how/when to start pumping

&&

wondering how to get started??  is it too early for me to start?  how many times a day should I pump instead of bf? any advice is appreciated!  thanks~

karakel

I started by pumping after the first feeding of the morning.  My DS only eats off of one side in the morning so I was able to use the pumped milk from the other side to start my freezer stash.  I started pumping at 3 weeks and have been pumping every morning since.  We introduced the bottle at 4 weeks and he has gotten a bottle every other day since.  When DH feeds him, I pump. HTH

Peppernut

Hi, &&!

I don't think it's ever too early to start.  Try pumping after a feed to begin with... by the time the baby's hungry again you will have made more.  You may not get a lot of milk that way, but you get some, and every little bit helps at first.

I was nervous and frightened when I first started pumping, I couldn't seem to get ahead of the demand.   Now I have a couple of backup bottles rotating in the fridge as well as some frozen backup, and still have enough to nurse miss Wiggly at bedtime.

What pump do you have? A good pump makes a world of difference.

(First post to this board, I usually hang out on parenting over 35.  My daughter has a heart problem that makes direct bf too tiring for her, so I feed her expressed breast milk all day and then bf directly at bedtime.)

&&

Hi Peppernut!  thanks for the advice.. I am going to give pumping a try this weekend when DH is around.  (I'm not sure what to do with Maeve when I am pumping!! - I guess I will wait until she is asleep and pump then))

and I know I said this before, but I love that hat!