Q for BFing moms with kids in daycare

Megcheer2 · June 2010

I got a new job, which requires me to start on Wednesday, when Sydney will be 8 weeks. It's not ideal for me to go back to work so soon, but I couldn't turn down the job because its such a great opportunity and full time positions in my field are hard to come by in Baltimore.

I want to keep BFing and our DCP says I can either bring frozen or fresh breast milk, she doesn't care. I think I will keep a small freezer stash at her house in case she needs extra, but do you think its easier to bring fresh or frozen?

I was thinking I could bring what I pump at work the previous day, but obviously that won't work for Mondays.

What do you do?

idonthavethis · June 2010

You can take what you pump on Friday to the DC on Monday. You can keep it in the fridge and it will still be good for Monday. Since I was trying to rotate my freezer stash, I would send some fresh and some frozen.

schnef1226 · June 2010

idonthavethis:
You can take what you pump on Friday to the DC on Monday. You can keep it in the fridge and it will still be good for Monday. Since I was trying to rotate my freezer stash, I would send some fresh and some frozen.

Yup. I never had much freezer stash to begin with anyway so Friday pump would go to Monday. I had to be careful on the weekend to not use the Friday bottles or if I did (like we had a babysitter or something) made sure to pump sometime on the weekend to make up for using a Friday bottle. Otherwise I didn't really pump on the weekends.

Cooper81 · June 2010

I've kept my freezer stash for the times my supply drops and I've had to use it twice. I just give what I pumped the day before and John typically takes 3 bottles at DC so I bring 4 just in case.

lauranne · June 2010

How is she sleeping at night? One way I built up my stash was when Aiden dropped his first nighttime feeding (@11 p.m.) I'd still pump then (or before I went to bed). This gave me extra to put in the freezer. Once I got a good stash going, DH would give Aiden pumped milk before bed, and I'd pump then.

I definitely agree with your idea about sending some frozen just in case.

Congrats on the new job!

Megcheer2 · June 2010

lauranne:
How is she sleeping at night? One way I built up my stash was when Aiden dropped his first nighttime feeding (@11 p.m.) I'd still pump then (or before I went to bed). This gave me extra to put in the freezer. Once I got a good stash going, DH would give Aiden pumped milk before bed, and I'd pump then.
I definitely agree with your idea about sending some frozen just in case.
Congrats on the new job!

She cluster feeds at night before bed and hasn't been going down until around 10, and I go to bed then too. But I've been pumping after her first feeding each morning, so I have a decent freezer stash. Also, she's been sleeping 5-6 hours the past few nights (hopefully it stays that way!), so I have pumped in the middle of the night some too. I guess I'm just nervous that I won't pump enough for her, since I don't know how much she will need.

jnealet · June 2010

When I started needing to use my freezer stash, I would bring frozen (thawed) on mondays and then do partial forzen and fresh through out the week. On fridays I would freeze what I pumped and whatever fresh was left from the week.

Until I needed to use my freezer stash, I just put what I pumped on friday in the fridge and took it on monday.

Good luck!!

anonsouthernbell · June 2010

Does your DCP have experience with bf infants? I only ask bc I know a lot of times that they don't. You might want to casually ask and/or remind her that bf infants like to comfort suck a lot and that doesn't mean that your LO is hungry. Also, in order to best mimic bf while give EBM your DCP should hold your LO in an upright seated position and offer the bottle at an almost 180 angle. This position in conjunction with a slow flow nipple will most resemble bf.

Megcheer2 · June 2010

anonsouthernbell:
Does your DCP have experience with bf infants? I only ask bc I know a lot of times that they don't. You might want to casually ask and/or remind her that bf infants like to comfort suck a lot and that doesn't mean that your LO is hungry. Also, in order to best mimic bf while give EBM your DCP should hold your LO in an upright seated position and offer the bottle at an almost 180 angle. This position in conjunction with a slow flow nipple will most resemble bf.

She does have experience with BF infants, I'm lucky in that regard. She knows that they like to comfort suck, however I am trying not to give DD a pacifier so what are the options for comfort sucking when I'm not there?

I have tried a pacifier, usually at night when she's been cluster feeding and I feel like I'm all dried up, but for the most part she doesn't take to it and spits it out. I'd like to continue using it sparingly, but I'm not completely unwilling to let DCP use it with her. Whatever's best for my baby...we'll probably just have to do trial and error for the first few days to see how things go.

mrs. remy · June 2010

anonsouthernbell:
Does your DCP have experience with bf infants? I only ask bc I know a lot of times that they don't. You might want to casually ask and/or remind her that bf infants like to comfort suck a lot and that doesn't mean that your LO is hungry. Also, in order to best mimic bf while give EBM your DCP should hold your LO in an upright seated position and offer the bottle at an almost 180 angle. This position in conjunction with a slow flow nipple will most resemble bf.

Why would a DCP not have experience with a BF baby? A lot of people BF. I go to a center and I think 5 out of the 6 babies in his class were bf and brought pumped milk in.

I always brought in his pumped milk from the day before, and it worked out great. They also let me store a bag of frozen bm in their freezer in case he was ever extra hungry and needed more.

kelleymark82606 · June 2010

I'm sure you know this but just remember defrosted BM is only good for 24 hrs unlike fresh BM that is in the fridge which has a longer shelf life.

I'd give her the day before milk and just keep Friday's milk and send it on Monday.

I tried to skip the pacifier too, but had to cave. Mine sounds like Sydney with the spitting it out. She uses it very sparingly and that is only at night if she is really tired and is fighting sleep.

KRMac · June 2010

mrs. remy :
anonsouthernbell:
Does your DCP have experience with bf infants? I only ask bc I know a lot of times that they don't. You might want to casually ask and/or remind her that bf infants like to comfort suck a lot and that doesn't mean that your LO is hungry. Also, in order to best mimic bf while give EBM your DCP should hold your LO in an upright seated position and offer the bottle at an almost 180 angle. This position in conjunction with a slow flow nipple will most resemble bf.
Why would a DCP not have experience with a BF baby? A lot of people BF. I go to a center and I think 5 out of the 6 babies in his class were bf and brought pumped milk in.
I always brought in his pumped milk from the day before, and it worked out great. They also let me store a bag of frozen bm in their freezer in case he was ever extra hungry and needed more.

My DCP doesn't have experience with a BF baby...all the infants in her care were FF, as was her own daughter. It is possible, sadly. And I agree with the OP's concerns about the need to suck, etc - my DCP tried to tell us that LO needed more food since he seemed to still want to eat when she took away the bottle. Nope - he just needs his paci for a bit...it takes him 5-10 minutes to suck down a bottle but 20+ minutes to nurse!

OP: I have to take premade bottles to DCP, so I use what I pumped the day before - never frozen. Whatever I am able to freeze as a small emergency stash I just keep and have rotated through it once. To keep up my supply when I went back to work I am drinking TONS of water, eating a lot of protein and taking Fenugreek. When I'm pumping I try to relax and think about DS, look at pictures of him, etc and NOT THINK about how much I'm actually producing, which was my issue in the first few weeks. Congrats and the job and GL!

KRMac · June 2010

Oh, and I think you would be over the hump with nipple confusion if you wanted to introduce a pacifier. My LO will use it sometimes when he needs to suck (but usually doesn't want it before bed) so I was pretty happy with that...he also "found" his hands right around 8 weeks and loves to suck on his fingers/thumb. HTH!

Megcheer2 · June 2010

Thanks ladies, we'll have a trial run this week...my MIL is going to watch her at our house for the 3 days I work, so there will be plenty of freezer stash if she needs it. This will give me a good idea of how much Sydney will need when she starts daycare next week.

FWIW, Sydney will be the only breastfed baby (out of 3 infants) at daycare, but DCP has had BFed babies before.

anonsouthernbell · June 2010

In addition to a pacifier your LO can comfort suck on the bottle nipple, which is what my dh used for my son when he was younger. Your DCP can also (provided of course that his/her hands are clean) use his/her pinky for your LO to comfort suck on, but I don't know if you feel comfortable with that or not. Let us know how your trial run works.

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