pumping questions

poohbear033

I have a few questions and was hoping someone could help. LO is one week old and she latches well, but it is very painful for me and I can't seem to relax. I called the LC and we decided that I am going to pump.

I just started pumping today, the LC wants me to pump every 3 hours around the clock. The first pump session went well. We washed the parts and they are air drying just like the directions said. They don't seem to dry quickly enough. Can I dry them? What should I use?

We plan on transferring the pumped milk to our other bottles. The hospital said we could sanitize in the dishwasher but how long do they stay sanitized and how do you store them?

I am getting about 1 oz from each side, the LC said I will gradually get more. Pumping for 20 minutes and then feeding takes a lot less time and is a lot less stressful for me at this point. I am hoping to make this work. Any advice will be helpful.

kt012885

DD is 6 months and I pump and only nurse once a day but didn't start that until she was 4 months probably.  You can dry them off before pumping again.  I usually just hand towel it dry during the day bc it won't dry before I pump again. 

Personally I'd keep trying to nurse bc your supply will more likely increase when LO is nursing but keep pumping.  Nursing is very stressful but don't give up just yet.  I remember DD had a hard time latching in the beginning- I used nipple shields and that really helped.  Then all of a sudden she became a pro after a couple weeks.

jesuisfatiguee

With a baby that little, I'd actually suggest pumping every 2 hours. But more than that I'd really urge you to try to nurse still. The first weeks, even months can be stressful, but it is the best way to establish and maintain your supply.

To answer your question, I don't know much about bottles, but I dry my pump parts with a hand towel or paper towel if I need them dry faster.

cinderin

I just wanted to offer some encouragement.

I also had a hard time with bf at first. I also had some bad advice from a couple LC.

It is so hard.

The ladies here are right. Pumping long term and effectively is very difficult.

My DS is now over 5 months old.

Bf at first takes 45 minutes plus and it is every two hours or more often. As time goes on, LO takes less and less time to eat (DS takes about 10 to 15 minutes now) and they go longer and longer between feeds.

Do try to get some good support to keep LO at the breast so you will have the best chance of bf long term.

Hang in there! It does get better and easier.

RDK24

theresat858 said:

I would find an LC who will give you advice on how to make nursing work, not one who suggests EPing…

Not sure what your situation is exactly, but if it's possible to nurse, I'd suggest this too. BFing will be easier down the road than EPing. I've worked with two lactation consultants and had one bad experience and one good. Might be worth looking for another LC.

As for your Qs, the LC I really liked said to shake off excess water from pump parts and then they are OK to use. Don't need to be totally dry. Do NOT use paper towels -- LC said they contain tiny strands of aluminum to make them strong so, to be safe, better not to rub them on pump parts. A tiny bit of water on the parts won't hurt your LO.

And for sanitizing, the LC (and our pedi) told me you only need to sanitize bottles, pump parts, etc. on first use. After that, hand washing or dishwashing is all you need.

Best of luck!

RDK24

And FWIW, I dealt with a lot of latch pain in the beginning, and still some pain off and on until my LO was about 8 weeks old. Had cracks, too -- not fun. But I got through it and BF really is a whole lot easier than it used to be. 

poohbear033

I guess I wasn't very clear. LC has me trying this for 48 hours. to see if I can ease the pain first and then reintroduce LO to the breast.

alexkylee

I pumped after each BF session in the beginning and now I EP (not by choice). I washed my parts after every use, but honestly it's a lot of work. Now after each pump session I combine both bottles into one and put that in the fridge. I take the other bottle and all of parts and put it in a Planet Wise wet bag (or Ziploc bag) and put it in the fridge. Since milk is good in the fridge for a couple days any milk on the parts will be okay in the fridge. At the end of the day I wash everything in hot soapy water and use the Medela quick steam bags. If you want to dry them I use a clean paper towel. Good luck!