Things I learned from BFing first child
I'm a firm believer in BFing, and I know it's not for everyone, nor does it work for every mother, but I thought I'd share some things that I personally learned from BFing DD to help new Mothers out there who are going to plan on BFing. NOTE: some of these are strictly geared toward full-time working Moms:
1. Pump when baby eats at daycare. I made the mistake of only pumping 2x daily at work when in fact DD was getting bottles at daycare 3x daily. Pumping at the same time she ate helped me stay on track with milk production and helped her feed at the end of my work day, b/c my milk was ready and so was she. Eventually I started pumping 3x daily at work but sometimes I had to wake up at 1am and pump just to get enough milk for DD at daycare that day. DON'T DO THIS TO YOURSELF. Pump when they eat if you can!
2. Don't stress if they don't BF when it's time. They will eat when they're hungry. I battled this a lot. I broke down in tears so many times b/c DD wouldn't feed from me. She became lazy from getting 3 bottles a day at daycare and then when it was time to BF from me, she didn't want to work for it. She went 15 hours without eating one time and I was a wreck.
3. When pumping at work, make yourself comfortable. I regretted pumping for 6 months in our bathroom (only private room we have) on the freaking toilet. It was cold and very uncomfortable. This go around, I will take a conference room chair and put a pillow behind my back and relax while pumping. Maybe even take my phone in and play games or listen to music. I feel I didn't get the best milk production b/c I wasn't relaxed.
4. Change your pads with every pumping/feeding session. I had thrush 2x. I don't wish this on my worst enemy. It hurts so bad. I had to rub my nipples down with ice cubes before pumping to numb the pain a bit. I discovered that keeping the same breast pads caked with Lanolin all day long kept it moist in there and allowed bacteria to grow. Lanolin is great and it stayed in my pump bag. It does help with soreness! Just keep those pads fresh all day!
5. I have a very old pump, but it works fine. Medela rocks. However I would looove to get a hands free pump, but not sure it's in my budget. I've heard they're great and I would imagine your milk production would be greater if you didn't have to hold the cones/bottles to your boobs for the entire session.
6. Relish the moment you're feeding your baby. I went through withdrawl after I had to start supplementing DD after 6 months. I loved the skin to skin contact and her nestled into me was the greatest feeling ever. Cherish those BFing moments. Our babies grow way too fast!
7. Stock up on milk when you're on maternity leave. I only got 3 weeks so I was a pumping machine, as I had to quickly build a stash in my freezer.
8. DON'T GIVE UP: I wanted to quit so many times due to frustration and low milk supply. I was jealous of other Mom's who BF'd for a year. I would looove to BF for a year. Even though I only made it 6 months, I learned so much and knew that deep down, I was a strong Mom. It's hard to be a full-time working Mom and pump and expect the most milk production. The pump doesn't get out the amount a baby can get out. The more you feed, the more you make. So hang in there, and don't give up.
These are just quick tidbits that I've been thinking of lately and wanted to share and hopefully help others when they're going through their first BFing journey. I feel more confident this go around and I'm excited to relish in feeding my baby. I pray I can go longer this time and learned so much from my first time, that I'll know what to expect and hopefully work out any kinks if there are any.
GL to you all and remember, seek help if need be with any questions/concerns you have. There are plenty of women/lactation consultants out there willing to coach and help!
Re: Things I learned from BFing first child
Evelyn (3.24.10), Graham (5.30.13) & Miles (8.28.16)
This is all good info, but I would say you don't need a "stash" before returning to work. SO many times, on here and IRL, I've seen people get so stressed when their baby is just days old about pumping for their freezer. And when you're on maternity leave your baby is so little s/he is nursing so much the last thing you want to do is work pumping into it!
For my first I was like this and tried to pump all the time and put milk in the freezer. For my second I just started pumping a few weeks before I went back to work to have enough for the first few days. After that, I just pumped for what I needed for the next day and kept a little in the freezer for emergencies (maybe 20 oz.?) Both of these approaches lead to the same end result: exclusively breastfeeding for 12 months. The only difference was the stress and pressure I put on myself the first time around.
Check with your health insurance provider. A double electric breast pump may be covered.
I went back to work at 8 weeks with both. I pump once a day at work during my 1/2 hour lunch. 3 x a day isn't feasible. I never had to supplement either. I weaned DS at 9 months and he had the freezer stash until 11.5 months. With DD, I don't have the stash but even after I had the flu and was foolishly told to wean (I pumped and dumped), I'm still able to keep up with her even though my supply tanked to roughly 15 oz a day.
Some people just can't take time off work to pump. The law may require breaks but those are UNPAID breaks so those of us that are hourly would have to work longer days to make up the lost time. To me, I would rather work an 8 hour day instead of 9+.
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I haven't read responses but I would also say, kellymom.com. Mothers milk tea and take pictures of your baby to pump. It gets the emotions and hormones flowing. Like she said pumping is just not as effective so anything that can boost the supply or get the milk flowing easily helps.
Also, I had to supplement pretty much from the start when I went back to work at 7 weeks. Don't feel bad about that. She got half pumped and half formula at the sitters and so I felt good about her getting something from me during the day. Then I fed all evening, night and mornings plus weekends. I stopped pumping at 6 months but was able to nurse while at home until 17 months so even if you can't pump all the time at work don't think you have to stop altogether.
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I exclusively pumped with DS, as BFing didn't work out, so I do have a pumping tip to add;
The use of hot compress really helps in bringing your milk down and/or if you have a clogged duct. I had trouble getting started with pumping nearly every time, despite different speeds. It was such a pain in the butt to continue to switch out the wash cloths that I would lay on my breasts while I was trying to pump, so I recently stumbled upon Lanisoh's Therapearl Nursing Buddy pads that can be used for either cold or hot. Those are my favorite thing that I've purchased so far.
I pumped 3x a day while nursing DS. I worked 8 hour days.. took two paid breaks, which had to be no longer than 20 min but depending on what I was doing for work that day sometimes I took longer and they didn't say anything.. I also pumped on my 30 min unpaid lunch and tried my best to eat while I pumped otherwise I ate quick afterwards. It all depends on where you work and if they allow paid breaks. By law they are required to allow you a resonable amount of time and a place to pump but aren't required to pay you for breaks. I'm working 6 hour days (plus 30 min lunch) and plan to pump twice at work this time around. Some people can get by pumping less but if I only pumped once a day I wouldn't get half the amount of milk I needed to feed DS and my supply would plummet so I wouldn't have been able to bf for 19 months. I pumped until he was 14 months old and then started nursing only while I was with him and retired my pump.
What I was advised to do by a mommy friend who has already stocked up on 1800oz of breast milk and her daughter is only 8mos old. Felt I would share the advice she gave to me, since I had trouble breast feeding last time.
This for me too! Especially the bolded. I had the worst time in the beginning getting her to latch on when I got out of the hospital after my C-section. My nipples were bleeding! Back then, I was receiving WIC and went there and found the most wonderful lactation consultant! She was my angel at the time! Come to find out, we didn't have a "good" latch, thus the bleeding nipples. But she is the one who told me to pump to increase my milk production. When I went back to work, I pumped at work several times a day (in the freakin bathroom) and brought it home, put it in bags and took it to my Grandma's house, who was watching DD at the time. Some ladies have no problem with milk production but I did. Going into this one, I will know what to expect.