Questions from Mom to Be

[babyseeker]

Hi ladies,

I am currently 33 weeks pregnant and I plan on breastfeeding LO. I will be working full time so I plan to pump and supplement with formula if required. However I have a few questions

1. When did you start "leaking" or producing milk? (I haven't had any leakage as of yet)
2. If you supplement which formula has worked best for you?
3. If you work, has it been difficult to breastfeed LO and work full time?

Thanks in advance for any information.

 

[alex_22]

I started leakimg both times from about 22-23 weeks

I used aptamil when combi feeding (hv was glad I was using that one over the others)

No advice on working sorry x

 

[Literati_Love]

I never leaked at all during pregnancy.

Can't be of any help for the other two...sorry!

 

[staralfur]

I leaked colostrum super early in my pregnancy, like 14/15 weeks. Some ladies never leak during pregnancy though and their supply is perfectly fine once baby arrives.

As for supplementing, I don't know, we only supplemented for a few weeks but we got just a basic store brand. Our doctor basically said there's not much difference between regular formulas, so we went with what was cheapest.

I found working (and going to school) to be hard at first, but I got into a pumping routine pretty quickly and then it just sort of became part of my normal day.

 

[alex_22]

Sorry just realised your from us so me saying aptamil is of no use to you at all is it haha (you don't have aptamil over there do you?) x

 

[Maxy1]

I think Aptamil is cow and gate in the US.

I never leaked with DS during pregnancy and my milk came in after a natural birth on day 3 I think. I leaked a lot during pregnancy with DD from about 18 weeks and my milk came in day 2 after natural birth. I understand that it is normal for milk to be a bit later after a c-section.


I used Aptamil (Karicare) for combi feeding when I had to. I don't think it makes any difference they are all regulated to have very similar ingredients. There are pro's and con's, good stories and bad about all of them.

I find working and BFing very difficult. I hate pumping, its just exhausting and tends to lead to mastitis for me because its just not as good as LO!! Working was definitely the reason I stopped BFing DS. I was at home with him for 14 months and then went back to work and eventually stopped at 22 months because I would suddenly leak at work and it was embarrassing. I have returned to work when DD was 6 months old this time, so we are doing everything to keep BFing her. I go and feed her in my lunch breaks at her daycare which is a block away from my work and I finish at 3pm so I can feed her again and do some work from home in the evenings. It is very difficult. After Christmas my work wants me to go full time so I will probably combi feed at that stage so she can have FF during the day and I will BF morning, evening and night.

 

[FarmMom]

I didn't leak during pregnancy. My milk came in around day 3 and i started leaking then.

I went back to work after 12 weeks. I've found it to be challenging. I've gotten into a routine with it, but i still feel like it's a huge pain. I've been doing it for 5 months though and i love breastfeeding more than i hate pumping.

We've never supplemented with formula. The pediatrician just told me to give her whatever formula i wanted if i needed to.

 

[beagleowner]

1. I never leaked at all; somewhere around 20 weeks, I did start noticing some dried...something....inside the crevices of my left nipple on and off. Never noticed it with my right breast, never saw any liquid until my milk came in.
2. Didn't supplement.
3. I only work part time and I have discovered a deep loathing for pumping. I don't pump anymore as my daughter is almost weaned now. I love our breastfeeding relationship, though. Nourishing her is so special.

 

[Kiwiberry]

1. I started leaking colostrum around 18-20 weeks pregnant. After I had my baby it was only colostrum for the first 2-3 days. Then my milk really started to come in.
2. Enfamil
3. If you plan on breastfeeding directly I would say yes, also if you plan on breastfeeding via bottles with expressed milk I would say yes. It really all depends on how flexible your work is since you would need to pump at least every 2-3 hours.

I have been pumping for over 2 months now. It is a lot of work but well worth it since I can give my baby the best milk for her especially since she is in the NICU. I am a SAHM though so I have no real experience with full time working and breastfeeding.

 

[reeshy]

I never leaked at all! I was convinced I would have problems with enough supply because I had zero signs of any milk in my breasts. My milk came in about 3 days after the birth and even then, I didn't know there was any milk there until I tried using my pump for the first time

 

[luz]

I never leaked during pregnancy. My milk came in on day 2 or 3 and after it came in i was a milk machine! Never had any problems nursing any of my kids. I nursed my first until 18 months and my second is 13 months and still nursing a few times a day.

The most stressful thing for me with pumping and working full time is worrying about getting enough milk. That causes me to worry which makes it so much harder to pump. I went back to work at 8 weeks and had 40 minutes a day to pump. At first it was hard because i was SO full of milk all the time, but my body adjusted and was able to produce 8-10 oz in that 40 minutes each day, which was exactly what my baby needed. If for whatever reason i didn't pump enough, I would find extra time during the day to pump to get enough milk. My advice for you while pumping is to find something relaxing so you aren't worrying about the amount of milk you are getting or not getting. I frequently watched tv online or browsed pinterest.

Another tip is to make sure you have a nice freezer supply when you do go back to work, so if you have the occasional day where baby needs more or you don't pump enough, you won't have to worry. I pumped 10 minutes a day for about a week or two before i went back to work (just after a regular feed) and had tons of milk stored up.

It is really hard and gets discouraging feeling like you are always pumping or worrying about getting milk for your child, but i look at it as a phase of life that will pass eventually. Don't give up, know that you are giving your child what is really best for them.

Good luck!

 

[Zephram]

I really never leaked either. I remember 2-3 instances in late third tri where I'd been squashing my boob during sleep and some colostrum had leaked out, but that was all.

I'd advise you get an electric pump if you're going to be doing it a lot. I had a little manual one and it was useless, it just didn't do the job.

 

[Kiwiberry]

I agree, electric pumps are the way to go. Especially the double electric pumps so you can save half the time in pumping. I have a medela pump in style advanced. I would not say its the best pump in the world but it works pretty good for me. Plus it was free with my insurance!

 

[mysweetangel]

I started leaking a few days before I gave birth actually and when I supplement formula it's Enfamil Gentlease (works really well with her!) and it is difficult while working BUT it is worth it for the nutritional value the baby gets!