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Breastfeeding
FTM--confused about breast feeding and pumping altogether
So I have a few questions. I apologize if its redundant or sounds relatively dumb. However, I haven't had the opportunity to take a class and won't before baby arrives. My hospital provides LC on demand but they are not 100% readily available. I'll attempt to ask for one but this is why I'm hoping to obtain your help!
1. I'll be home for about 8 weeks before I return to work. Do I just breast feed her from my breast until I head to work? Then do I begin pumping when I return to work while I'm on the job? It seems people pump and breast feed both at home? I'm so confused about this.
2. How often am I supposed to pump?
3. Will the baby be confused by me breast feeding and giving her a bottle?
4. What are the bottle liners or drop ins? I was under the impression that you pumped into the bottle, stored it and then thawed out the milk in the bottle.
Again, I'm sorry if these sound like stupid questions but I'm new to this and very confused!
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Re: FTM--confused about breast feeding and pumping altogether
1. Nurse the baby for the first 5-6 weeks. Then pump once per day, ~1 hour after the first morning feeding. Combine BM from multiple pumping sessions as long as it's at the same temp (can't add freshly pumped BM to BM in the fridge....).
2. Once you are back at work, you pump to replace feedings. If your LO eats every 2 hours, you pump every 2 hours. Etc. Once you are in a groove, you will see if you need to pump more or less often, etc. Typically it's every 3 hours. I had to pump more often. :-)
3. Babies have to work hard to nurse. They do not have to work hard with a bottle. They do not get confused, but some prefer the bottle b/c it's less work for them. This is why it's important to nurse the first 5-6 weeks.
4. Bottle liners or drop ins are a kind of feeding bottle. You don't pump into them. They are supposed to reduce gas b/c there's less air, but with the whole green movement, less people are using them (b/c so much waste). Regular bottles are fine.
To elaborate....you are going to pump into pumping bottles or pumping storage bags, your choice. I choose bottles. I keep the freshly pumped milk in the fridge and prep LO's bottles for the next day into her feeding bottles (different from the pumping bottles). You can choose to use the same bottles for feeding and pumping. I do not. :-)
Refrigerated milk is good in the fridge for up to 8 days. Frozen milk can be stored for months and months, but once you thaw it, it's only good for 24 hours. I thaw BM on Mondays, but Tues-Fri I give whatever BM I pumped the day before. Then on Fridays, I freeze everything I pump. You will "get" this more once you are doing it. I remember being so confused by this....but once I started, I got into a groove.
Good luck!
Wow! You've been VERY helpful!!! I do hope that i'll get the hang of it once I start to do this on my own. But I do like the idea of the schedule that you have!
Thank you very much!!
I have the Medela Pump in style advances (PISA) that I use at work. I pump into the Medela bottles. I also use the same bottles for DD to drink out of. So easy to just have a bunch of the same bottles. Our DC let's us keep a nipple there, so I take her milk in the bottles with the flat caps and they put the nipple on to feed her. They will also defrost frozen BM for me, and put it in her extra bottle. I drop off the milk I've pumped at work when we pick her up, so its there for the next day.
I use the bags when I need to freeze, which usually islong weekends. The disposablepads I buy have samples of the freezer bags.
Ipump 3 times at work, and then again before I go to bed. I also have a Harmony manual which I use at home. For me on the weekends I pump right after her first morning feed. I nurse on the right then pump the left. My left side pumps more. She STTN, so I can get 3 or 4 ounces at her first morning feed. Sometimes I pump right after her second feed on the weekends, depending when she nurses. Today she nursed an hour after the first feed, so I'm skipping it for now.
Witpumping the hours between 6am and 1pm will normally produce the most milk due to higher prolactin levels. That's what the LC who taught our class said.h
Hothat helps.pe
https://www.workandpump.com/
https://kellymom.com/
The first response was great, so not much to add. These 2 links are both great websites, I'd skim them now and then when you have particular questions can read more detail.