How soon after birth can I begin pumping?

skittleblu · October 2011

DH gets off work for only a couple weeks. I guess I was kind of hoping that I could start pumping right away so that we could take turns feeding/waking up with baby while he was off work. But then the teacher at my breastfeeding class lastnight recommended no pumping/bottles for at least one month. Have you heard similar recommendations?

heather_09_15_07 · October 2011

Yeah, I would wait. You need to give your body time to adjust to the baby's needs, and it won't be able to do that as well with a pump. Also, if the baby is waking up during the night to eat, even if he gives a bottle you should still be pumping at that time to keep up your supply.

jlsimon56 · October 2011

I think I started at the 5 week mark, that is pretty typical. Your DH can help in other ways - baths, soothing, playing, etc.

OUKap · October 2011

I started pumping on occasion after a week and a half. I left LO with H for the second time and she got hungry so he fed her a bottle when she was 10 days old. It wasn't planned and I was nervous about it, but she went right back to the boob. I gave her a bottle myself two weeks ago and she didn't have problems.

Even though it worked for me, it is recommended that you wait until 4 weeks to introduce a bottle.

It might sound nice that H could feed your LO a bottle while you sleep, but you may get engorged and get clogged ducts. It might also hurt your supply, especially in the first month. If H gives a bottle in the early morning, I will get up and pump. H also has gotten up to help LO go back to sleep after I nurse or to change diapers. This helps me get more sleep.

VMRRN23 · October 2011

I waited exactly 4 weeks. HOnestly, you both will probably be up anyway. The first two weeks we were home I needed DH to help me latch DS on. I had a CS(so its a little difficult with positioning d/t pain form the incision) and 34H boobs so it was not easy in the beginning. By the time DH went back to work I could do it on my own. Once 4 weeks hit I started pumping in the am off one side to start building a stash. DH would give DS a bottle on Friday nights so I could have a glass of wine (DS was still eating every 3 hours at this point). I only let DS have 1 bottle a week until I went back to work PT when he was 16 weeks. He took the bottle with no problems and continue to let me nurse him that way.

stardust317 · October 2011

I had to start pumping in the hospital because LO wouldn't latch AT ALL. We also had to supplement with formula, and I'm almost exclusively pumping 3 weeks out because we continue to have latch issues.

Teresa1896 · October 2011

our pediatrician recommended giving a bottle every day or two, at around 2 weeks. The hospital's LC said a month for pacifiers and bottles. I introduced a bottle around 2 weeks, and the pacifier around a month. For what it's worth, she's never had any issues with latching, nipple confusion, or going back and forth from breast to bottle. Now that I'm back to work, she does the bottles during the day and breastfeeding when she's with me.

I wanted to pump and have DH help with an occasional feeding at first, too, but in the end, feeding her myself was much easier than pumping, washing, warming, feeding, etc.

AmandaP678 · October 2011

I started day 1 with both and both got a bottle from day1

miller4285 · October 2011

I knew I had to go back to work at 2 weeks PP. So I started pumping the night my LOs were born. Engorgement on day 3 SUCKED....but i had to have a good supply started.

My LC said it all depends on situation. I was in one where I had to get my LO to accept both nipple and bottle fairly quick. But if you are going to be at home the first 6 weeks then transitioning, yeah, wait a month.

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