i'd like to build up a supply of stored milk from the very beginning if at all possible. i didn't start pumping for at least a month or so with my last baby and i wouldn't be surprised if that didn't contribute to the meager amounts i would get regardless of how i went about it (although i had the most success with pumping from one side while nursing from the other).
what i'm wondering is if it's totally crazy for me to pump as soon as my milk comes in as i'll likely be dealing with the engorgement issue anyway and don't particularly want to exacerbate it.
how soon would you recommend pumping? i'm also concerned about taking supply away from the baby as i don't want to have to give her a bottle until she is several weeks old.
what i'm wondering is if it's totally crazy for me to pump as soon as my milk comes in as i'll likely be dealing with the engorgement issue anyway and don't particularly want to exacerbate it.
how soon would you recommend pumping? i'm also concerned about taking supply away from the baby as i don't want to have to give her a bottle until she is several weeks old.
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SF Bay Area
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Re: speaking of pumping
Sat, February 23, 2008 - 12:49 PMEach pregnancy and each baby is different. you may not have the same supply issue this time as you did before. With Ewan I didn't pump for at least a month if not more and when I did start pumping I was a dairy queen. I think on the first and second try I didn't produce a whole lot but before you know it I was supplying a whole lot of milk. I don't think it would be totally crazy for you to pump right away because I have heard of other moms doing it but it does just seem like one more thing to worry about when you will be trying to take care of a brand new one and your little cookie plus hoping to sneak in some sleep.
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Re: speaking of pumping
Sat, February 23, 2008 - 2:54 PMi wish i had my pump when abigail was brand-new, but i didn't get it until she was 8 weeks and i started pumping at around 10 weeks. i think i thought it'd be like buying a gallon of milk .. pay the lady, you get the milk.
just don't make yourself nuts over it ... do it when it's easy and least intrusive, but my advice is to start early .. at three-four weeks-ish -
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Re: speaking of pumping
Sun, February 24, 2008 - 12:23 PMI didn't start pumping until Sequoia was almost a year old. I had wished i'd started more than two weeks before i'd gone back to school, just so i'd had a larger stash in the freezer. Mind you- i don't think i ever ran out but it was always a fear playing in the back of my mind.
heh heh- i too thought it was a "buying as gallon of milk" type deal and was a little disappointed that quarts and quarts and quarts weren't being produced at each session. I don't think starting late made any difference in what i produced tho. -
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Re: speaking of pumping
Sun, February 24, 2008 - 1:55 PM"i don't think i ever ran out but it was always a fear playing in the back of my mind.
i never ran out either, but there was always a fear that there wouldn't be enough ( from 12 weeks-12 months, she was drinking two, sometimes three, full 5 ounce bottles every eight hour shift i was gone )
also, i never had a stash in the freezer, i always just pumped enough for the two shifts a week i'd be gone .. definitely too much pressure on myself and my production level.
i stopped pumping just after her 1st birthday ... she didn't need it for survival, so i alleviated the pressure. and girl, it felt good to stop, but continue full-time nursing (18 months tomorrow!)
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Re: speaking of pumping
Fri, February 29, 2008 - 4:21 PMI started pumping milk within a week of when Quinn was born. My doctor told me I could pump right after breastfeeding for 5 minutes. I did this frequently--and then my husband could get up with him one time during the night and feed him a bottle and let me sleep. I know some people are against giving any bottles--but it worked great for us. Quinn never got confused about anything. I can't believe I'm still breastfeeding twice a day (usually) and he'll be 18 months old a week from Saturday!
As far as engorgement. I just monitored it, if I started getting giant engorged boobs, then I backed off on pumping a bit, but overall, I built up a good milk supply in the freezer for when I went back to work and always kept it up.
Good luck Lola! -
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Re: speaking of pumping
Fri, February 29, 2008 - 4:37 PMthanks sparkle!
we never had any nipple confusion either, so i'm not too worried about it, although i won't likely be giving any bottles for at least a few weeks. i figure if i want to be able to get out for any longer than an hour at a time though, i better start stockpiling some mama milk, so this was great advice. -
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Re: speaking of pumping
Fri, March 7, 2008 - 8:03 PMThsi time I started pumping early, too, like when Fred was 2 weeks old or something like that. I stockpiled milk and it made me feel more "free" so to speak. We starting giving a bottle here and there when he was just a few weeks old too. As long as you establish a good supply and your baby is eating well and gaining weight, I think it's OK to start a bottle here and there. And storing up milk is good for piece of mind!!
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Re: speaking of pumping
Fri, March 7, 2008 - 8:28 PMI think if I'd started pumping in those first few weeks, I'd have been either nursing or pumping for 24 continuous hours every day! Eep! I didn't start pumping until about 8 weeks pp, I think. By then, we'd gotten into a more regular routine, and were experts with being a Nursing Duo.
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Re: speaking of pumping
Mon, March 17, 2008 - 5:52 AMMy baby was a preemie so I had to pump right away to get the milk flow for when he was ready. I had to pump every two hours to get it going, and then I would pump every four hours. My son is healthy and fine, but he never did latch on properly after months of trying. Being tubed and bottle fed in the hospital did not help. But I kept pumping for him for the first 14 months of his life. In the beginning I had a lot of milk and I was able to freeze some. Just label it all and use the right containers. By four months he used up all of the breastmilk I had stored up, he was drinking 40 ounces a day.
So yes, I would pump from the beginning, store and label the milk, and then combine nursing and pumping. The stored breastmilk could be used for those times when someone else feeds baby, or to supplement baby's meals if you are feeling sore.
I don't know if you can avoid engorgement. I was pumping for about 36 hours (with nothing coming out) and then I was engorged three days after I gave birth. It hurt, I iced and I pumped and I cried then it was over. -
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Re: speaking of pumping
Mon, March 17, 2008 - 3:39 PMomg, I don't know how all you ladies use the pump! I tried sevreal different pumps and they sucked! (hahaha) I found it MUCH more effective to squeeze it out myself with my hands...I'd get a lot more and it didn't hurt.....
I think you start extracting and saving milk whenever you feel like it..... -
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Re: speaking of pumping
Wed, March 19, 2008 - 2:52 PMI started pumping the day after I had Jacob. Remember he went to NICU? Well, the nurses were freaking because he didnt latch right away and kept "threatening" that they were going to give him formula. So I pumped. All I got was (obviously) colostrum the first day, but it was enough to satisfy him and them. After I was discharged and he stayed I pumped non-stop. I remember the beautiful, gold colored milk I would deliver to NICU. So much in fact they told me to stop bringing it.
**youre making me envious, Lola.**
P.S. My Pump-in-Style worked much better using the a/c outlet in my car. When Id be at work I would turn the car on and blast the air conditioner while pumping. It seemed to have more power in the car. Sometimes I would find myself revving the engine to see if it made a difference. It didnt...LOL
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Re: speaking of pumping
Fri, March 21, 2008 - 9:34 PMIf I had it all to do over again (and I will, eventually), I'd start much earlier
From the sounds of it (in the other tribe) you don't have a choice!!!
I thought I had a great store built up when I started pumping casually after about 6 weeks. Goodness he blew through that!
I still have about 4-6 days on hand at all times, but that's because he's in day care, but now i work a heck of a lot harder for it and I think if I were better about it from the start, and perhaps better about pumping while not at work, I'd have better production
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Re: speaking of pumping
Sun, March 23, 2008 - 9:20 AMmy lactation consultant told me that i would not be taking away milk supply from my baby by pumping. many other mamas told me they would even pump on one side while feeding on the other, although i never did do that. i would feed siena, then pump right after on both sides. there were times that she wanted to eat again right away and she just had to work a little harder. the miracle of milk production - it supplies on demand (for most). also, i did, and still do, have PLENTY of milk. a freezer full of milk that is soon to expire, mostly for peace of mind i think, and i pump each day for siena's next day feedings. that even starts to back up.
all in all, i think it's never too early, if it works for you and the babe.
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Re: speaking of pumping
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 6:28 PMthanks for all the input, ladies!
i started pumping as soon as my milk came in and i've been getting about 4 oz. a day via 2 pumping sessions of under 30 minutes each, which is AWESOME -- especially in comparison to how unsuccessful pumping was with my first daughter.
i've got a nice stash going in my freezer already and it hasn't even been 2 weeks! -
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Re: speaking of pumping
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 7:03 PMgood for you, momma!
it's great to see you're enjoying the babymoon : )
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Re: speaking of pumping
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 7:51 PMAh, so congratulations is in order! Welcome, new baby! :) :) -
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Re: speaking of pumping
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 8:29 PMthank you!! :)
it feels great to be a nursing mommy again.... even if i do feel like a cow a few times a day! -
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Re: speaking of pumping
Fri, April 11, 2008 - 11:29 PMI too started pumping right away, but it was with a crap cheap one handed pump. I had to because my little beep had a poor latch and was always needing more more more, and getting really frustrated...so we went to a lactation consultant who said to work the feed for 20 minutes, then pump whatever else I could get and give it to her in a bottle. We used the Adiri natural nurser which is soft and breast-shaped. She did great, and would happily go back and forth from bottle to breast. The only problem wasn't really a problem - her latch stayed weak for a while and she'd only nurse with shields on until she was four months old. Having that extra piece of silicone to disinfect every time sure made it hard to nurse while out and about, and it was really messy (it caused a fair amount of leakage out the sides of the shield which I do not get now that she's nursing without it).
Once I got a nice Medela Pump In Style, boy did my volume change! I was getting maybe 4 oz. from both breasts with the cheap Playtex pump, and within a week I was getting 9-10 oz from the double-pumping glory of the Medela. Plus it was so much more comfortable to be hands free.
Did get a good supply out ahead of her for a while there, but when I went back to work and couldn't pump all day long, she burned through that pretty fast. Now she's well into solid food experimentation going on 6 months and wants the bottle more than the breast, which is kind of a bummer, but she's still relatively eager to nurse in the morning and at night.
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