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Breastfeeding
another ? about pumping in hospital
I will be EPing if all goes well but I'm finding it hard to get answers to all of my questions about getting started in the hospital. Did anyone else EP from the very beginning? Most of the information I find about pumping is for later on or going back to work. I know the lactation consultants will be able to help me in the hospital, but pumping and giving her breastmilk is such a big thing that I want to feel as prepared as possible.
I know that I will need to pump as often as she eats, and that I will need to start as soon after the birth as possible. I'm just wondering how it will work with getting her the colostrum. Does the colostrum come in right away? I know it will be a small amount from each pumping session. I plan to use the Playtex drop ins and I was wondering if that would be the easiest way to feed her the colostrum instead of the regular bottles that come with the pump? I think I will take my pump to the hospital just so I can get comfortable with it. Thank you so much for any help or suggestions you can give! I'm starting to get nervous about everything!
TTC since Nov. 2007 with PCOS
with RE since Aug. 2008
HSG and SA all good!
7 rounds of clomid all BFN
IUI#1 with femara trigger=BFN
Saving up for IUI#2
Femara trigger TI=BFP!
Beta 09/15= 86.8 Beta 09/17=235
This discussion has been closed.
Re: another ? about pumping in hospital
Due to latch issues I started out EPing from day one (for the first 6 weeks of his life). After pumping I would give DS the little bit that I pumped out then follow it with a bottle of formula. That is what worked for me until my milk came in. I just can't see how someone can EP from the start with out supplementing at least for the first couple of days until your milk comes in.
Good luck
you can. Remember babies don't really need much nutrition those first few days...if you were solely bf'ing, all they would get is the colostrum anyway. Supplementation is usually pressed, but it isn't necessary initially.
My girls were in the NICU due to being 10 weeks early. I pumped less than 24 hours after their birth. they NEVER got formula in the hospital, even with being preemies. My milk came in about three days after they were born, and until then all they got was the colostrum I was able to pump. They asked if I wanted them to offer it (I said no) and said if my milk didn't come in within four or five days we may have to supplement, but it turned out not to be necessary. In fact because they WERE preemies, they preferred not to give the supplement since BM is better for preemies. Formula is too taxing on the GI system.
The hospital provided a pump in every room. So I would call and see if one is available to you. It is better to start with a hospital grade pump in order to get your supply going...get one there or even rent one for the first few weeks. And talk to the nurses before you even deliver and discuss your plans on pumping. They should set you up with an LC as soon as possible.
I agree with ahava that you shouldn't worry about formula at all - just give the pumped colostrum. I also had to start out on a pump since DS was preemie and in the NICU; I too recommend starting with the hospital grade pump since it'll already be right there and is going to be more powerful than your personal pump. Best to get off on the right foot.
I'm going to question why you've already decided to pump instead of bf, though. BFing is SO much easier, less time-consuming, and more likely to help you provide bm for longer. Pumping is hard work; harder than FF because in addition to the bottle washing and prepping, you have the pump process, the pump parts to clean and sterilize, etc. It takes twice the time it does to bf. Don't get me wrong - it's still great for baby, but you lose the intimacy of bfing, add to the time and frustration, and a lot of people can't EP for as long as they could BF. What makes you not want to bf?
My girls were preemies, so I was an EP'er for the first 3-4 weeks of their lives before they got BFing down. I had a c-section at about 10pm, and finally got back to my room from recovery at 1 or 2am. I did my first pump at 5am. Like the PP said, it was mere drops at first. The nurse used a syringe to collect it out of the flanges and took it to the NICU. It was like that for a couple of days and it took 5 days for my milk to come in.
My biggest suggestion is to stick with a 2-3 hour pump cycle. Never go more than 4 hours without pumping in the first couple of weeks. I rented a Symphony at home for the first 2 months, and now use a PISA when I pump.
Yes. I'm still using all of the parts they gave me in the hospital. The pump assembly and tubes are the same for the PISA and the Symphony- the Symphony just needs the yellow diaphragm discs at the end of the tubes to attach to the pump and the PISA doesn't. The kit I was given you can pop the diaphragm discs off, so you can still use the tubes.