Pumping after the NICU

LaurenS865 · May 2014

So my daughter's nurse said the "h"-word today (home!), and while I'm thrilled at the thought of her getting out of the NICU, it brought out a lot of worries, specifically how I'm going to feed her. Right now we're working on bottle feeding BM. My supply has been pretty crap from the start, and DD has now run through everything I had stashed, so at this point I'm just keeping up with her daily intake. It's been difficult enough to get her to take a bottle, so the idea of breastfeeding, where I can't measure how much she gets, worries me. Basically, I'm wondering if I'll be a slave to her belly once she comes home, constantly pumping and feeding, or if I should just give it up and start the switch to formula? Thoughts and advice, please?

xladybassx · May 2014

You may find have better luck with your supply at home, when the stress of the NICU is behind you. Are you using a hospital pump now? If not, I would recommend starting, and continue using it when your daughter comes home if you can. Only you can decide if the time you have to spend pumping to get enough milk is too much, but I would definitely at least give it a try. Also, I just want to point out that there is no reason you can't feed her both BM and formula, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Even just a few bottles a day of BM will help give babies valuable antibodies. My twins ran through the last of my frozen reserve almost a month ago and I have been supplementing with formula ever since. Right now they get about half formula bottles and half BM. You can also mix the bottles so there is a little BM in each one. At some point I may decide to stop pumping and switch completely to formula, but personally I'm just not ready to do that yet. It feels really good to provide milk for my babies, even if its just a few of their bottles each day. No matter what you decide to do about feeding her, I hope your daughter is home soon!

twodaisies · May 2014

I'm having the same dilemma as you right now as we just got home from the NICU on Monday. So far I am just doing a combo of bf, pumping and bottle. As much go a pain the pumping is, I am still doing it so I know how much he is actually getting. But I do bf on occasion through the day. I am curious to see what others who are further down the road have done.

carrotcake06 · May 2014

I agree w @jnetx. Feeding a baby is a full time job no matter what route you choose. They take a long time to eat and they eat frequently.

My boys are 34weekers and we worked on both BFing and bottle feeding from the start. They didn't get the hang of either for about a week. It just wasn't there. I would attempt BFing at least once per day. My milk is excruciatingly slow to come in and it took 10 days for me to catch up w the NICU feeding protocol - we supplemented w formula.

I had successfully BFed my oldest for 20mo, so I had less anxiety about if I doing it right this time around. I knew what my boobs felt like before and after to know if they got a good feeding in. We came home and I switched to nursing them exclusively. The thought of dealing w bottles, when I could just whip out a boob, was overwhelming. So I fed them on demand, they gained weight, and we never looked back.

The NICU was less than amenable to full time nursing and wanted me to bottle feed half their feeds. I felt as long as they were gaining from nursing alone that I didn't want that extra hassle. I paid attention to their cues and fed them as often as they wanted. Yes, it was sometimes more than every 3 hours but I didn't have to top them off w a bottle - and pump, and wash bottles, and wash pump parts, and label and store milk, etc etc - either.

KatFCo · May 2014

Decide what's best for you. With DD, I never came close to making even a third of what she needed, so I stopped when she came home and switched to Neosure.

With DS, who was full-term, I still never made enough for him, but it was about a third to half of what he needed, so I kept pumping and was even able to work up to middle of the night nursing. I was able to pump for 8 months (with formula feeding as well). It was difficult, though, between pumping, bottle feeding and other newborn care.

LaurenS865 · May 2014

Thanks for your replies, ladies! I'm currently using the hospital grade pump, but was considering buying a double electric if we decided to pump long term. DD turns 6 weeks tomorrow and my supply seems to have steadied at anywhere from 1-2 oz per pumping session, 90% of that coming from the left breast (my right has always only produced a few mls). I pump every 2-3 hours just as the LCs told me, but haven't tried anything like fenugreek or brewers yeast, because of fear of making my already reflux-y baby gassy. One digestive issue at a time, please. Additionally, we tried non-nutritive BFing a handful of times, and she caught on but got tired quickly. And we've been so focused on the bottle recently to try to get her home. Is it even possible for her to EBF at this point? Ugh, I just don't know what to do.

jbranden12 · May 2014

DD is a former 26 weeker. When we first came home, we alternated breast and bottle each feed. When I wasn't BFing, DH or my mom would give her a bottle of breast milk while I pumped. I would often pump after I BFd her as well just to keep building supply and stash. It was nice to know that at least every other feed, she was getting a measurable amount. We gradually reduced the amount of bottles she got when I got more confident that she was emptying my breast.

Also, when I was pumping in the NICU, lefty put out way more than righty. When we started BFing more, righty had the better nipple so she got more out of it and it became the better producer!! So you never know.

KaraS12 · May 2014

My DD is almost 6 weeks and at the NICU we pumped and bottle fed to get her home too. Now I continue to do that. She has taken to the breast fairly well when she wants, but I agree that not knowing exactly how much she is getting is scary, but just watch for her signs if she is still hungry. I basically let her snack/ eat at the breast if she can, but that doesn't happen too often. Pumping and bottle feeding does take time, but you get a rhythm once you get home. Also, I was barely keeping up with her needs, and finally stopped keeping up. I just supplement with formula when necessary, but my supply has seriously increased over time. I was pumping less than an ounce in the hospital and am now able to pump 2-4 ounces on average. Sorry this is a little all over the place, hope it helps a little

Oh, and you don't have to be a slave to her belly. I just try to pump ever 3-4 hours, but don't stress myself out over it. If she is hungry in between she gets any leftover milk (don't usually have any) or formula. I just pump again when I normally would. It's a lot less structured for me now that I am home and that works much better for us. The NICU schedule made me crazy and stressed all the time, being home means flexibility for our family and it has made a world of difference. Do what works for you. Don't stress either way, I was told to take tons of supplements and things to increase supply and I am only taking about 1/2 because that is what is realistic for me. Good luck mama!

kimmee1997 · May 2014

My supply wasn't good. I was lucky to get an ounce per session. So I had to supplement. Ds2 had weight issues so I kept with pumping to know how much. Basically he was formula fed with neosure and supplemented with breast milk. It was different for me cause I had an easier time pumping in nicu because I was able to focus just on him. When he came home it was a lot harder to keep up pumping because I had my older son to deal with as well and it just got too hard. I pumped for about a month before i stopped. I'm happy that I at least made it to that point. Pumping is hard work! It takes a lot of time! I admire women who can do it for extended periods. I couldn't. I was happier when I decided to stop. Good luck with whatever you decide!

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