Pumping for date nights or just use cows milk?

anabell0920 · February 2011

So Dylan is nearing a year fast and we just interviewed a babysitter ( thanks Louise!) and want to do an occasional date night. Dylan has never really taken a bottle and I wasn't planning on giving him cows milk since we will continue to be nursing but I have started trying to pump and I am not responding well to it. I just can't seem to get very much I only have a hand pump but I can barely get 2 oz from both sides. What would you do? I don't need a ton of freezer stash but I don't want to be pumping daily for hardly anything and should I even bother with the bottles anymore and just keep offering him the sippy? I just worry if he would take it at night before bed. Sorry it's sorta all over

ETA- To clarify I wouldn't give him cow's milk till after his birthday sorry it was confusing.

Ananke · February 2011

Honestly, I'd go with formula over cow's milk. Can you rent an electric pump or get one of the single electrics? You can get a single pretty cheap and they work so much better than a hand pump.

Kestrel84 · February 2011

Don't stress over the bottles. I'm gone 3 nights per week and DS is usually with a sitter because DH travels a lot for work. I used to always leave a bottle for the sitter but he will hardly touch it. He "holds out" for me. Even though I get home way past his bedtime, he will usually wake up a little bit after I get home, I nurse him, and he goes back to sleep. So my point is, don't stress...unless you guys plan on being out for a super long time. I think a sippy cup (with either cow's milk or your milk) will be a nice option for your sitter but in my experiences, DS just wants to nurse for comfort, not because of hunger, at bedtime and he doesn't get that from a bottle so he doesn't bother with it.

anabell0920 · February 2011

Ananke:
Honestly, I'd go with formula over cow's milk. Can you rent an electric pump or get one of the single electrics? You can get a single pretty cheap and they work so much better than a hand pump.

May I ask why? I was thinking about something like almond milk since I have heard good things about it. I could get a pump if I needed to would it help with being able to pump more? I hardly ever pump since he refused bottles for so long.

maelli3 · February 2011

I would just leave a little of the pumped milk. Nurse as much as you can right before you go out.

anabell0920 · February 2011

Kestrel84:
Don't stress over the bottles. I'm gone 3 nights per week and DS is usually with a sitter because DH travels a lot for work. I used to always leave a bottle for the sitter but he will hardly touch it. He "holds out" for me. Even though I get home way past his bedtime, he will usually wake up a little bit after I get home, I nurse him, and he goes back to sleep. So my point is, don't stress...unless you guys plan on being out for a super long time. I think a sippy cup (with either cow's milk or your milk) will be a nice option for your sitter but in my experiences, DS just wants to nurse for comfort, not because of hunger, at bedtime and he doesn't get that from a bottle so he doesn't bother with it.

Thanks. I left him a few times with my mom while I stayed with her while H was deployed and she said basically the same thing. He would take a little but probably enough to curb his hunger and nurse when I got home. We don't plan on being gone for a long time just a few hours for dinner or something.

Ananke · February 2011

anabell0920:
Ananke:
Honestly, I'd go with formula over cow's milk. Can you rent an electric pump or get one of the single electrics? You can get a single pretty cheap and they work so much better than a hand pump.
May I ask why? I was thinking about something like almond milk since I have heard good things about it. I could get a pump if I needed to would it help with being able to pump more? I hardly ever pump since he refused bottles for so long.

Really just because cow's milk isn't recommended until at least a year. I know DS is close, but I tend to err on the side of caution. I haven't heard anything about almond milk, but sounds interesting.

Jelliebean1982 · February 2011

I wouldn't have the sitter introduce something new. At almost a year it's not going to hurt your baby at all to give him cows milk a few days early. There's no magic number about 12 months that suddenly makes it OK vs. two weeks earlier. Formula is expensive and tastes like crap compared to BM.

If you are going to leave cows milk for him then you should introduce it first to make sure he takes it. Some BF'd babies won't take it unless its warmed. My neighbor even had to mix milk with some drinkable strawberry yogurt to make it a bit sweeter.

Nurse before you leave and you might not even have to worry about it depending on how late you want to stay out.

Enjoy your date night!

anabell0920 · February 2011

Ananke:
anabell0920:
Ananke:
Honestly, I'd go with formula over cow's milk. Can you rent an electric pump or get one of the single electrics? You can get a single pretty cheap and they work so much better than a hand pump.
May I ask why? I was thinking about something like almond milk since I have heard good things about it. I could get a pump if I needed to would it help with being able to pump more? I hardly ever pump since he refused bottles for so long.
Really just because cow's milk isn't recommended until at least a year. I know DS is close, but I tend to err on the side of caution. I haven't heard anything about almond milk, but sounds interesting.

Oh no sorry I should have specified. I am pumping now for next weekend and if I were to give cows milk it would be later after he turned one for future date nights.

Like I said I didn't even plan on giving him cows milk since his pedi said he's ok nursing and getting calcium in his diet but I thought I could have it as a back up in case I can't pump enough all the time. Because we would like to have at least a date night 1-2 times a month.

lulupinkerton · February 2011

Pump first thing in the am. First thing. Do it every day. Your body will produce more milk. It might take a little time, but you don't want to pump all day and trigger your body to make way more milk than you need.

Talk to your pedi about when it would be okay to introduce cow's milk. Even then, you may have to mix it with BM.

Have fun on your date!!!!!1!!!!!1!

anabell0920 · February 2011

lulupinkerton:
Pump first thing in the am. First thing. Do it every day. Your body will produce more milk. It might take a little time, but you don't want to pump all day and trigger your body to make way more milk than you need.
Talk to your pedi about when it would be okay to introduce cow's milk. Even then, you may have to mix it with BM.
Have fun on your date!!!!!1!!!!!1!

Thanks! I had an oversupply when he was little and yeah I didn't think of that but I do not want to deal with it again! If I can get enough for his bottles I am gonna skip the milk.

LouiseB2001 · February 2011

Hey, I am so glad it is working out with the babysitter! And for the pumping, it is quite normal to make about 2 oz each time when you nurse full time. Just keep doing it a couple of days in a row and freeze the milk (you are probably already doing this!) I remember having to start 'preparing' a week ahead of a date night when DD was tiny and I wasn't working. Back then I also just used a manual pump, your body gets used to that so I don't necessarily think it is worth investing in an electric or double pump at this stage.

rhythmicgoldfish · February 2011

i find a good (short term) trick for stay at home moms is to skip a feeding on one breast (i.e. nurse 2X in a row on your left side ) then pump the engorged breast then do the same on the other side. i would try to leave at least a day of straight nursing between each day that you do this so that you don't confuse your body to much

if money is an issue this is the breast pump i used when i was at home with my son https://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Comfort-Select-Performance-Electric/dp/B001H0GF38 if money is not an issue i would recommend a madela

Lyssapee · February 2011

If you aren't skipping feedings 2oz is totally normal. Just pump and combine to make bottles.

I had to do that to make a second bottle for today.

cstyles · February 2011

I think 2 oz is plenty to leave with the sitter for a date night. I work outside the home 3 afternoons a week and the most Coop has ever taken from our sitter is 2 oz and I've been back to work since he was 6 weeks old. I try to feed him before I leave and I'm never gone more than 4 hours. He would just much rather have mom than a bottle.

Enjoy your date night!!!!

mrsfirefly · February 2011

Can you go out after he goes to bed? We went out last night after LO was in bed and I left nothing. I know if she wakes up it's not because of hunger and we were only out for 2.5 hours. I told the sitter to cuddle her and turn on Sesame Street (we do not usually watch TV, but it's AMAZING how it entrances her so if that's what it would take to calm her down in the time it takes for us to get home, I'm OK with it on occasion). We only go within 15 minutes anyways so we could be home fast. She actually didn't wake up at all. We do have some frozen BM though in case there were an emergency, so I might have some formula around the house just for that purpose.

Angela814 · February 2011

Lyssapee:
If you aren't skipping feedings 2oz is totally normal. Just pump and combine to make bottles.

I had to do that to make a second bottle for today.

Exactly what I was going to say. I get 4-5oz when I pump for a missed feeding, so 2oz sounds great while nursing full time. When you pump after your date, you'll probably get enough milk to cover your next date night.

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