February 2013 Moms

Well then.... another BF post...

Yeah, so I questioned my milk coming in and the breastfeeding gods smote me with overnight ballooned tender boobs. Thanks BF gods, I will not question thee again.

Because we're battling jaundice and feeding around the clock and Colton is having slightly fewer wet diapers than we'd like, it was suggested I pump so we can get an idea of what I'm producing. 

Manual medela pump from the hospital, less than 10 minutes = slightly over an ounce. No wonder they hurt. 

To the point, though, because we're supposed to be supplementing with a few bottle feedings, can I store BM I pump for the next feeding in a bottle in the fridge and just warm it in a cup of hot water? There's nothing else I need to really do is there? 

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Re: Well then.... another BF post...

  • Warming in hot water is fine.  You need to freeze it if you're not going to use it within 24 hours though.

    Just remember that a pump will not give you an accurate picture of what the baby is getting.  Baby is much more efficient at getting out milk!

    Why do they have you supplementing with bottles of formula?  Is it because of the wet diapers?

        
  • I wouldn't even bother with the fridge, breast milk can sit out for something like 6 hours.

     And that's great you got an ounce so easily! 

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  • BM can sit out at room temp for 4 hours and can be refrigerated for up to 8 days after that. Congrats on the ounce! Your little one is going to do great!

     

  • imagejhutt321:
    BM can sit out at room temp for 4 hours and can be refrigerated for up to 8 days after that. Congrats on the ounce! Your little one is going to do great!

    Oops.  Ignore what I said above.  This is right.  You can keep it in the fridge for 8 days.  I got that numbers mixed up - once you thaw it you have to use it in 24 hours.  ::losing my mind::

        
  • Originally they questioned if he was getting enough, and suggested one or two ounces of formula with iron just as an extra to get him to pee/poop/get rid of the jaundice toxin grossness.

    The ounce I originally pumped was the tip of the iceberg, since posting it's 4oz total (and my carpal tunnel is unhappy with this pump....I'm about to go do some electric pump research). If LO is getting even half that, I'd imagine he's all set (which would be why he could really care less about the formula bottle and tends to pass out after half an ounce), but he's still not wet often. He also went from 6lb 14oz Mon, to 6lb 8oz Wed, and then 6lb 4oz at the dr yesterday....I dunno. I'm just kind of rolling with it all and doing what's been suggested. The jaundice bugs me, the weight not-so-much save for the fact that he's teeny and our house is drafty, so we're having to layer a heck of a lot more than I ever would have thought...which is tough because we have all of 2 outfits and a small handful of onesies that actually fit him lol I now fully subscribe to "Do not believe the ultrasound weight guesses" because they told me that even with him early that he'd be 8+lbs and unable to fit down the birth canal because of broad shoulders. We planned according to that, didn't reallget newborn size anything...He fits in preemie outfits. Surprise, he's a peanut! lol

    We're going to do another blood draw tomorrow barring being snowed in to see where his billy level is now (left the hospital Wed at 9, Yesterday it was up to 12.5) but the LC from the hospital called and suggested pumping so we have an accurate amount rather than formula, and thought it may give a clearer image of what I was "working with" so to speak.

     

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  • We are in exactly the same situation - with the dropping birth weight, the jaundice,the pumping, the formula suplementing, the constant feeding, the clothes that dont fit, the cold house and layering up the baby so she looks like the Michelin man! Delilah is in preemie clothes too - of which we had...none!

    I?m just keeping one step ahead with the expressed breast milk, and can just about manage 3 oz at a time, which we keep in the fridge, and then it goes into the next bottle feed. The formula really did help get her over the first hurdle tho - a drop of 10oz in the first 2 days -  as it bumped her back up to 5lbs 8oz and that was enough to allow us to leave the hospital.

    At the moment she is only having 2 formula bottles in a 24hr period, the rest is either expressed or directly from the boobage, as she is getting strong enough now to suck properly. It?s a bit of a crazy time tho!

    Here?s to some good results from the blood draw tomorrow. Keep us updated when you can xx

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  • My child was in NICU so this might be different, but we did weighed feedings and he was falling asleep before he would finish a feeding.  We supplemented with 1-1.5 oz pumped milk and that helped him start gaining his weight back.  We've been home  a few days and he is still taking pumped milk but is getting more efficient at feeding off me.  I pump after every feeding and store it in the fridge.  When I get plenty in the fridge for the day, I start freezing it so that I have a stash for the future.
    Samuel  2.26.06 41w ASD/ADHD
    Eli  6.18.09 35.5w
    Silas  1.25.13 35.4w 10 days NICU, allergies/asthma, gluten intolerant

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