XP Transitioning from EPing to BFing

jesbeth · April 2012

Today is DD's due date and I made a promise to both of us that I would get her BFing before we're out of isolation in two weeks.

Has anyone here made the leap from EPing to BFing? I really need some tips on the best way to do this.

DD does not seem to have nipple confusion, I put her on my breast at different stages for practice and she does just fine, great latch, strong suck, and I can hear her gulping. Our only problem is the obvious one - the bottle is faster so she gets tuckered out.

We would have done this sooner, but my pump started to burn out without my noticing (it was borrowed and getting old) and my milk supply plummeted. I have since rented a Medela Symphony and am "back in business".

The only information I could find was to take a "nursing vacation" where I take DD to bed for 2 - 3 days and do nothing but feed her (breast only) whenever she wants even if it's constant, rest, eat and track her diapers. This would set my supply based on her needs. I would assume I may want to pump at least 1 - 2 times a day based on seeing other moms say not to drop pumping altogether? I'd still like to give her the occasional bottle in the future.

ETA: DD has had no problems with weight gain or reflux.

urbanflowerpot · April 2012

Yes, I made the switch, but DS was deeply nipple confused. He transitioned (FINALLY) after four months (two of which was in NICU). I am so glad.

I had to side-lay with him because he'd get very tuckered. In our case he had to work a lot harder because of the confusion so it was literally three weeks of nothing but laying and nursing but now he's over a year old and while the difficulty isn't lost on me it was completely worth it. He's still EBF/solids.

When doing the transition I only pumped when I needed to take the edge off/felt engorged. NOT a full pump. That will defeat your purpose and slow you down because your body will think that's a full feed. DD will set the pace and your body will synch with her.

urbanflowerpot · April 2012

Oh, I should add - if you read of moms keeping a full pump chances are they are building a freezer stash. I had no use for frozen BM so that's why I didn't do that. Some moms also keep an extra pump and donate to the hospital. HTH!

jesbeth · April 2012

urbanflowerpot:
Yes, I made the switch, but DS was deeply nipple confused. He transitioned (FINALLY) after four months (two of which was in NICU). I am so glad.

I had to side-lay with him because he'd get very tuckered. In our case he had to work a lot harder because of the confusion so it was literally three weeks of nothing but laying and nursing but now he's over a year old and while the difficulty isn't lost on me it was completely worth it. He's still EBF/solids.

When doing the transition I only pumped when I needed to take the edge off/felt engorged. NOT a full pump. That will defeat your purpose and slow you down because your body will think that's a full feed. DD will set the pace and your body will synch with her.

Thank you, especially for the info about not doing a full pump! I pumped this morning, but didn't hand express after. I then put DD to my breast, and once again, she did great (she'd already eaten so this was some dessert). I think she's ready, but I'm going to try and use a nipple shield to try and not kill my nipples.

I haven't decided whether to build a freezer stash or not. That really depends on how long I want to BF/pump. I would love to be able to stop at six months (adjusted) and have enough frozen to sustain her for another six months plus, but I doubt that will happen. Most likely I will BF until DD is at least a year plus.

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XP Transitioning from EPing to BFing

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