Does anyone else not pump? I have a mental block with pumping and can't seem to get over it, though I need a break (and sleep) desperately. I feel like pumping is just one more thing to add to my plate on top of nursing round the clock and other baby needs and I just don't know if I can add another element without going nutso. I hope this doesn't sound too dumb- but is adding in pumping/cleaning parts/bottles really that much more work? Can I trust my baby's latch to not be compromised by switching between bottle and boob? I feel like if it isn't broken then don't fix it, but I can't help but wonder what 4-5 hours sleep feels like if someone else could take over a feeding.
i have used my haakaa (which I love) to express and catch while nursing, but I mainly use that milk for baby acne, diaper rash, and baths.
Does pumping make people feel like a milked cow? I can't get over this mental block!
I'm not pumping until closer to when I get back to work. I hate pumping and it's not like I don't wake up when he cries anyway. Having a baby attached to me does not bother me as much as having to pump does.
@yogadevil I am not opposed to pumping, and will start soon, because I will need a stash built up to go back to work. I have only done it once so far. I just feel like it's one more thing to do right now. Like you said, I'm just so exhausted right now! Sometimes Abby cluster feeds and sometimes I think she just wants to nurse for comfort. That alone is draining me on top of c-section recovery. I just can't add pumping to the mix right now.
@yogadevil I do pump, but it doesn't have to be as awful as you think. Here is what I do.
I pump after my first feeding in the morning. I could likely drop this one if I wanted, but I've got some hang up on having a freezer stash. Then I breastfeed all day until our last "daytime" feed at 8:30 pm. DH gives her a bottle and I pump. I pump way more than a bottle amount, so I will use that milk for the next days bottles. Then the next feed is somewhere around midnight or 1:00am. I will give her a bottle at this time and then pump after. So I lose sleep here. The reason I give those two bottles is because for whatever reason, she will go longer stretches between feedings if she gets a bottle. I don't know if it is a foremilk/hindmilk issue or what, but it's a fact. Bottle = more sleep. Another reason i pump is I have an oversupply and she can completely empty me. So by 8:30 at night I'm generally pretty engorged so getting emptied by the pump is a welcome relief.
As far as washing parts, I put them in the fridge after each pump and wash them once a day. It literally takes 10 minutes to wash. I use the kiinde system for bottles (I don't pump into them though) but it cuts down on washing a ton and I find the nipples to be really slow. I've had zero issues with nipple confusion, but we have been doing bottles since the beginning. I'm pretty sure that varies from kid to kid though.
Does pumping make people feel like a milked cow? I can't get over this mental block!
Well, no more so than nursing itself does...
I started pumping because I was worried about mastitis; I could work out most areas with breast massage while he fed, but there were a few spots that he would automatically unlatch from if I tried to work on, and I was really paranoid about it, plus I seemed pretty prone to it. I was developing red patches pretty quick, and so I pulled out a pump my girlfriend loaned me. It wasn't originally for feeding purposes. After a day or two of pumping for that reason, I had enough to have my husband cover a feed, so I gave it a shot.*
I will say the whole idea seemed a lot more daunting until I started doing it. One thing that makes it a lot easier is having a set of spare pump parts and some extra bottles. I do one round of hand washing on bottles and parts a day, it takes me about 15 minutes (and I make my husband do it as much as humanly possible).
But in general, I agree, the "if it ain't broke" concept should definitely apply here. I kinda made things up/figured it out as I went along, and in a lot of ways I probably just got lucky.
To the latch concern: my doula/breastfeeding counsellor recommended the comotomo - it's pricy but apparently mimics the boob really well. My kiddo never had a latch problem going back and forth (though in general, he seems to be a good latcher).
*Edited to add - and this was a really great added benefit of pumping in the long term: haven't had mastitis yet, because every pump session, I work out any problem areas.
I've been wrestling with what "too much milk" means, and maybe some STMs can chime in. I've been trying to figure out, if you're trying to build a stash, what is "too much milk"? I understand that you want to communicate to your boobs the appropriate amount to be making, but if you want your body to be making enough for the day (whether all by boob or through a combo of boobs and bottles) + some for the freezer, what is the best way to go about that?
I get that you don't want to pump too much to relieve engorgement because it's sending the message that your boobs should continue to make that amount, but what other ways can you be building up your stash? For me, a pump after nursing seems like the best way to ensure I'm "full" again by the time Theo wants to feed again, but I do worry about what message I'm sending my boobs.
For most days, I pump just enough to feed him while I sleep; some days, I get enough to put a little in the freezer for days I have light supply for whatever reason*... I don't think I'm making "too much" but I keep hearing about the concern of sending the wrong message to my boobs.
*I've noticed whenever my in-laws visit, my supply is down the next day. It's a pretty direct relationship, and it's been an added benefit of pumping that I have been able to show my husband concrete proof that these visits are stressing me out, and it's bad for the baby. But that's a story for another thread...
@yogadevil I thought I'd pump to get a break for MOTN feeds with my first and it just ended up feeling like more work. I'd sit there for 30 min while my baby was sleeping and then be bfing when she woke up plus having the parts to clean. I gave up after a few days . If pumping is happening eventually for you it's another story but being a sahm it was just an added thing.
@FerForShort you know pumping to empty after you nurse is just telling your boobs to continue making too much?
+1. You're trapping yourself in this cycle!
Yeah, I do. When DD was born the lactation consultants had me pumping after every feed to build supply and I've been slowly working my way down. While it's counterproductive from an oversupply standpoint it also makes me a lot more comfortable during the day and gives me some freezer stash for when I start back to work. I've also had a bunch of people tell me when their supply regulated around 3 months people who used to be big over suppliers are now hardly able to keep up. Has that been your experience as well?
@poetryandoceans so a bunch of things 1. Your boobs never need to feel full for your baby to have enough food. 2. I would say too much milk is when it's causing you pain personally or your baby is having gas issues from it. 3. I don't know how your house works and if your H does all your night feedings while you sleep or whatever but I would just pump for that and throw in an extra session a couple times a week for your freezer but not everyday.
Unless you have serious concerns about not being able up pump when you're returning back to work or traveling without your baby having a huge freezer stash is basically just to show off on the internet. You end up tossing a shit ton unless you donate.
And for unsolicited advice i wouldnt use your supply as a battleground for not seeing your in laws. It's definitely NOT something you want to add stress and tension to if you want long term success.
@PerraSucia Oh, I haven't been using the supply issue as "leverage" or anything, but it's just been an interesting physical manifestation that my husband has picked up on his own.
And I totally agree about the freezer stash; I just feel good having an extra few oz floating around, but I've been trying to make sure I don't keep too much in there. There's only so much space in there, anyway...
So more questions on the how much us too much. EPing here and I'm freezing 5-10oz a day (she's eating the rest). We have nearly 50oz in the freezer already and it already feels wasteful. I dropped to 7 pumps a day vs 8 and am seeing no drop in supply, just pumping more at each 15 minute session. She's only two weeks old and I'm hesitant to drop another pump this early on. Any advice?
Long term considerations: want to bf for a year and work travel will occur. Everything is in a deep freezer so should last a year. I am considering doing a trial and feed her thawed milk to make sure she'll take it.
And yes @yogadevil I feel like a cow hooked up to the machine! It is what it is though, and just happy she is still getting breast milk.
Thanks for all the insight ladies!! I wouldn't mind having a few emergency bags of milk in the deep freezer, and the occasional feed for DH, maybe I'll just do that using the haakaa and take the pressure off of building one of those big stashes (I take DD to work with me so she doesn't need milk for long separations)
@poetryandoceans it's interesting you mentioned a correlation between inlaws and supply- I've noticed the same with my MIL. I had gone into the bedroom to nurse, my boob was super engorged and painful, but listening to that succubus' voice from the other room- I my milk wouldnt let down! DD was so frustrated and started wailing, I then hear MIL tell DH to give DD a bottle of apple juice because "that'll put her to sleep far better." DD was 2 weeks old at the time. DH told her to leave, and like magic I nursed with ease again.
(I'm also not using that as leverage, just thought it was an interesting phenomenon to have a physical manifestation of my disdain for that woman)
I've been considering letting the feed logging go, but I'm nervous. Kiddo seems to ignore/not show early hunger cues, so he goes from smiley happy baby to wailing and ravenous in a heartbeat. Since I lose track of time in my exhaustion, the app is the only thing that helps me keep track of when I should offer the boob next.
Semi-related, but I recommend the sprout app for feed tracking, especially if your partner is doing some bottle feeds, because it can sync between two phones. Even if your partner isn't doing feeds, it's a way for them to be more involved, and it means one less thing for you to do, if you can tell them "start a feed! right boob!" rather than juggling a baby, a boob, and a smartphone...
Edited to say that if I ever write a book about motherhood, I think I'm calling it "A Baby, A Boob, and a Smartphone"
SITB
I told H last night I'm going to start a blog called "one handed meals: a blog for new moms" and it will be my ticket to a book deal and a movie with katherine hegel.
...I look nothing like KH, I just think that sounds like a movie she'd be in
Just successfully used my cover for the first time with male visitors. So excited! Nursing achievement unlocked!
I plan to start pumping around one month. I agree that for me it would just be too much right now. I can deal with the MOTN stuff for as long as keeping this baby going is my sole responsibility in life. It honestly works better for us to have H well rested for daytime helpfulness.
I don't pump at all. I'm a SAHM and honestly don't mind waking up throughout the night to nurse. (At least at this moment- lol) This is also the 3rd baby I've EBF, so it feels like second nature to be nursing a baby around the clock.
@yogadevil I'm totally trying to not turn this into an in-law thread, but I've really noticed that my husband has started standing up to his parents a lot since the baby was born. It's like he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness/boundaries to keep the peace, but now that he's got a kid himself, he refuses to perpetuate the same stuff from his childhood. Him noticing my supply was impacted was one of many ways he's been like "huh, this has gotta change!"
I'm so glad to hear your husband both shut down that awful advice and asked your MIL to leave after! That must be such a relief to know he'll be in your corner
I told H last night I'm going to start a blog called "one handed meals: a blog for new moms" and it will be my ticket to a book deal and a movie with katherine hegel.
...I look nothing like KH, I just think that sounds like a movie she'd be in
I'll include a nod to your blog in my book. Synergy!!
I told H last night I'm going to start a blog called "one handed meals: a blog for new moms" and it will be my ticket to a book deal and a movie with katherine hegel.
...I look nothing like KH, I just think that sounds like a movie she'd be in
I'll include a nod to your blog in my book. Synergy!!
I should mention, one unexpected bonus of having a stash, even if you're not EPing or returning to work soon, is one that I encountered recently. My migraines, which I had a brief break from during pregnancy, have come back with a vengeance; apparently postpartum, the hormone regulation can be a big trigger.
Anyway, I found out that the main medication for migraines, it's recommended that you not breastfeed for 10-12 hours after taking it. Before I had any kind of stash established, I just had to power through and be miserable. So now my goal is to always have enough of a stash on hand that, if I need to, I can take a triptan.
Not something I would have thought of at all, but I swear the stress of "oh god, I can't get a migraine" was bringing on a migraine, so having a cushion there made me feel a lot more relaxed.
@MommaBean this has been my experience the last two nights. about 6 hours each time. I wish i had answers for you.
we did end up supplementing with formula at 8am. Just a syringe full. like 5ml or so, so I could finally get some rest. bought me 2.5hours of sleep this morning.
Me: 36, H: 37 FTM, 2 Furbabies married 03/17/07 lived in Houston, Austin, Los Angeles and NYC due: 2/15/17
Sup friends. Hour four here! I hurt and I'm not even sure there's still anything in there...
Hiiii. 4th time up here too. Every hour on the hour. Beyond exhausted..... my H is snoring beside me and my toddler woke up not long ago when LO screamed from being hangry. It took me 30 minutes to get him back into bed while nursing.
I would have asked H to put DS back down but he was suffering from a migraine when we went to bed last night.
************* First BFP: 12/16/13 EDD: 08/23/14 Baby BOY born: 08/29/14
So I didn't update what's going on with us. Hannah tore my nips up, and I had to use the nipple shield. Determined to not need it, I saw an LC at a breast feeding clinic ( which was amazing) and turns out she has a lip and tongue tie. It was a bummer to hear that BUT also a sense of relief that there's a reason, not that I'm not cutting it, KWIM?
@Spicyweiner Ouch to your poor nips, but at least there's a reason... Can they fix it?
I'm also on hour 5-6 cluster feeding tonight. Every 1-1.5 hours he's stirring for more milk. I'm not even attempting to hand him off or put him down at this point, because if I do he makes angry pterodactyl sounds.
Ugh I'm sorry you guys are getting it too. I didn't realize cluster feeding would be a nightly thing. It's so tough, even though I'm so happy he loves to nurse.
Man I didn't know this was the place to hang out in the middle of the night. My little guy was doing the I want the boob, I don't want the boob, I want to sleep with it in my mouth, I want you to hold me, I want to shriek like a banshee, I want the binkie, it fell out! all.night.long.
He is nursing now for what I assume will be a nice long nap, and thankfully DH got the kids off to school so I can snooze too.
We went to an LC on Friday to work on latching issues and it was game changing. Even with this being my fourth nursing baby, I couldn't believe how much pain he was causing. Once we fixed it, my nipples are so much better!
Married - 7/29/06 Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09 Mia - 6/16/11 Surprise! due 2/23/17
There must have been something in the air last night. Yesterday, we got approval to lengthen our night time feeds to 4 hours and Quinn said 'nope'. Now that it's daylight? Sleeping like an angel.
Unrelated to cluster feeding: is anyone taking daily allergy medicine (Claritin, etc.)? My pediatrician said that it doesn't flow through to the milk, but it could dry me out and cause issues with my supply. Unfortunately, the unseasonably warm weather here is giving me horrible symptoms already. I'm curious to know if there is a noticeable difference one way or the other.
Re: The Boob Thread
i have used my haakaa (which I love) to express and catch while nursing, but I mainly use that milk for baby acne, diaper rash, and baths.
Does pumping make people feel like a milked cow? I can't get over this mental block!
I pump after my first feeding in the morning. I could likely drop this one if I wanted, but I've got some hang up on having a freezer stash. Then I breastfeed all day until our last "daytime" feed at 8:30 pm. DH gives her a bottle and I pump. I pump way more than a bottle amount, so I will use that milk for the next days bottles. Then the next feed is somewhere around midnight or 1:00am. I will give her a bottle at this time and then pump after. So I lose sleep here. The reason I give those two bottles is because for whatever reason, she will go longer stretches between feedings if she gets a bottle. I don't know if it is a foremilk/hindmilk issue or what, but it's a fact. Bottle = more sleep. Another reason i pump is I have an oversupply and she can completely empty me. So by 8:30 at night I'm generally pretty engorged so getting emptied by the pump is a welcome relief.
As far as washing parts, I put them in the fridge after each pump and wash them once a day. It literally takes 10 minutes to wash. I use the kiinde system for bottles (I don't pump into them though) but it cuts down on washing a ton and I find the nipples to be really slow. I've had zero issues with nipple confusion, but we have been doing bottles since the beginning. I'm pretty sure that varies from kid to kid though.
I started pumping because I was worried about mastitis; I could work out most areas with breast massage while he fed, but there were a few spots that he would automatically unlatch from if I tried to work on, and I was really paranoid about it, plus I seemed pretty prone to it. I was developing red patches pretty quick, and so I pulled out a pump my girlfriend loaned me. It wasn't originally for feeding purposes. After a day or two of pumping for that reason, I had enough to have my husband cover a feed, so I gave it a shot.*
I will say the whole idea seemed a lot more daunting until I started doing it. One thing that makes it a lot easier is having a set of spare pump parts and some extra bottles. I do one round of hand washing on bottles and parts a day, it takes me about 15 minutes (and I make my husband do it as much as humanly possible).
But in general, I agree, the "if it ain't broke" concept should definitely apply here. I kinda made things up/figured it out as I went along, and in a lot of ways I probably just got lucky.
To the latch concern: my doula/breastfeeding counsellor recommended the comotomo - it's pricy but apparently mimics the boob really well. My kiddo never had a latch problem going back and forth (though in general, he seems to be a good latcher).
*Edited to add - and this was a really great added benefit of pumping in the long term: haven't had mastitis yet, because every pump session, I work out any problem areas.
I get that you don't want to pump too much to relieve engorgement because it's sending the message that your boobs should continue to make that amount, but what other ways can you be building up your stash? For me, a pump after nursing seems like the best way to ensure I'm "full" again by the time Theo wants to feed again, but I do worry about what message I'm sending my boobs.
For most days, I pump just enough to feed him while I sleep; some days, I get enough to put a little in the freezer for days I have light supply for whatever reason*... I don't think I'm making "too much" but I keep hearing about the concern of sending the wrong message to my boobs.
*I've noticed whenever my in-laws visit, my supply is down the next day. It's a pretty direct relationship, and it's been an added benefit of pumping that I have been able to show my husband concrete proof that these visits are stressing me out, and it's bad for the baby. But that's a story for another thread...
Unless you have serious concerns about not being able up pump when you're returning back to work or traveling without your baby having a huge freezer stash is basically just to show off on the internet. You end up tossing a shit ton unless you donate.
And for unsolicited advice i wouldnt use your supply as a battleground for not seeing your in laws. It's definitely NOT something you want to add stress and tension to if you want long term success.
And I totally agree about the freezer stash; I just feel good having an extra few oz floating around, but I've been trying to make sure I don't keep too much in there. There's only so much space in there, anyway...
Long term considerations: want to bf for a year and work travel will occur. Everything is in a deep freezer so should last a year. I am considering doing a trial and feed her thawed milk to make sure she'll take it.
And yes @yogadevil I feel like a cow hooked up to the machine! It is what it is though, and just happy she is still getting breast milk.
@poetryandoceans it's interesting you mentioned a correlation between inlaws and supply- I've noticed the same with my MIL. I had gone into the bedroom to nurse, my boob was super engorged and painful, but listening to that succubus' voice from the other room- I my milk wouldnt let down! DD was so frustrated and started wailing, I then hear MIL tell DH to give DD a bottle of apple juice because "that'll put her to sleep far better." DD was 2 weeks old at the time. DH told her to leave, and like magic I nursed with ease again.
(I'm also not using that as leverage, just thought it was an interesting phenomenon to have a physical manifestation of my disdain for that woman)
I plan to start pumping around one month. I agree that for me it would just be too much right now. I can deal with the MOTN stuff for as long as keeping this baby going is my sole responsibility in life. It honestly works better for us to have H well rested for daytime helpfulness.
You can miss sessions then and not be freaking out about it.
I'm so glad to hear your husband both shut down that awful advice and asked your MIL to leave after! That must be such a relief to know he'll be in your corner
I'll include a nod to your blog in my book. Synergy!!
Anyway, I found out that the main medication for migraines, it's recommended that you not breastfeed for 10-12 hours after taking it. Before I had any kind of stash established, I just had to power through and be miserable. So now my goal is to always have enough of a stash on hand that, if I need to, I can take a triptan.
Not something I would have thought of at all, but I swear the stress of "oh god, I can't get a migraine" was bringing on a migraine, so having a cushion there made me feel a lot more relaxed.
we did end up supplementing with formula at 8am. Just a syringe full. like 5ml or so, so I could finally get some rest. bought me 2.5hours of sleep this morning.
FTM, 2 Furbabies
married 03/17/07
lived in Houston, Austin, Los Angeles and NYC
due: 2/15/17
First BFP: 12/16/13
EDD: 08/23/14
Baby BOY born: 08/29/14
I would have asked H to put DS back down but he was suffering from a migraine when we went to bed last night.
First BFP: 12/16/13
EDD: 08/23/14
Baby BOY born: 08/29/14
Hannah tore my nips up, and I had to use the nipple shield. Determined to not need it, I saw an LC at a breast feeding clinic ( which was amazing) and turns out she has a lip and tongue tie.
It was a bummer to hear that BUT also a sense of relief that there's a reason, not that I'm not cutting it, KWIM?
I'm also on hour 5-6 cluster feeding tonight. Every 1-1.5 hours he's stirring for more milk. I'm not even attempting to hand him off or put him down at this point, because if I do he makes angry pterodactyl sounds.
First BFP: 12/16/13
EDD: 08/23/14
Baby BOY born: 08/29/14
@Spicyweiner yay for answers! Are you getting it snipped?
He is nursing now for what I assume will be a nice long nap, and thankfully DH got the kids off to school so I can snooze too.
We went to an LC on Friday to work on latching issues and it was game changing. Even with this being my fourth nursing baby, I couldn't believe how much pain he was causing. Once we fixed it, my nipples are so much better!
Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09
Mia - 6/16/11
Surprise! due 2/23/17
@Spicyweiner that sucks-- your poor nips! I hope her toungue tie gests resolved soon.
Unrelated to cluster feeding: is anyone taking daily allergy medicine (Claritin, etc.)? My pediatrician said that it doesn't flow through to the milk, but it could dry me out and cause issues with my supply. Unfortunately, the unseasonably warm weather here is giving me horrible symptoms already. I'm curious to know if there is a noticeable difference one way or the other.
Anyone else's baby make the cutest faces while nursing?