FTM: want to start pumping

ehepner

I want to start pumping so i'm able to leave the baby for short periods of time.  She currently nurses every 2 hours pretty consistently and i only nurse on one side.  She usually nurses for 15-20 minutes and is gaining weight and having about 4 messy diapers a day so i know she's getting enough.

Here is my problem:  I started pumping after nursing her and i only get a tiny bit out of the side she's nursed on, about 1/4 to 1/2 oz.  I have pumped on the other side at the same time and I get about 1 1/2 oz.  The problem is that when she goes to nurse the next time she wants to nurse for about 30-40 minutes and she usually falls asleep and when i wake her up she acts starved.  I don't know if i'm being paranoid, but i feel like when i pump i'm not leaving anything behind for her, that mu body isn't making milk fast enough, and then i end up starving her.  So, how can i pump more, enough to be able to actually leave the house without her, and still have enough to feed my baby? 

Help please!

 

triagain2

You need to increase your water intake, eat nutritiously and have a pumping party. Don't plan to leave the house for a full day, it may take more. Nurse her, pump both sides right after. When its time to nurse again, if you don't have enough milk, offer some of the pumped milk. Keep doing this for 24 hours or longer. Supply and Demand dictates everything, once your body sees you are using all the milk it is producing, production will increase. The idea is to convince your body of this, it won't happen immediately.  Ideally pumping overnight when prolactin levels are higher will help tremendously.

The problem you have created is that you are essentially "block nursing" which is used to decrease supply. When you only nurse on one side then the other for the following feed. Ideally you should have been pumping the other side if she wouldn't nurse off both. Its not a problem that can't be fixed though.

HTH, ps. I am an IBCLC

tokenhoser

Some babies only need one side to get full. That's not a problem, whatever the esteemed LC above wants to say. You can't force feed a newborn, and pumping every time the baby eats will create an oversupply.

When you're pumping above baby's need, just pick a time and go for it. You'll get the most if you pump the uneaten side in the morning. Don't worry about getting only a little - you can fridge it and combine. It's normal for it to take a couple or three sessions to collect one bottle's worth if you're pumping and bf-ing full time.

3 weeks is pretty early to start pumping. If it's not working, give it a week and try again. I know it seems like you'll be stuck at home forever, but you'll get more confident nursing out of the house, and your baby will start to stretch out some feeds, and you'll probably start responding better to the pump. Personally, pumping before we were through the 3 week growth spurt was just needless stress, so I waited.

tokenhoser

ColleenSwerb:

tokenhoser:

Some babies only need one side to get full. That's not a problem, whatever the esteemed LC above wants to say. You can't force feed a newborn, and pumping every time the baby eats will create an oversupply.

When you're pumping above baby's need, just pick a time and go for it. You'll get the most if you pump the uneaten side in the morning. Don't worry about getting only a little - you can fridge it and combine. It's normal for it to take a couple or three sessions to collect one bottle's worth if you're pumping and bf-ing full time.

3 weeks is pretty early to start pumping. If it's not working, give it a week and try again. I know it seems like you'll be stuck at home forever, but you'll get more confident nursing out of the house, and your baby will start to stretch out some feeds, and you'll probably start responding better to the pump. Personally, pumping before we were through the 3 week growth spurt was just needless stress, so I waited.

So just pump the uneaten side in the morning, and then still offer it at the next feeding?

Thanks!

Yup. If baby is still hungry, you may have to offer 2 boobs at the next feeding, which is not a problem. You'll find that a one-side eater will sometimes take two anyway as time goes on.