Breastfeeding

pumping equipment

Hi ladies,

I'm planning on getting the Medela double automatic pump hopefully with the bustier that holds it in place and covers you up. 

Do the Medela baby bottles simulate the flow of breast milk? since I would probably be able to do early morning breast feeding and through the night, the rest would be pumped breast milk in a bottle given to the baby by my mother who will be the main care giver.

I will be working 9-5 it's actually 8-5 but I get to shorten my working hours by one hour for breast feeding during the first year after birth, I will still be able to pump around the day at work. With work and traffic to and from work my baby will mainly be taking my milk through the bottle from 9am-7pm and I will be back at work at about 50-60 days PP and don't know the following;

How many bottles do I need and of which size for feedings throughout the day? and how many storage bags/bottles would I need too? and when should I start working on forming a stash before getting back to work?

I appreciate your answers ladies, thinking about breast feeding and pumping is overwhelming as it is. I was planning that I'd take the first year off once I have a baby but my pregnancy happened way too soon and was un-expected and I financially can't take the year off (not in the US and not an American either)


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God Bless You my Little One
Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
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Farida, at 8 weeks
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Re: pumping equipment

  • I am a working mom also, but I EP. I need 8 bottles, all 9oz bottles. I didn't buy any of the smaller bottles. Since i use the bigger bottles i fill them up when i pump, then when I get home from work I wash the bottles I sent to DC and put the correct amount of fresh BM in the bottles for the next day. I don't have any BM saved I was never able to pump enough. What I pump I feed my DD the next day. Good Luck.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    TTC 12/2009 Me: 32 – Thyroid issues (on Levothroid)
    IUIs 1-3 with Clomid + Ovidrel + Gonal-F, BFNs
    12/11 went to a new RE and DH had another SA and was diagnosed with Varicoceles
    2/12 DH had Varicocele Repair
    BFP- expecting 08/19/13
    Daughter born 8/17/13
  • I'm a working mom, and you can do it! I wouldn't start pumping until your LO is a month old (unless recommended by your LC or pedi due to weight issues, etc.). At that point, just pump once per day. Practice giving the bottle at least once or twice a week, so your LO gets used to it. The rest can be frozen for your stash. You may need to try a few brands of bottles to find one that works, so I wouldn't buy a lot of one style until you know they'll be accepted. I have a Medela double pump and love it. Remember, you'll also be BF all day on the weekends in addition to the night/morning nursings...so you really want to get the BF set up initially. I really respect the EP ladies....and am glad I only need to pump at work. Most women only pump 2-3 times at work, and you can nurse all the rest if you get that set up initially. Bottles are easier than the breast, so make sure the nursing is well from the start. Don't feel like you'll miss out on BF just because you're working. It can be done! GL!


    **DD1 - 7/9/98**

    **DS - 11/9/00**

    **DD2 - 4/30/13**

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  • thanks ladies, that does help a lot...it feels like so much to take in, prepare for, and do that i feel sort of tied up inside my head but I want to do this, it's best for my baby's health and mine

    can we go back on the pill while we breast feed?
    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
    image
  • casey78 said:
    The mini-pill (progesterone only) is safe for breastfeeding. The regular pill is not optimal because it can cause supply issues. Paragard (nonhormonal) and mirena (hormonal) IUDs are also bf-friendly.

    I am definitely a planner. The best bf advice anyone ever gave me was to just trust the process and go with the flow. The womanly art of breastfeeding book really helped to boost my confidence. Kellymom.com also has great info. And the ladies here tend to be very supportive. 
    I am a planner myself and like things to go by my plans, this pregnancy was so unplanned and it took me a long time to cope and get myself to accept it and then like it, I got pregnant 1.5 months after my wedding, I was on the pill then started trying natural family planning which only worked the first cycle after the pill and then I got pregnant.

    I'm a muslim Arab in the Middle East so my husband and I lived in separate houses until our wedding, we were both sexually in-active until our wedding night…so yeah I wasn't planning for kids right away at all, I wanted to try and enjoy my first year of marriage at least pregnancy free, living with my love, being sexually active, etc, etc…

    I also wanted to be financially stable enough to be able to take an entire year off work once the baby is born but that went down the drain of course and now I can't afford to do that (we only get 50 days of fully paid maternity leave if you've been with the company for a year…of course I was switching jobs right when I found out I was pregnant and the company I left had AMAZING insurance that would have covered my pregnancy/birth fully and now I'm with a company with a higher pay but has no insurance…

    government hospitals and medical centers here are super cheap and are actually not bad but the lines there are just absolutely crazy and the medical staff is always so pressured….that's why I seriously can't have another unplanned child I want to be ready next time, physically, emotionally, and financially.

    the idea of an IUD freaks me out…and my mom got pregnant while she had it while she was nursing my sister…so I'm really nervous about getting it…how soon can you get one after delivering anyway?
    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
    image
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