticky at the top of this forum a about exclusively expressing. That's what helped me.