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September 2016 Moms
yellowrose314
member
BTDT: Pumping schedules
yellowrose314
member
I plan on going back to work 4-5 months after birth, and I want to establish a solid pumping schedule before going back so that DH can start helping with feedings so baby girl gets used to a bottle when I'm not around, and so we can get a good stash going. For the record, I bought a Medela PISA.
For those of you who pumped and breastfed simultaneously, what did your pumping schedule look like for the first few months?
How long did it take you to build up a good freezer stash?
Any helpful tips for pumping and keeping up supply?
For those of you who pumped and breastfed simultaneously, what did your pumping schedule look like for the first few months?
How long did it take you to build up a good freezer stash?
Any helpful tips for pumping and keeping up supply?
Re: BTDT: Pumping schedules
my DD was an eater and ate pretty much every 2-3 hours for a year. So I pumped every 2-3 hours and my supply was fine. I highly recommend pumping first thing in the morning if you can, I would overflow both pump bottles, and get about 16 oz in that one pump. And gloat like an a$$hole because I was so proud of how much I pumped . Haha
I just did a morning pump because like others have said, it's when you get the most. Otherwise, it was way too much work trying to feed and pump.
FYI, I recommend not starting to pump too early. You want to give your supply time to regulate. Pumping too early can lead to oversupply with creates other issues.
1. Let's say I pump 6 oz. of milk in a sitting, but baby only takes 4 oz. bottles at daycare. I would pour 4 oz. into a milk storage bag and 2 oz. into another milk storage bag and freeze those?
2. Has anyone come to find that they had to scald their milk before freezing it?
Another question, which milk bags did you prefer? I have bought 50 of the Lansinoh bags, but reading some of the reviews on them people say they break when frozen? Has anyone experienced this? I was contemplating picking up some of the Medela ones that you can pump directly into...
@Sbrown721 I did like @abberson and froze in increments. But you could do it the way you mentioned as well. Whatever works for you and your baby. I just wouldn't want to overfill them and have to dump milk when it didn't get eaten. Also, I didn't have to scald my milk, but some women in my breastfeeding group did. You won't know if you need to do that until you go to thaw some milk. So I can see it being worth it to thaw some before you freeze a ton if you're concerned.
cannot figure out how to word this. Does it make sense??
@Sbrown721 I did have a few that I froze with smaller amounts, but I filled most of my bags. At daycare, they put all the milk for the next day into the fridge the night before so it was defrosted, so they would combine bags. The only thing you need to remember is that if you're combining 2 bags of
milk, just make sure they're the same temperature. (Or close) by that, I mean, don't put one right from the fridge into one that you've warmed. And don't mix cold milk with milk that just came from you. Warm the other and then mix. And don't reheat milk.
@yellowrose314 I hate Lansinoh bags. I lost 20 oz of milk in one day because they split. I use the target brand bags! I do love the Lansinoh nursing pads though. I know lots of people, including @camichael84 that never had issues with the Lansinoh bags though!
Also, just for the record, don't expect to get a ton every time you pump! Don't get discouraged if you get 2 oz from each breast. As long as you have enough that day to cover the bottles used, you're doing fine! I thought because I pumped 2 oz from one side and DD was eating 6 that something must be wrong, but it all evens out at the end of the day.
but seriously after talking to all of you about all the different aspects of it has really eased my mind. I feel so much more prepared and way less scared.
I really appreciate you guys
@Megan324 I absolutely dreaded it last ttime because it seemed so
weird to me. Now, I'm a huge advocate for breastfeeding and I love helping other mamas be successful with it if that's what they choose. It's tough at first, but man, I love it! (I used to hate when people said that). There's just something about it though.
All this to say...3 weeks is (was?) the recommendation but obviously it didn't work for us. Would introducing sooner have made a difference? Maybe. Or would it have interfered with our otherwise perfect bfing relationship? Maybe. Or would none of it have made any difference with my stubborn baby? Totally possible. Honestly, I'll probably do 3 weeks again this time around. Maybe a tad sooner but not much.
I used Lansinoh bags all the way through and loved them. I filled them 8-10 oz each and never had one single issue. I bought a box of the Medela ones at first because that's the pump I had, and had multiple bags bust/leak.
@MrsVoorhees I hear you on having fountains flowing from your boobs. I had to have an extra burp cloth to hold over them to give the poor girl a break because it would literally choke her! I love the great supply, but hope it's a bit calmer this time.
@Bibliobebe this is something that is up for interpretation/comfort. On Kellymom (my bible when it comes to breastfeeding), they suggest 3-8 hours at room temp, 3-8 days in the fridge, and 6 months in a freezer or 12 months in a deep freezer. Pretty much if it smells ok then you're good!
When introducing a bottle, it might help if you let your SO give the bottle and you leave the room. If baby can smell you, it may not want the bottle. Sometimes that helps. Also, when you're giving a bottle, be sure to pump
ETA left out an important part