- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Breastfeeding
Kris721
member
First week breast feeding
Kris721
member
Now that I am super close to delivering I am wondering what type of schedule you had for the first week. This being my firs child, I have no idea what to expect! I plan to BF and pump. I don't know if I will EBF for the first few weeks (I will eventually have to pump because I am going back to work)...or if I should BF and pump while still at home so baby is used to a bottle right away. Suggestions? Tips?
BFP#1=1/17/08 Missed m/c: 3/19/08@ 12 w D&C 3/21/08
BFP #2=8/5/08 She arrived 4/16/09!
BFP#3 7/9/11 EDD:3/16/11 Logan Patrick born sleeping on 3/20/11
BFP#3 7/9/11 EDD:3/16/11 Logan Patrick born sleeping on 3/20/11
This discussion has been closed.
Re: First week breast feeding
There really can't be a schedule your first week if you feed on demand. She usually ate every 3 hours but there would be times she would cluster feed and eat every 30 minutes. She caught onto nursing very quickly. On about day 4, I became very sore and my nipples started to bleed. I pumped instead of nursing to give myself time to heal. By the time she was 1 1/2 weeks old I was nursing and pumping (only to build up a freezer stash).
Good Luck!
Unless you absolutely have to, I would nurse a few weeks before you start pumping. You've got enough going on at that time, so it's one less thing to worry about.
In theory, you should feed on demand. I would expect that to be about every 2-3 hours, but it could be every hour.
In reality, I had a sleepy baby. For at least the first two weeks we had to wake him every 3 hours to eat. He wasn't wakeful enough to demand eating.
Once he started having more awake time, he'd want to eat 1 1/2 hours if he was awake, up to 3 if he napped.
We woke DD up to eat every 2 hours the first week until she was back to her birth weight,although from day 4 onward she was more awake and sometimes wanted to eat every 30 minutes or every hour. I put her on the breast whenever she wanted it.... after she had gained all her weight back we fed on demand. So if she slept for 3 or 4 hours in one stretch we didn't wake her. But even then she ate a lot...
I am going back to work too, and was worried about a freezer stash, but I really didn't start pumping until DD was one month old. I only pump one side in the am after she feeds on the other side, and sometimes at night while DH is feeding her a bottle, and I already have 65+ oz stashed. Pumping might be overwhelming that first week or two. You already feel like all you do is BF so adding pumping to the mix might exhaust you completely.
ditto all of this - my experience so far exactly.
Just wanted to chime in here...
I would wait a little while to start pumping, but not too long. I really wish i'd have built a better freezer stash, but i was lazy-like pps said i was so overwhelmed with bfing i wanted a break-a real break, not a pump break.
I also really like what pp said about taking a break when her nipples were sore. I had horrible pain for the 1st 2 mos bfing...don't give up too easily. GL!