wanting to breastfeed but no time off

Re: wanting to breastfeed but no time off

• wintersong member

  July 2015 edited July 2015

  Honestly, I would push for more than a week. That is not enough time for your body to recover, let alone establish a bfing relationship. It can take a week just for your milk to "come in."
  
  ETA Just wanted to emphasize that you need more than a week, for yourself, not just the baby. If your MEDICAL program doesn't understand this, something is wrong.

  

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• NLewis1 member

  July 2015

  My baby is now 10 months old. When he was born, he was life flighted to a bigger hospital 3 hours away from the hospital I delivered at, before we were allowed to hold him (or me feed him). I didn't get to hold and feed my son until he was 14 hours old. We spent a week in the NICU where I leaned how to breastfeed from the fabulous nurses/occupational therapists/lactation consultants, and that week I also began pumping in between feelings so the nurses could feed BM at night. Honestly, I think pumping in between feelings not only helped bring in and establish my supply, but also helped me feel like I was doing the only thing I could to help my baby at that stressful time. My advice is this if you only get a week at home: find a really great LC and USE her, have her come every day if you need her to, and pump in between feelings so you have some milk in the freezer and have some for whoever will be watching baby that first day. It really sucked because you will already feel like you constantly have a baby attached to your boob, and then add in a pump, you literally have something attached to your boobs all the time. And get a good hospital grade breast pump!

  Mrs. H

  Crohn's Dx: August 2008

  Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

  Married: 05/19/2012

  TTC #1: June 2013

  BFP: December 2013

  DS: Born 08/29/2014

  TTC #2: July 2015

  BFP #2: September 25, 2015

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• rae430 member

  July 2015

  100% agree with longliveregina. Honestly, at one week PP you'll probably still have difficulty using the bathroom without pain, you'll be bleeding heavily (and the bleeding gets worse the more active you are), and breastfeeding will barely be established. The schoolwork will be a big hurdle in your own healing process Is there any way to push your schoolwork back by a semester? I went back to work at seven weeks after a four hour, completely uncomplicated labor, and it still felt too soon, IMHO.
  
  Also, it may be difficult to regulate your supply if you're supplementing that early on and you want to EBF or exclusively pump going forward. I think that a lactation consultant could give you some good advice about how to move forward with your BFing goals. Good luck!

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• toimadness1 member

  July 2015

  I was back at nursing school clinicals less than a week after my son was born. It was difficult but I was able to pump enough those first days that we were able to stick strictly to breastmilk. I then pumped as much as I could while gone and that sufficed for the next day. Also try to breastfeed as much as you can before and after school. It was exhausting on top of already being sleep deprived but you learn to do what you have to. It's not a horrible idea to have some formula as a back up but you need to make it clear that you don't want who ever is watching your little one to use it unless absolutely necessary. Honestly I hid what I had so they would have to call to ask me if they needed it. Make sure you also drink enough water throughout the day and eat plenty of calories.

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