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D.C. Area Babies
mcatmay
member
Pumping question
mcatmay
member
Hey Ladies,
I've been totally 'incommunicado' since the birth of the little girl because i am *just* figuring out how to handle daily life and a newborn that loves to breastfeed. I don't know how you all did it but i couldn't seem to figure out how to do anything beyond hold the little girl, feed and take care of her and somehow, try to fit in a shower and sometimes food for me. Today, i managed to clean the kitchen and get some things ready for dinner and was damn proud of myself - so much for thinking i'm a multitasker extraordinaire!
A question for you ladies - I am going to start pumping to see if DH can do one of the night feedings and get me a little bit more sleep. Logistics about pumping - how much do you feed LO? 2-4 ounces or whatever she'll eat? Do you sterilize all your pumping stuff each time you pump or just wash it in between? Does anyone have a favorite bottle for BF babies?
Thanks for any and all advice! Hope everyone is doing well!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Pumping question
Yes, the first weeks can be rough with a new baby in terms of being able to do anything other than caring for the baby. Congrats on being able to do a bit of cooking. It should start to get better from here.
For us, I found that feeding DD in the morning and then pumping after that feeding gave me the most milk which I could then put in the fridge and save for later. I would recommend starting with 2oz bottles and then adding more if needed depending on what she eats. I think I sterilized all of my stuff the first time and then after that I just washed it in sudsy hot water. My system was that I would get a large mixing bowl, fill it with the hotest water possible and dish soap and let the items soak for a minute or two and then use a bottle brush to wash them. I used a drying rack like this to let them air dry. For bottles, I used the bottles that came with my Ameda breast pump and I bought Dr. Brown's Level 1 nipples which have worked fine.
Another random tip is that I had a long desk drawer organizer for pens like this. I put that in the fridge and I would put new milk in the back and push the older milk forward. That way, the oldest milk was always in the front so we knew which one to use first.
Good luck.
Don't beat yourself up over not having time to do other things. The first month is so hard!
It's a very hazy memory, but I want to say DD was taking 2 or 3 oz. per feeding at that point. Unless you think you have a huge oversupply, you could start out seeing what you pump out in a given session and seeing if it's enough to satisfy your LO. You don't need to sterilize the pump parts every single time. When I was pumping at work, I would rinse them after every use and wash them in the dishwasher at night.
DD was pretty easygoing with bottles and didn't seem to have a preference. We used both the cheapo nipples from the hospital with the pump bottles and Avent ones. The wide mouth Avent bottles are great for formula, but annoying since they don't screw directly on to the pump.
One thing to consider is that if your DH gives a bottle and you don't pump, you are signaling your body that it doesn't need to make as much milk. If you do this every once in awhile, I don't think it will be a big deal, but if you do this repeatedly, your milk supply will go down. Just something to think about.
As for amount, I think DD was taking around 2ozs at that time. We tried Avent and Tommy Tippee bottles and really like the Tommy Tippee bottles.
Congrats on cleaning the kitchen and starting dinner. That is a huge accomplishment with a 3 week old! Things will get easier, hang in there.
Don't beat yourself up! Some days I was lucky to eat at all, let alone shower. The first few weeks are TOUGH but it gets better. It might help to try wearing your LO, so you have some hands-free time.
I agree with pp about pumping/amounts and making sure to pump if DH takes a feedings. I would rinse the pump parts between sessions and then sterilize in the dishwasher every night.
Good luck!
TTC #2: BFP 12/17/11, m/c 1/7/12 and D&C 1/12/12
baby blog/cooking blog
It took at least six weeks for me to get into a comfortable daily routine with each of my kids - a shower and cleaning your kitchen is HUGE!
I ended up exclusively pumping for all three of my kids. I started with 2 oz. bottles.
We used Dr. Brown bottles with all three.
everyone else had great advice on amount, etc. and I agree - cleaning and dinner is an amazing accomplishment at that age!
we started with playtex drop in bottles but after a few weeks of using them (maybe even more than a month) all of a sudden DS started not breastfeeding well - he'd thrash around and generally get annoyed with me when we tried. We switched to the Breastflow bottles by First Years and he's been great ever since. I don't really like the bottles, they are a pain to clean, but I think they really helped.
Adjusting to life with a newborn is huge. If you have managed to get a shower every once in awhile, you are doing fantastic!
For pumping, I'd also suggest a morning time pump b/c that's when your supply is the highest. With DS1 I exclusively pumped. Thankfully DS2 drinks straight from the tap.
But with 2 kids and crazy morning routines it just wasn't feasible to feed DS2 and then pump. So to save time I nurse DS2 on one side while I pump the other side in the mornings. I built my stash this way and it added no more time to feedings/pumps which was ideal for me.
As far as bottles go, it's mostly trial and error. We used Medela and Dr. Brown's with DS1. DS2 hates almost all bottles. We tried just about everything on the market and he'd only take a Nuk latex ortho nipple. Just depends on the baby.
Congrats!
Ditto both of these tips. Both were invaluable to me.
You Ladies are awesome! Thank you for the advice - didn't even think about the fact that the night feeding might impact milk production - makes sense and maybe i need to rethink my strategy (i think i'm just really tired and looking for a way to take a break).
Most of all, thanks for making me feel somewhat more normal - it's been hard accepting that i can't multitask like i used to and it's made me feel somewhat of a failure. Your comments have helped... A LOT! Sometimes i feel like i'm missing some secret that every other mom has got but it helps just knowing that this is part of the process. P is definitely my priority...at some point, though, i have to figure out how to get back to the everyday!
Thanks again!