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Breastfeeding
how often do you pump i dont think mu baby wants to latch on what do i do
my baby girl spent 4 days at the hospital on formula from a nipple to get rid of her jaundice now i can not get her to latch on although she often leans towrds my breast and i try its hard because she cries something awful plus i cant do as much while she is squirming because i had a c-section with her. so i opted to strictly pump but how often do you pump in order for them to get enough throughout the day. i really wanted her on breast milk not formula beginning to feel like i failed her.
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Re: how often do you pump i dont think mu baby wants to latch on what do i do
I'm sorry you're having a rough go of it! I "exclusively pump" for my daughter, and I did for my first daughter as well. Basically, in the beginning, you just need to pump every time your daughter eats. This will help establish your supply and signal your body to make enough milk. Some tips to keep you sane:
-Instead of washing your pump parts after every pumping session, put them in the fridge in between each session. The milk that might remain in the pump parts stays fresh in the fridge, and you don't have to spend all day washing!
-Go hands free. Either buy a hands free pumping bra or cut holes in an old sports bra to hold the breast shields in place. This way you can tend to your daughter if she gets fussy while you're pumping.
-Drink plenty of water! This is very important to keeping your supply up. There are many other things you can do to help with your supply, such as: eating oatmeal, using fenugreek and blessed thistle supplements, prescription medications, etc.
-Make sure you have the right size flanges/horns!! This was huge! I needed to move up a size, and once I did, it felt SO much better.
-Pump in the car! This has saved me - kills two birds with one stone. Set it up before you leave and turn it on 20 minutes from your location (or however long you're pumping for). Just put a nursing cover over you while you pump, and no one will know.
-I always massage my breasts while I pump and have never had serious problems with clogged ducts. I also feel like it helps get all the milk out.
Good luck!!!
DD1: allergic to eggs & dairy
c/p 4/1/11
DD2: milk and soy protein intolerant, allergic to eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, bananas
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You haven't failed her. Your hospital and doctors failed you. You should have been pumping like crazy when you were in the hospital and she was on formula. You should have been told what to expect and helped to get her on the breast before you left. You have been let down in a BIG WAY and that sucks.
Get a lactation consultant with ILBCE after her name. Contact your most local La Leche League. Get some help getting that baby to the breast! It's not too late.
And then once you realize what a disservice your hospital did you, write a very angry letter to the person in charge about how they tried to destroy your chance at breastfeeding.
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I had to exclusively pump for a bit due to latch issues and this was what I did (now she does all on the breast feedings unless I go out and leave her with daddy):
Pump 8 times a day. My schedule was 4:30am, 8am, 10:30am, 1:00pm, 3:30pm, 6pm, 8:30pm and 11pm. There were a few times during the three week growth spurt that I had to give her 2 oz of formula but it wasn't anymore than 2 or 3 times. I would pump for 15-20 minutes each time. Don't worry if you don't get a ton at the beginning (that's the time period the couple of supplemental feedings happened), keep at it and your supply will increase.
Once a day try to get LO to your breast to latch. Don't wait until they are screaming because it's less likely to work, try to work with them right when they first show hunger cues- chewing on their hand, mouthing, rooting, etc. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work right away.
If you have access to a lactation consultant, it would be good to meet with one to try to help you out.