LO not here yet, but nervous from past BF experience

TMWarren85

With DD I had a lot of issues trying to BF, both DD and myself. I worked with a lactation consultant three times a week before we realized I had issues with supply, and DD was tongue-tied; so after a few weeks I pumped exclusively, and supplemented with formula before I was getting less than a few ounces and stopped at three months.  

With this LO I really want to try again, and I feel better prepared to handle the stress of BF *somewhat* knowing what to expect. I don't want to put the cart before the horse- but I will be going back to work full time when LO is 12 weeks and I have read that if you plan on introducing a bottle you should do it around 6 weeks to avoid any refusal later down the road. I will also (eventually) want to start building a supply to send to daycare with him so that I'm not just pumping my first day back to work to provide for his second day (and I guess sending him straight formula day one). 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to start a successful BF regimen from the beginning, knowing that I will eventually be going to breast/bottle and pumping in a few months? Or even just a plan to go from EBF (if it works) to pumping/bottle feeding down the road, and when I should start to introduce that?

tokenhoser

Well, first of all: a tongue tied baby is a tough customer. Now that you know to keep an eye out for that, you will be on top of it right away if it's an issue. And it might not be at all, which will set up a totally different situation from day 1.

Just breastfeed for the first 3-4 weeks. Deal with that, and only pump if you have issues that prevent directly breastfeeding. Pumping and breastfeeding at the same time that first month is totally overwhelming. Get things going well, and then after the growth spurts calm down, start preparing to go back to work.

When you're at ~5-6 weeks, start pumping once a day and have DH offer a bottle. If you have time/energy/desire, you can pump and extra time to start a freezer stash. This is optional, but a lot of working moms find it to be comforting to have some wiggle room. 

Then hopefully when you go back to work, you find 2-3 x a day to pump, and you feed what you pump at daycare the next day. 

Good luck! Every baby is a new experience breastfeeding - try to stay positive. 

TMWarren85

tokenhoser:

Well, first of all: a tongue tied baby is a tough customer. Now that you know to keep an eye out for that, you will be on top of it right away if it's an issue. And it might not be at all, which will set up a totally different situation from day 1.

Just breastfeed for the first 3-4 weeks. Deal with that, and only pump if you have issues that prevent directly breastfeeding. Pumping and breastfeeding at the same time that first month is totally overwhelming. Get things going well, and then after the growth spurts calm down, start preparing to go back to work.

When you're at ~5-6 weeks, start pumping once a day and have DH offer a bottle. If you have time/energy/desire, you can pump and extra time to start a freezer stash. This is optional, but a lot of working moms find it to be comforting to have some wiggle room. 

Then hopefully when you go back to work, you find 2-3 x a day to pump, and you feed what you pump at daycare the next day. 

Good luck! Every baby is a new experience breastfeeding - try to stay positive. 

 Thanks for this! I am really looking forward to trying again, part of my stress was thinking about pumping but it's nice to think about not doing that at all for at least a month!! 

wedsept

If you had problems with supply, you can try domperidone.  I used this and it was the only thing that worked.  You take 2 tablets 3X a day.  You can buy it at inhousepharmacy.biz.  It is pretty affordable, so you might want to buy it before the baby is born (just in case).  It takes about 2-3 weeks to get it after you order it.   Good luck!