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D.C. Area Babies
yet another breastfeeding question
So when did you start pumping and giving bottles to your LO before returning to work?
Also, how exactly did you make the transition from breastfeeding daily to returning to work with milk to give the DCP? I have been pumping extra and have some frozen, but did you just give them frozen milk the first day and then fresh thereafter or something else?
Why do I feel like I'm really over thinking all of this??
Thanks ladies!!
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Re: yet another breastfeeding question
My pedi recommended that we start giving LO a few bottles a week after 2 months of EBF to get him used to that method of feeding. As I got closer to going back to work, we started giving him at least one bottle a day.
As for giving milk to the DCP, when I had a stash, I would send the milk frozen for the longest time first. And put the freshest milk at the back of the stash and cycle it that way. I ran out of my freezer stash, so now I'm going day to day. When I get home I put my pumped milk into freezer bags and put them in the freezer for the next morning. I suppose since I'm going day to day, I don't really have to freeze it, but I'm in that routine so I stick with it.
We started giving LO a bottle at about 6-8 weeks. Not every day, but at least a couple of times a week to get used to it.
I pumped a lot of milk while on mat. leave (and most of it I can't use because I was eating dairy then - literally over 100 ounces :-() The first day, I had fresh milk bottles from the previous 2-3 days of pumping, and there was plenty of frozen just in case.
Now I pump 2-3 times a day at work, and get about 12-20 oz depending on the day. LO eats from 12-16 while I'm gone. I freeze a couple of bags a week, but we tend to just feed LO fresh milk Tuesday- Friday and I freeze Friday's pumped milk and then feed LO frozen on Mondays. We do keep one bottle in the fridge over the weekend so I can run errands or whatever.
i didn't really start pumping until i went back to work. i despise my pump and the whole idea of pumping. for me, it's a necessary evil! LOs had first bottles around 6 weeks (#1) and 8 weeks (#2).
i pumped after BFing for a few sessions until i had enough for the first day of DC. thereafter i brought BM at the end of the day to be used the following day.
DC's policy is BM cannot be left in the fridge over the weekend, so on Friday's, i take it home and bring it back on monday. according to resources on kellymom.com, BM is fresh in the fridge for up to 7 days. i prefer to give LO fresh whenever possible, so i only put excess in the freezer.
I started a stash by pumping after M's first morning feeding every day. DH would take care of the baby while I pumped, and then he'd go to work. I had the most milk in the morning (this is true for most women), so it worked well for me. We started giving him 1 bottle a week when he was about a month old. Sometimes he'd get an additional bottle if we were out somewhere and I didn't feel comfortable NIP.
I sent previously-frozen milk for M's first day at daycare, but after that I was always able to send fresh milk (whatever I pumped the day before). I would save Friday's milk for Monday. BM is good for a week in the fridge. I was pretty religious about pumping 3 times a day until he was 9 months old (he took 3 bottles at daycare). I dropped down to 2 sessions a day after that. I amassed a decent freezer stash, so after a while I started rotating through my stash by thawing 1 bag of milk every day and using fresh for the rest (and then I'd freeze extra). Now that I'm only pumping twice a day, I have to use 1 bag of frozen milk to make his bottles, and I don't have any extra. But he's almost 1 year old, so I need to go through my freezer stash anyway.