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feeding expressed milk only...please help

mama3115mama3115 member
in Breastfeeding
My daughter is 5 weeks old and I have been trying to breast feed. After she was born she had trouble latching, I have seen a LC twice but we are still having trouble. I am getting very frustrsted and I end up in tears. At this point I am considering pumping only and bottle feeding expressed milk. I was wondering if anyone else has pumped and fed successfully. If so how often and what type of schedule did you use to be successful. TIA
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Re: feeding expressed milk only...please help

  • soon to be Mrs. Connollysoon to be Mrs. Connolly
    I had to do this for the first 3-4 weeks.  I have flat nipples and had difficulty getting her to take from nipple shield.  What I did was pump and give that at thenext feeding. So after giving bottle, I would then pump for 20 or so mins  It wasn't easy, grant it she would be on bottle for 40 mins.  Don't give up, was baby early?  mine was 3 wks early and LC said that had a lot to do with my issues.  I am now trying to get her to feed without sield.  very long process but worth it. 
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  • aprilsarahjuneaprilsarahjune member

    I nurse once per day at most and bottle feed pumped milk for the rest of the time.  It has worked well for my family.

    I pump 6 times per day (including twice at work).  Today I pumped at 1:30am, 6:30am, 10:30am, and 3:00pm.  And then I will pump again at 6:00 when I get home from work and again before bed.  I pump until dry (10 - 25 minutes for me).

    My circumstances and reasons for getting to this point were a little different from yours, but I believe it is a valid option.  I find that my one time nursing each girl per day (or sometimes tandem) is really fulfilling, and they have gotten much better at it over the course of time.

    The downside is that I spend sometimes 2 hours per day pumping.  Often I have to feed a baby by bottle and pump immediately after (crying baby usually takes precedence over engorged momma).  A friend of mine exclusively pumped for 8 months and recently did the math ... she spent 23+ days pumping, and that doesn't include the time she spent bottle feeding her babies.  

     Good luck with your decision!

    *Siggy warning - loss mentioned*
    Preemie ID DDs; then DS; then natural M/C; now due 10/17
    High risk for pre-term: weekly Makena injections
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  • misssurlymisssurly

    I had to pump for the first few weeks because my LO wouldn't latch (flat nipples, tiny mouth), I pumped each time I fed her which was a lot of work but kept my supply/milk production up ... I also used a nipple shield for a couple weeks too until my nipples came out a bit more and she could latch better.

    I feel your frustration, I cried and considered giving up every single day! I just wanted to let you know it will get better, especially as your LO gets a bigger mouth. And remember that you are both learning how to make this work, even at 5 weeks... suddenly in week 6-7 things got SO much easier for me. Good luck Smile

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  • mama3115mama3115 member
    Thank you both for your advice....I am struggling alot with this but I am happy to hear you have been sucessful.
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  • Stacyc625Stacyc625 member

    i did it for the first year of my DDs life-

    best advice- if you want to be successful in the long run. Pump every2-3hrs around the clock RELIGIOUSLY. for at least 15 min.

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  • schenkertobeschenkertobe
    I EP for almost 4 months. It is challenging. At this point I would pump every three hours to establish a good supply. Once that is well established you can pump less frequently. Don't give up on breastfeeding. Once she gets older her latch may get better and you may be able to successfully breastfeed.
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  • JDoe11111JDoe11111 member

    LC's won't really support you in a decision to exclusively pump (EP) but lots of people do it. I'm over 5 months into it and it was absolutely the right decision for us. That doesn't mean I'm not counting down the days till 6 months (my goal) when I'm breaking up with my pump, but it was the better option for many reasons. Look for posts about "EPers" and "EPing" for more info.

    To start, I did every 3 hours round the clock for 15 mins - 8X a day. At 1 month I dropped the 3am - 7X a day for 20 mins. At 2 months I dropped to every 4 hours - 6X a day. At 3 1/2 months I went to every 6 hours (4X a day for 25 mins) at 4 1/2 months I dropped to 3X a day (every 8 hours) for 30 mins. I was producing more than she ate all the way until this last drop - now I'm breaking even or a little below, but I have a huge freezer stash and only hope to make it to 6 months on exclusive breast milk, so I'm good.

    My kid loves her bottles, I've been able to cut down on pumping sessions while she still eats multiple times a day and would be bf'ing those times, I know exactly how much she eats which quelled early fears, I can control the latch and the suction much better on the pump than an infant - there are a lot of reasons it worked for us. #1 was that my husband or mother or other caregivers could comfort and feed her, giving me a break and a little freedom, which greatly helps my quality of life, while still giving her the best food.

     You can do it.

    EPing resource blog: http://pumpingmoms.blogspot.com We want you to contribute your story!
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