those who pump(ed)

sevenonesix · November 2010

did you need/use your breast pump right away after you got home from the hospital?

lil_rhody · November 2010

I think I first pumped around 3w so he could practice with the bottle.

KelleyBean · November 2010

I used mine about a week after we got home.

mchell9 · November 2010

KelleyBean:
I used mine about a week after we got home.

Same here. Not to scare you but I used it b/c I was cracked and bleeding.

vlewis515 · November 2010

I pumped when my milk came in the day after I got home from the hospital so day 5, but I wasn't engorged I just noticed that they looked fuller and gave it a try.

*KC*luvs*RJ* · November 2010

I started pumping on Monday.

Staribeth · November 2010

I used it right away because I had to supplement after nursing. Lucas wasn't gaining weight and kept falling asleep at the breast so MH had to give him the bottle. He stays awake now (and eats ALL the time!) and I don't pump so much anymore.

darkskyy · November 2010

I couldn't get him to latch on even in the hospital, so I started pumping there, and continued at home through most of the first week.

ashleyrazo · November 2010

I had to start in the hospital because they wanted my to pump my colostrum for DS because he was in the NICU. We actually ended up taking a small ice chest home with milk/colostrum in it. Plus we rented the hospital grade pump like the one i had been using. That allowed me to pump and BF for 4 months.

Most hospitals should have them for you to use, if you want to "practice" while your there. I think it also helped DS when it came to taking a bottle. I never had an issue with bottle feeding him and BFing him. Made it really nice so i could pump while DH bottle fed

JenPVH · November 2010

Yes and No! We rented a pump and came home from the hospitial with one. At the time, It was only intended to be used for a min or two to draw out my nipple (inverted nipples) instead of milk. I struggled with BF and eventually realized that I needed to pump if I wanted to get more BM for DS. I was not giving him enough and had to supplement with formula for a little while.

I wished I used it to draw out milk or at least build up my supply from the beginning but I had no idea that it would have taken me a lot of work to build up my supply and I wish I had. I started pumping for real between 10 - 14 days. It took me 4 more weeks after that to have enough milk for each of LO's feeding!

VanessaRae9608 · November 2010

I pumped ALOT in the very beginning but that is because he was a 35 weeker and needed supplementing after each feed. If you want to increase your supply so you can start a freezer stash - I would say maybe start at 2 weeks but other than that you shouldn't need it. P.S. I love your nursery!

jeffrae · November 2010

I was scared of it and did not until 7 weeks. I will right away with this one.

SallyCampos22 · November 2010

I needed it a few days after we got home. I was super engorged and he was such a sleepy eater, he wouldn't empty it enough at first.

TravelinMama · November 2010

I needed mine a couple days after, but only because dh was pushing giving LO a bottle.

ENev · November 2010

I had to pump in the hospital because Henry wouldn't latch very well at first.

I didn't have my double electric yet because I wasn't sure BFing would work out for me. Luckily I had a manual pump so I used that right away, then DH ran to BRU when Henry was like four days old to get us one, and it was a godsend.

So yes, I pumped right from the start.

MaryEllen · November 2010

Yes. DD lost too much weight in the hospital, so we had to finger feed in addition to BF. That was a fun schedule... every 2 hours, wake, BF, pump, finger feed, change, sleep for 30 minutes. Repeat.

Kelly0615 · November 2010

No, I waited until 1 week PP because I had a c/s. I took my pump to the BF Clinic & they gave me the low down. I wished I had started using it sooner though...would have helped alleviate some of the engorgement.

erpetdoc · November 2010

Staribeth:
I used it right away because I had to supplement after nursing. Lucas wasn't gaining weight and kept falling asleep at the breast so MH had to give him the bottle. He stays awake now (and eats ALL the time!) and I don't pump so much anymore.

Most of this. She was readmitted to the hospital for jaundice and was a sleepy nurser. I started pumping on day 4 of life, and supplemented her. But then, I continued to pump at least 2x daily to build a supply for the freezer. I have way more than I need now (so we're starting to give one bottle of expressed/frozen milk each day I work in addition to the fresh milk), but I never felt like I was engorged or painful.

BabyRN2009 · November 2010

I was SOOO glad I had a pump at home right away! I used it when my milk came in (3ish days after she was born) because I was SO engorged and it was hard to latch her unless I pumped for a couple minutes to soften things up (if I didn't, she would still latch but it wouldn't be a good latch and I would end up red and sore). No joke, I would pump for 2 mintues and get 3 to 4 ounces. Indifferent Then she would latch no problem. I did that before every feeding through my engorgement period (a few days) and then stopped pumping. I started pumping again around 1 month to start building my stash for when I go back to work (I pump in the morning and just recently added another session before bed).