Question about exclusive nursing

bassoondiva

I will admit this totally sounds like I don't already have 2 kids but... what is the tip for nursing exclusively?  I didn't do it with my previous two because I was scared of losing my supply so I would pump as well basically out of fear.  Also I know I will be returning to work after 4 months or so and if that's the case isn't it necessary to introduce a bottle early so the baby can get accustomed to it? 

sparksfly

The lactation consultant at my hospital recommended introducing a bottle around 1 month. We did a bottle maybe once a week if I remembered prior to my return to work. 

I have no tips about exclusive nursing as I also had to return to work after 3 months and had to pump.

bassoondiva

Thanks @sparksfly  I'm thinking since I'm returning to work I won't be able to do it either. I just thought it was work asking. 

jessieR358

I exclusively nursed for the first 4 months and I nursed on demand. When I went back to work I pumped every 3 hours and nursed on demand when I was home. I dont work everyday so I think it made it easier. I'm still nursing my almost 20 month old. I introduced a bottle here and there at about 1 to 2 months. He wouldn't take one from me, only my DH or mom. He still won't take one from me.

bassoondiva

@jessieR358  ooohhh thanks so much.  I thought I wouldn't be able to do it.  Did you only pump when you went back to work? I always thought that after nursing you HAD to pump to empty or your supply would drop. 

kelseyrayay

Following because I'm going to try breastfeeding with this LO. It didn't go well with DS

HollyGolightly09

I'm also just following along for pointers, lol. I want to BF but will have to go back to work at 6 weeks. 

jessieR358

No! Heck I hated pumping. I only pumped on the days that I worked and I had plenty of milk. They don't recommend pumping for the first 4-6 weeks so your supply naturally gets to where it needs to be. My son nursed probably every 1.5 hours for the first 3 months. No way I would have had time to nurse and pump! 
 Tips to help with supply for me included drinking Gatorade every day, eating real oatmeal, and making lactation cookies.

edit: I would pump once a day for a few weeks before i went back to work just to have some milk saved up. I would either pump after the first feed of the day or after he went to bed at night. 

bassoondiva

@jessieR358 thanks so much. I will definitely be looking for a recipe for those cookies!

lap018

I work from home so just nursed exclusivey til just now when I weaned him at 17 months, honestly it's easy after the first two weeks. The first two weeks are hell and it hurts so bad I would dread nursing but muscled through it. At one point at the two week mark it just disappeared and it was smooth sailing ever since. After that there are no bottles to wash or pump parts to wash, it was so nice! There are a lot of supply boosters you can look into but just eating enough and drinking enough throughout the day helped me. I only had to pump on the nights that DS decided to sleep for way longer periods than usual and I would wake up with "cement boobs" my mother in law hated that I nursed him because "when can I give him a bottle????" Was asked at least a million times. But I think her not wanting me to do it helped my determination lol that's awful I know but go look at the "let's talk about in laws" thread and you'll understand 

kaylaakosua

*snip*
lap018 said:

honestly it's easy after the first two weeks. The first two weeks are hell and it hurts so bad I would dread nursing but muscled through it. At one point at the two week mark it just disappeared and it was smooth sailing ever since. After that there are no bottles to wash or pump parts to wash, it was so nice! 

This 100000%
I always say the first few weeks will be the hardest thing you will ever do, but then it becomes the easiest thing. Pumping sucks, but I would avoid it for the first month to naturally build your supply off of babe especially since you are not going back until the 4th month. Sometimes it is daunting knowing you have to nurse but I always thought about how happy I was to not have to sterilize bottles, measure out formula/milk, and carry/deal with bottles. My favourite part was leaving the house with only diapers and a change of clothes and it didn't matter how long I was gone! Then once you build the nursing relationship and having it down to (an almost) science, the bottles and pumping don't seem so scary. One of the most stressful parts of pumping is actually seeing how your milk changes. It can throw you off and freak you out but know the variety is what baby needs. 

Carebella

Nursing and supply can be very different for everyone. I know I've been on the lucky side but I did my best to be educated about nursing

Carebella

OMG TB ate all of my advice I spent the past 20 minutes crafting  I'll try again later. Maybe from a computer. 

jessieR358

My pain lasted almost 4 weeks. I was about in tears one day I was in so much pain. My nipples were raw and bleeding. Tn has a free breastfeeding hotline and I called and they helped me with a different latch and it was game changing. So reach out for help if you need it! 

sarahufl

I nursed DD (and still do). I never had any issues- it took her a few days to figure it out, she had no suck reflex, so we had to teach her how to swallow. If I remember correctly, I pumped a little bit at first because we had to spoon feed her for a few days, but once she learned to suck/swallow correctly, it was just all boob. I did it on demand roughly every 2 hours until she started solids. She is 11 months now and is somewhat disinterested in nursing these days and really only does it before naps and before bed. She also eats A TON of food.

I would only pump in anticipation of having to leave her with someone else, which we don't do much. I am also a SAHM, so I don't have the work factor. 

bassoondiva

Thanks sooo much ladies!!! I will definitely be taking all the above advice!! Y'all were a huge confidence booster!! 

mrsvp614

FTM here, loving this advice! I hope to BF, but I'll have to go back to work between 6-12 week, so as much as I'd like to EBF for the first while, I have to be prepared for when I go back. 

Souptin

I let my son try a bottle really early I guess? he tried his first one around a week old. I had major oversupply issues so pumping helped. It also made it possible to let my husband take a feed/change wake up and let me get an extra 30 minutes of sleep which makes a difference. All babies are different but mine in particular never cared HOW he was getting fed (bottle, breast or little spoon) he was just wanted to eat so there was never any nipple confusion or  issues with feeding.

jena333-2

I had a meeting with the lactation consultant at the hospital where I will deliver. She knows I plan on going back to work, and I don't remember when she said to introduce a bottle, but she did say TRY for twice a week (so that it's at least once a week) once you do, so that baby doesn't "forget" what a bottle is like (and then refuse to eat)

latershrader

Following for any other EBF advice. FTM hoping to EBF until I return to work at 4 months.

Sprite2012

I breastfed DS for a year.  I also started pumping right away.  I introduced the bottle when he was a couple days old and went back to work full time when he was 6 months old.  It didn't inhibit our breastfeeding relationship, nor did pumping impact my supply.  In fact, I had an oversupply and was able to donate over 700oz. to my local Mother's Milk Bank AND gave my son pumped breast milk until he was 15 months old.  My experience is different from what the lactation consultant said would happen, and what most everyone on this thread is saying.  Best advice - educate yourself on lactation, understand how your body works, focus on your baby, and most importantly, there really aren't "rules".  Do what works for you.

cmar1006

I love seeing all the different experiences mamas have had. It just goes to show that you have to be flexible and understand that just because something works for one mom/baby it won't work for all. 

My experice was so hard. 

DD wouldn't latch when she was first born. Essentially I had inverted nipples and she had a sucking problem from sucking on her hand in the womb. Basically I had to hand express milk in the hospital until I got a breast pump. We still tried nursing every time we gave a bottle, but essentially the first two months I would pump around the clock. Fortunately my supply was amazing and I didn't have to supplement. After the pump helped with my inverted nipples, we got a nipple shield that further helped with the inverted nipples and also gave DD the abilty to latch. That was at about 3 months. I would try to remove the nipple shield midway through nursing sessions to try and get her to latch, and after persistence we were finally able to latch without any aids. 

It was painful. I had cracked nipples and blisters. I relied on lanolin, coconut oil and ice packs. But the pain went away after about 4 months. Mind you, my actual nursing time was delayed, so once we actually started nursing it was probably a month. 

I stopped pumping around 6 months and was able to breastfeed DD until she was 30 months (2.5 years)!!! It was an awesome experience and I really hope I'll be able to do it with the twins this time!

TLooney17

I have always heard to wait at least 4 weeks for your milk supply to be established before pumping. I waited until about 8 weeks with my son to try to give him a bottle since I was returning to work after 12 weeks. He honestly never really took it until he "had" to when I was back at work. I did pump about once a day after feeding him in order to save some milk for when I went back to work. After I was back at work, I pumped about 3-4 times a day only while working to keep up with his eating habits, and I fed him on demand while at home. With my second I tried to introduce a bottle of breast milk to my daughter starting at about 6 weeks, and she refused everyday until I returned to work at 16 weeks post partum. Then she would lap my milk ( like a kitten) from a shot glass while I was at work until she could drink from a sippy cup. My mom takes care of her and tried her best to get her to take the bottle, but she never did. She is 18 months old now, and she still nurses on demand when I am at home. She drinks one small sippy cup of milk while I am at work.

margareth-2

This is all very interesting, and reading this as well as the info on BF on Lucie's List makes me pretty apprehensive about breastfeeding, because I'm nervous about how it will go!  Kind of an appropriate prelude to motherhood...

I'm wondering about breast pumps... they seem so expensive.  How did you buy yours, or did you rent one?  I heard some insurances help with that, but I"d be surprised if mine does.  Worth a call, though!

kelseyrayay

@margareth my mom bought mine. I have the laniosh and I love it. I know insurance companies cover them so you can get one for free 

margareth-2

Thanks, @kelseyrayay I'll ask!

Sugargirl1019

@margareth I've heard good things about the Medela Pump in Style! It was covered by their insurance.

margareth-2

@Sugargirl1019 Thanks!  Is it covered to rent, or to buy?  I guess I just have to call and find out!  This is all news to me...

Sugargirl1019

margareth said:

@Sugargirl1019 Thanks!  Is it covered to rent, or to buy?  I guess I just have to call and find out!  This is all news to me...

It is covered by insurance to just give to you, and you keep it! It's part of the Affordable Care Act.

ETA: I believe the brand of pump definitely varies by insurance on what they cover though. I hope you can get a good one for free!

MyNamesTaken

I had a great experience BFing DS, which was good because he would not take a bottle! 

Our city has a free clinic for newborns which include lactation consultations and any questions you have answered by public health nurses who specialize in babies. They were more up to date on the latest research than my family doctor so I went to them for everything. I highly recommend seeing an LC even if things are going pretty well. They can make minor adjustments to your hold of baby's latch and make it so much easier!

I took the full year off (thanks Canada!) so the lack of a bottle didn't really matter. I still nursed after I went back to work but weaned at about 17 months. 

Sugargirl1019

@margareth I just saw a poll on my fb about which ppl preferred: Medela pump in style, Spectra s2, Ameda purely yours, or the Hygeia Enjoye. Everyone chose the Spectra, citing it was just like the hospital pumps.

Becky012016

Just an FYI not all insurances provide a free pump. Some plans are still in grandfather status and don't have to cover them. You'll need to call your insurance and ask about your specific policy. 

margareth-2

Thanks everyone! I'll call the insurance soon 

jessieR358

My mom bought mine as a Christmas gift lol with my DS. I have the medela freestyle. I loved it! I may see if my insurance covers one just to have one in my car for extra bc sometimes I forgot it at work. I also have a handheld medela and that thing is amazing. 

Souptin

Sugargirl1019 said:

@margareth I've heard good things about the Medela Pump in Style! It was covered by their insurance.

Thats the pump I have- its amazing and worth every penny! I used it a LOT, I pumped over 1000 oz of milk that I donated plus had several hundred more saved in the my freezer for my son- in all that use I never once had any issues with  the pump.

margareth-2

Yay I just found out my insurance covers the Medela Pump-in-Style, which I've read good things about.  It comes with two 5 oz bottles -- will that be enough or should I buy more bottles, perhaps in a larger size like 8 oz?  I'm a complete newbie so I don't know "what I'm doing" lol

toshandbabies

I introduced baby to bottle a few weeks before returning to work. I'd pump and let hubby feed DD before bedtime

kelseyrayay

margareth said:

Yay I just found out my insurance covers the Medela Pump-in-Style, which I've read good things about.  It comes with two 5 oz bottles -- will that be enough or should I buy more bottles, perhaps in a larger size like 8 oz?  I'm a complete newbie so I don't know "what I'm doing" lol

In my personal experience it took me a while to figure out what bottle my son would take. We ended up with tommee tippee.but we went through dr browns playtex. I would test out a few before buying all of one kind 

margareth-2

@kelseyrayay Interesting. There are medela bottles which seems to make sense if I'm getting a medela pump but that's no guarantee the baby will like them!  How complicated!  I guess I'll just get one bottle and see.

Jamiern01

@margareth the bottles that come with the pump in style usually don't come with nipples the come with a solid lid. If you are going to be pumping while working all day you will probably want more than 2 bottles to pump into. I only used my medella bottles for pumping my kids preferred either avent or Dr browns bottles to drink out of.

lilpoots

My biggest recommendation in regards to offering baby a bottle: use preemie and first flow nipples only and educate yourself on paced feeding. When a baby develops preference for the bottle, it's usually because they don't have to work for the milk like they do with nursing. Try different bottles until you find one that works for baby; breast like nipples are usually what's recommended and know that baby will eat if they are hungry enough.