breastfeeding question

ashanshel · June 2014

so im very new at this, baby was born last week on Wednesday. My question is what do you do when you are going some place that it is not convenient to BF at? Some ppl say to pump before you go, but how does that work if your baby just ate? Do you still have enough milk t pump after you BF? And wont this make you produce more milk than necessary? some ppl say to give one bottle of formula and than pump when you get home? Im just confused as to how this works. I don't want to mess up my milk supply as it seems to be just the perfect amount at this time and I def want to continue to BF as long as possible. Some one tell me what the best thing to do is!

Mimaloo · June 2014

Where would you be going where you can't feed your baby?

I just keep one of my A&A swaddle blankets in the diaper bag. They're huge, offer lots of coverage and are really lightweight. So I just feed her wherever/whenever and keep myself covered. If the place isn't the most convenient, oh well. DD has to eat!

nursecramer · June 2014

I would just nurse the baby. I nursed DS1 just about everywhere. At the mall, walking through the aisles of the grocery store, in church, meetings at work... One of the best things about BFing is that it's so convenient and you can do it anywhere and take your baby without having to worry about packing bottles or mixing up formula.

*sparky* · June 2014

This is the reason many LC's suggest not pumping or introducing a bottle until at least three weeks, unless you need to for supply or other reasons. Pumping at this point could affect your supply.

I pump early in the morning when I have excess milk and save the bottle for when I need it. Then at the time your LO takes a bottle you should pump if you can. I did not start pumping until DD was 5 weeks old though, because I actually had an oversupply issue and did not want to make it worse.

If you are planning to go somewhere and need to give LO a bottle instead of planning to pump right before you leave, pump the day before or a couple of days before. A lot of people say about an hour after their first morning feeding is when they get the most milk. I would avoid pumping at times when your LO tends to cluster feed because then they may not get enough milk and will get fussy.

jenn43 · June 2014

I'm apparently going to be the one person to say: don't feel you have to breastfeed in public if it makes you uncomfortable. It's your baby and your life. I personally don't often breast feed in public because we use nipple shields, and the extra fumbling is more than I feel like dealing with. I pump after LO's 6am feed, and usually get at least a bottle's worth. Just find whatever works for you. It's a lot of trial and error until you find what works best for your family.

Avion22 · June 2014

I don't mind nursing in public, and I strongly believe that women should feel comfortable nursing anywhere they go. Having said that, nursing in public doesn't always work well for us. If I'm not in a comfortable chair or if he's starting to get heavy it just...doesn't work. He won't eat as much, maybe because he's picking up that I'm uncomfortable, or I'm not getting a good letdown or whatever. So I have, and will continue to, nurse in public when I need to....but some places just make it hard for us. We have found it easier to take a bottle of pumped milk to feed him while we are out.

I started pumping a little early in preparation for going back to work. We starting giving a bottle a day at about week 3 or 4. I pump in the morning. I have a good supply, so I pump from one side and let him nurse from the other -- not at the same time yet, I'm not coordinated enough for that! But like today he woke up at 5:45 to eat so I nursed him from my right breast, then when we were done I pumped from my left breast (got about 5.5 ounces). When he wakes back up, he'll go back to the right breast. I can usually get enough milk for 2 bottles this way. We always try to keep some in the fridge. When we go out to do errands, we just grab a bottle and put it in a cooler pack that stays attached to the stroller.

Honestly, there are lots of different way to do this. It might take a little trial and error to figure out what works,but pumping at one weird time won't change your supply forever.

I've also resolved to try nursing in public more, hoping that I will get used to pumping when I'm physically uncomfortable (like in an uncomfortable chair or whatever). But I don't feel "bad" about using bottles of pumped milk if that's what works for us.

Peanutz21 · June 2014

i've only ventured out on small trips with DH and we end up nursing her in the car. i also carry an A&A blanket, tie two ends in a knot and wear it around my neck for some privacy. i also make sure i bring a pillow in the car for added support if needed

kmdendy · June 2014

I think women should be able to nurse in public but I prefer to bottle feed. Bottle feeding has also saved us many times in the car. When my husband is driving and the baby is crying, I can feed her in the car. Pumping doesn't mess with my supply. I do feed my baby in the morning and then double breast pump the rest. It doesn't mess with my supply. Good luck!

iqwedding3 · June 2014

I try to time things such that I go places right after feeding her, then we don't have to feed in public.

ashanshel · June 2014

This has been helpful! I know it is such a learning process. my baby nurses so well and I want to keep it up, its just that at this point I cant imagine ever feeding him in public, we are still learning and milk is always flying every where and it just feels awkward and difficult until he finally latches on and then there is that initial pain from the latch! I just hope it gets better! Some days I just feel it would be easier to give up and yet the convenience and benefits of BF far outweigh anything else in my mind! I have only pumped twice and that was to relieve myself after his feeding because I was still so engorged on the one side that he didn't finish. this hasn't seemed to affect my milk supply. Does it get better? And how long until nipples aren't as sore and breasts aren't so full and nursing is comfortable? O and I did see a lactation consultant, its just that I don't feel like bugging her with all these little questions! I did ask her about the pumping thing and BF in public and she said basically what the rest of you have said!

meg12953 · June 2014

I started pumping when my LO was 4 days old - my milk had just come in and my breasts were so engorged that he couldn't latch well - we had a big weight drop, not enough wet diapers, and newborn jaundice. Because I wanted to be sure he would gain weight and have urine output, I would bottle feed 1-2 ounces of expressed breast milk and then nurse him after until he fell asleep. I was so worried because everybody said it would affect his ability to latch and my supply, etc… But now I pump whenever I feel that tingling let down sensation or about every 3 hours overnight, or on demand after we give the baby a bottle. Sometimes if he is hungry again only an hour after the bottle, I will breast feed. My supply is fine. Now that my LO is about 3.5 weeks old, he's picked up how much he's eating and so has my supply. Honestly I felt like the pump was a huge blessing. I love nursing my LO, but my husband likes to be able to feed the baby a bottle and bond with him, too. And sometimes when I'm nursing him in the middle of the night, he seems frustrated by the slower flow or falls asleep too quickly and feeds take forever - it stresses us both out. The bottle helps that a lot. And he's still getting breast milk, so I'm fine with it. So, I guess what I'm thinking is, in the end don't stress too much about how pumping affects your supply - there are great resources for pumpers out there on how to keep your supply in the right range - you'll figure out what works best for you and your babe. Good luck!

purtz · June 2014

Peanutz21 said:
i've only ventured out on small trips with DH and we end up nursing her in the car. i also carry an A&A blanket, tie two ends in a knot and wear it around my neck for some privacy. i also make sure i bring a pillow in the car for added support if needed

Tie two ends of the blanket? That's brilliant! Gotta try that versus buying more stuff! Thanks!

ashanshel · June 2014

such a relief to hear this! most of the time the pain is only in the beginning, and it seems that nights are always worse than the day time feedings! He gets so mad because he puts his hands in his face and cant get there quick enough then he frantically latches on and goes crazy sucking before I even have the chance to correct the latch! But this only seems to be more of a problem at night then day! Everyone says it gets better, im just hoping that it gets better soon!

MrsZ0811 · June 2014

My dd is 7 weeks. It does get better! the first couple weeks i was always engourged, that went away by week 3. My nipples were still sore (but not painful any more) until about week 5 or 6. At first for NIP when i wasn't comfortable yet we would park in a quiet corner and i would nurse in the back seat. I kept a blanket handy to pull over us once we were settled.

mcschutte · July 2014

I nursed where I went, but not out in public (just personal preference). I found a place that was private or even once in a while went to my car. You don't want to pump and throw off milk supply, unless you absolutely have to. Keep good nursing covers on hand (worth it to spend more for a good cover). Eventually you will hit more of a schedule and have a supply frozen or ready for the times you need a bottle. Good luck!

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