I leaked from the other side with each letdown. But I was one of those that would leak the entire time and needed to wear nursing pads the whole time I was BFing.
A good friend of mine was a neonatal nurse in the late 90s and 00s, when public health campaigns were really trying to get moms to choose to (at least try to) breastfeed. She was involved with a lot of that at her hospital, so although she's not a LC or anything, she knows a lot about breastfeeding and is a good resource to have. Anyway, she swears by dark beer, which was great to hear, because I loooooove dark beer. She said that when she was in nursing school, the hospital actually used to keep Guinness on hand to offer new moms when it was time to try nursing for the first time.
I'm intimidated by all this pumping and such, but hope that my kiddo both can breastfeed without totally ripping apart my nipples and will also take a bottle. I've read that 3-6 weeks is when you should try to introduce a bottle, maybe for one feeding per day. And yes, that it may take trying different kinds of bottles. We've gotten 3 different types as samples, so we'll try those 3 first.
From some light nannying experience with two different sets of twins, I think that one set of parents didn't try bottles early enough, and had one twin who really struggled to feed when her mom went back to work. They finally figured out that she would only drink it quite hot, but they suffered through a week or two of her refusing to eat enough and being super cranky (and worrying the parents) because of it. The mom's milk also had a high concentration of a certain substance in it, that made it taste like soap, especially if it sat out too long. One twin was pickier than the other, so they had to always make sure that she had a fresh bottle just out of the fridge (but then super heated up).
My nanny kiddos that are over 2yrs now still use two different types of bottles. They just have a bottle when they are going to sleep (or sick and super meltdown-y), and they still prefer their own, but if one kid abandons their bottle, the other will pick it up and finish it without complaining. By the time I started working for them, the kids were drinking regular whole milk, so I don't know if they were drinking breastmilk from the bottles or formula as babies, but the mom has mentioned that her daughter never really took to breastfeeding.
I pumped exclusively with my first for 3 months because he just struggled latching. H would feed him while I would pump so that my body would keep up with the supply. Then he started latching at 3 months and we went all the way to 13 months. Pumping exclusively is a full time job! I felt like I was constantly attached to the pump and having to clean... but I feel like it was worth it. My pumping schedule was basically every three hours. Then when I went back to work, I’d pump first thing in the morning, at my lunch, right after work then when I got home. Then I’d pump whenever he’d eat at home. My daycare let me just bring as needed for the day and if there was extra (I always sent extra, jic) I could leave it there overnight. I wasn’t smart the first time around and went through three or four sets of parts a day.
With my 2nd, I learned to put parts in a ziplock and keep it in the ice chest so that I can reuse it. I had a difficult time keeping up with her though. She wouldn’t nurse for a long period of time, but would nurse for short bursts frequently, which made it hard once I went back to work. We had a huge stash though because I was pumping on maternity until my husband told me that I had more than enough. We were done with that stash by the time I was out for summer.
This time around, I plan to pump and store like crazy. My supply diminishes when I go back to work, so knowing this, I’m planning to oversupply so that when the decrease happens, I can hopefull still be able to meet baby’s demand once I’m back at work.
How are people storing their milk in the freezer? Bags? I decided on a spectra pump so next I need to figure out what bags/ storage system will be the easiest to use with it.
I highly recommend everybody that plans to bf learns how to manually express. You never know when you’ll forget pump parts, pump parts will break, or you’ll just get caught out unprepared. I was so glad I learned how to do it a couple different times.
I have flat nipples and I used the latch assist by Lansinoh, which helped a bit. I also would sorta pinch and roll the nipple a bit to get it to protrude a bit. DS didn't latch well ever and we gave up after about 3 months. With DD I was very nervous about nursing, but wanted to try at least. It took 2 tries and she latched and never looked back! Interestingly enough, it seemed to help when we gave her a pacifier. I dunno if it just trained her how to latch, but she was a piece of cake! She was a seriously laid back baby, and never had paci basically. When I tried to give her a bottle at about 2 months, she would have nothing to do with it. Kinda hold the nipple in her mouth and gag on it. That was a pain as well and I tried lots of different kinds of bottles to try and get her to take something! She finally took a mOmma Bottle by Lansinoh. Next DD took 1 time before she latched and took off nursing. You never know how it's going to go. I think it's worth a shot, but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work. FED is best!
With DS he was jaundiced in the hospital. They supplemented and showed me how to pump, then they'd feed him whatever I got. My milk came in well about 36hrs after he was born, and about 3-4 consistent pumps. When we left they said to keep pumping after each feeding to build a stash and keep supply up. I think it was because they were worried he wouldn't get enough for the jaundice. I ended up with an oversupply. I donated a bunch and went through a fb page (human milk 4 human babies) for a bunch that didn't meet the donation requirements (like no layered milk - so nothing from more than one session.) I think pumping so early directly contributed to my oversupply. I plan to start pumping around 3-4w this time.
As for bottles he never had any type of nipple confusion. He takes medication daily and they had us crush it and put in milk. But to make sure he got it, we did 20ml followed by a 10ml flush before nursing once a day. As we did this starting at 3 days old, plus previous bottle supplementation while under bililights, he adjusted fine.
Finding bottles he was happy with for a feed was different. We went through about 6 types before dr Brown's since I heard so much negativity about washing them. But he loved dr Brown's so we never looked back. I didn't think they were that much effort to wash, plus DS's willingness to eat trumped all. As we were already using bottles for meds we added a bottle feed once per week from about 2 or 3w. H was very happy about this and we had no problems. I think it could be child based so just evaluate with your kid.
Eta: I did have to use a nipple shield for a week or so just before and after leaving the hospital. Since he never really got the hang of nursing before going under the lights and being so tired from jaundice. Once the jaundice was pretty much gone we were able to establish a good nursing relationship. So keep working at it if you can (ie I had no pain, no bleeding nipples, milk was there, etc.) Sometimes all you need is a little time and it works out.
@melbo444 the soap-tasting compound is lipase. Usually high lipase is only a problem when the milk is put in the fridge or freezer. The excess lipase starts breaking down the fat and can make the milk smell sour or soapy. If pumped milk is heated over medium-high heat until little bubbles form around the edge and then put in the fridge/freezer, it deactivates the lipase and stops the milk from tasting "off".
I keep reading about oversupply from you guys- why is oversupply a bad thing? Like, doesnt that mean you just get extra for your freezer, or you could always cut out a pumping session to decrease the amount? (My FTM face is showing)
@mommy2ane I've tried the Lanisnoh and Medela storage bags, but my favorite are the Up & Up Target brand!
@kiwi2628 I'm no expert but I think oversupply can cause problems by causing too much pressure when baby tries to feed, like coming out too hard, and then problems for mom trying to empty the breast leading to clogged ducts and mastitis.
I have been catching up on this thread and I thought I would just share some bullet points on my experience in case it helps or answers any questions
- I spent some time with an LC in the hospital, which was great, but try to find someone you can 'connect' with so you don't feel more stress or pressure in case things aren't going a certain way. And TRUST YOUR GUT always.
- I only nursed for the first 4 weeks, no pumping and no pacifiers. Sometimes I was a human pacifier, but that was OK. I spent a lot of time doing skin-to-skin and nursing when the babies needed it.
- After 4 weeks, and my supply was 'established', I started pumping once a day and getting a freezer stash going.
- I used the Lanisnoh bags too, I thought they were the cheapest. I would keep them in larger Ziploc bags with the month written on them to help me keep organized.
- It was hard to find time to pump when I was home because you need to make sure the baby is fed at least 30 minutes before, and then you're strapped in. I tried to do it during nap time or even sometimes after the kids went to bed. I think it's more helpful if you do it at a consistent time of day, but sometimes that isn't totally possible.
- I don't know when the kids got their first bottles - maybe 8 weeks? My mom always wanted to feed them but it just meant I had to pump so I wasn't pushing it.
- I had 3 sets of pump parts for when I went back to work. I kept one at home, one I took back and forth to work every day, and one I left at my desk just in case. You don't have to wash pump parts in between feedings during the same day - just put them in the refrigerator with your cooler bag or what have you and they will be OK.
- Hand expressing is a good tip! I second that. I also had a manual pump (they're like, $30? Mendela sells them) that was good to have if I was going somewhere and didn't want to drag the whole pump and everything with me. For example, I used the manual pump in a swanky restaurant bathroom stall while out for my sister's bachelorette party :P
I keep reading about oversupply from you guys- why is oversupply a bad thing? Like, doesnt that mean you just get extra for your freezer, or you could always cut out a pumping session to decrease the amount? (My FTM face is showing)
You become a milk expressing machine. Excessive leakage, even when you are not trying to nurse or pump. Also sometimes it has a forceful let down (kids don't like) because there is so much milk to get out at all times. Increased risk of mastitis (you do not want to experience mastitis!)
A lot of hospitals have a lactation consultant come to your room soon after delivery to see how baby is latching, how it's progressing. SOME of them know how to check for a tongue/lip tie. My first I had to exclusively pump for a year because I was not aware of lip/tongue tie until he was 3+months old. By the time we got it fixed he wouldn't take to the breast anymore.
What all the others said with oversupply. Forceful letdown where baby pulls off sputtering and choking while you proceed to soak everything. They may not get enough hindmilk - the high fat portion that comes later in the milk. They get green foamy poops, so you know they're lacking the fat. Leaking constantly and feeling huge and tender. Clogged ducts and mastitis are more likely, and to feel ok you pump more, which leads to more milk, a never ending cycle. The only way to drop a feed/pump is to make you feel (sometimes painfully) engorged and not pump until your body gets the hint. A few days to a week. Now. All this depends on your level of oversupply. Some just have extra. At once point I was pumping over double what he was eating each day. That's just not comfortable or necessary. I know others who had a larger over supply.
I used lansinoh or up & up bags. I have noticed the up & up leak more after freezing. Its like 30% of the time, whereas lansinoh leak about 5%. And usually I've dropped the bag or something and know its about to happen.
+1 to what all the others said about oversupply. I was lucky to have a good supply without needing to resort to all the tips and tricks, but it got uncomfortable at times when I was super full. There would also be times when I would have a really forceful letdown, and DS would pull off coughing because of it. DH used to joke that I was choking our baby with my super milk.
Also, I may be the odd one out on this, but I absolutely hated my electric pump, so throughout the whole time I was pumping after I went back to work (so almost a year in total), I exclusively used my manual pump. For me, doing it manually just worked better, and I was able to pump and be done quicker than when I tried using the electric one.
I appologize in advance this is quite the essay I didn't realize I had so much knowledge in me until I started typing.
I almost don't know where to start, but I will start with what I felt the most important thing was for me. No one told me how badly it would hurt in the beginning. I'm talking crying with every feed, bleeding, calling friends asking WTF why didn't anyone tell me this I can't believe anyone in their right mind would think this was enjoyable. I'm sorry if that scares people but it's the truth for the first month and even after that BF SUCKS!!!!! But here is the silver lining, it totally gets better and enjoyable even.
Start with small goals (ie I want to BF until I get out of the hospital, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month) At each milestone reassess and determine if the pros outweight the cons. Because at this point you can say I made it X weeks and I didn't die I feel okay, or you can say hey I made it X weeks it isn't as long as I thought but you know what formula sounds nice and my baby will be fed and happy and it's one less thing to stress about.
ALL THE NIPPLE CREAM. I'm serious from day 1, you slather those things in that stuff and keep it up even if you feel like you are fine, because it can change so fast.
BF is Exhausting like in the hospital you will be feeding baby and falling asleep, have someone there the first few times helps to grab the baby if you fall asleep or wake you up.
You are going to be SO HUNGRY, you think your cravings during pregnancy are bad wait until you are burning through calories making milk for your little.
Drink ALL the water. You may not be thirsty but this is the best way to up your supply.
I personally liked the Mother's Milk tea, did it really help? idk If you don't like the taste of anise or licorice don't bother you wont like the tea
Also a good to know I would bring in my oldest frozen milk to daycare on Monday the replenish the rest of the week with what I pumped. On Friday if there was anything leftover at daycare I took it home and froze it. Then start again with the oldest on Monday again. It helped to cycle through my supply.
I honestly would skip trying to weight baby to see if they are getting enough it is just added stress if they are wetting diapers they are fine! No offense to anyone who wants to way that it offers comfort to.
As far as the questions asked so far.
When did you start pumping? I started pumping around 3 wks, not much just when baby would sleep a little longer at night. I thought the best way to get the most milk was to pump at 3am and it worked for me. If she slept through a little bit I could get a good amount out. So even when she was sleeping 6 hours I would get up and pump in the middle to make sure I was building up some sort of supply.
When did you first give the bottle? I'm thinking around 10 weeks just one feeding a day to see if she took it so she would be ready for daycare in 2 wks. She had no problem with nipple confusion with bottle or pacifier. She knew where the milk came from and was fine, but every baby is different.
How about extra parts for working moms? The more parts the better I think I had 3 sets of flanges and probably about 8-10 bottles. Also when you pump if you just rinse the stuff and put it in a zip lock bag in your work fridge you don't have to completely clean and dry after every pump which is a time saver depending on how much time you have to pump. If you get condensation in your hose let the pump run for about 2 minutes after you finish pumping and disconnect the bottles that will clear the hose.
That's as far as I got with the questions, but I'd be happy to talk about anything else that I found helpful. I pumped for the first year and we breast fed until 18 months. In the beginning it was hard but I really enjoyed it after a while.
BFP 2/11/15 (EDD 10/13/15). MMC 3/30/15 D&C 4/3/15 "We will always love you"
DD1 - BFP 7/23/15 (EDD 3/31/16). "We believe in you rainbow" DOB 4/2/16
DD2 - BFP 2/9/18 (EDD 10/19/18). "Grow baby grow!" DOB 10/24/18
BFP 11/16/20 (EDD 7/31/21). "Round 3 FIGHT!"
I just want to add one thing to follow up on @bntfroggie’s post above. While it’s true that a lot of people struggle in the beginning and have to deal with pain at first when getting used to it, everyone’s experience is different, so for you FTMs, don’t automatically assume it will be hard (or easy) and start freaking out! I’m not at all trying to discount anyone’s experiences, so @bntfroggie I hope you don’t take this that way, but I just don’t want to scare all the FTMs completely, since there’s no way to know what their experience will be like until they have baby and try. Sometimes you get lucky and have a great latch and easy time with no pain from the start, and sometimes you have to work for it and suffer for a little while before it gets better. Basically what I’m trying to say I guess, is to go into BFing without preconceived notions about what to expect, and just try to roll with the punches, so to speak. Be prepared for the idea that it could be painful, but don’t let it scare you or assume that that will be your experience, since everyone is different.
I just want to add one thing to follow up on @bntfroggie’s post above. While it’s true that a lot of people struggle in the beginning and have to deal with pain at first when getting used to it, everyone’s experience is different, so for you FTMs, don’t automatically assume it will be hard (or easy) and start freaking out! I’m not at all trying to discount anyone’s experiences, so @bntfroggie I hope you don’t take this that way, but I just don’t want to scare all the FTMs completely, since there’s no way to know what their experience will be like until they have baby and try. Sometimes you get lucky and have a great latch and easy time with no pain from the start, and sometimes you have to work for it and suffer for a little while before it gets better. Basically what I’m trying to say I guess, is to go into BFing without preconceived notions about what to expect, and just try to roll with the punches, so to speak. Be prepared for the idea that it could be painful, but don’t let it scare you or assume that that will be your experience, since everyone is different.
Agree with this 100%. BFing DD was beyond easy. It lasted 14 months for us and we only stopped because I got pregnant with DS and my supply tanked. However, BFing DS was hell from day one and we struggled for 4 months before I switched him to formula. I expected BFing him to be a breeze since it was so easy with DD and I wish I had prepared myself for the difficulty.
Not discounting anyone's experience either but I had heard it will be uncomfortable in the beginning but if it hurts something needs to be tweaked... Tongue tie, position, latch isn't right, etc. BF shouldn't be painful...again FTM and just going from LA Leche league meetings and reading so no real experience.
@pumpkinpancake no offense taken at all what so ever. Hopefully what I said at the beginning totally doesn't discount the rest of what I wrote. I just wish someone had told me that it could and most likely would hurt. I wasn't trying to turn anyone off to BF. The take away is that it does get better even if it starts out badly.
BFP 2/11/15 (EDD 10/13/15). MMC 3/30/15 D&C 4/3/15 "We will always love you"
DD1 - BFP 7/23/15 (EDD 3/31/16). "We believe in you rainbow" DOB 4/2/16
DD2 - BFP 2/9/18 (EDD 10/19/18). "Grow baby grow!" DOB 10/24/18
BFP 11/16/20 (EDD 7/31/21). "Round 3 FIGHT!"
To add to what @pumpkinpancake said, (at least in my experience) even if you try your hardest not have expectations and to tell yourself you're okay with whatever happens be prepared that in reality you may have had assumptions or expectations even if you tried not to, if that makes sense? It's already an emotional time. I've had mom friends who swear trying to breastfeed was the root of their PPD and once they let it go and switched to formula it was such a relief, and then others are the opposite and beat themselves up even though they said that they wouldn't if breastfeeding doesn't work out. I know a big part of my experience with PPD was feeling like I lost control of my body and had no time to myself since I was EPing. I was always either feeding, pumping, washing parts/sanitizing, etc. I kinda of feel like if I had just let it go I would have been much happier even though from day one I told myself I would be okay with breast or formula. Sorry for long the rant!
I’m sure your question was already answered @knottieamusements but I’m running out of browsing time and thought I would just answer quickly.... do you work outside of the home? That was a huge game changer for me in between baby 1 and baby 2. Baby 1 I had supply issues when I returned to work and I had to “fight” for every ounce because I didn’t have a big enough stash when I returned to work. Baby 2 I work for home 3 out of 5 day so I started earlier with pumping for work and had plenty. I tried to pump one side in the morning while babe nursed the other. Same routine at night. It helped build up quite a stash before I went back.
Another BFing/pumping tip- bring your pump to the hospital or at least leave it in your car. The LC at your hospital can help you learn how to use it and you may end up needing it. DS1 was jaundice and they had me pump after nursing him to help supplement until it cleared up.
Sometimes the hospital will let you use their pumps and those are the massive pumps which are awesome!!
I know colostrum (first milk) is awesome also gets the meconium moving in baby - but are there any tips/tricks to get milk to come in sooner. It's a few days but it feels like an eternity!!!
For all those who was asking about oversupply I was reading the Kelly Mom and saw that you can place cabbage on your breast to naturally assist with reducing engorgement and over supply. Just make sure you don't serve coleslaw with it after https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/engorgement/#cabbage
Me 33 DH 41 TTC since 2016 Due: October 12, 2018 Location: Ontario, Canada
So this is what I did. I’m not saying it was right but it worked for me. When my milk came in i had to pump just to get some relief from the pain. I had a lot of milk so I would feed my baby on one side and pump the other side. Then switch for the next feeding. I ended up with a great stash when I went back to work which was good since my production slowed down once working. Oh and we did a bottle probably week 1 and she never had any nipple confusion. It worked for us.
I started pumping with both pregnancies pretty soon after delivery, but they were all NICU babies. DS1 was on a tube feed (mostly in his nose) until he was about 6 weeks old and his suck/swallow/breathe reflex started working, he definitely had bottles before breast because bottle feeding is easier and burns fewer calories, which is a big deal in micro-preemies. We were still able to breastfeed until 12 months with him, and 15 months with the twins (although they were both able to latch at just a few days old).
It was a mixed blessing finding that discussion. I think in 3 months when I’m in their boat I’ll try and look back at their discussions for some advice on what worked and didn’t. And hopefully see their successes by then to motivate me through.
Traditionally I’ve heard you shouldn’t drink if you’re breast feeding. I think I heard something more recently that this may not be the case. What’s the current thinking on this?
Traditionally I’ve heard you shouldn’t drink if you’re breast feeding. I think I heard something more recently that this may not be the case. What’s the current thinking on this?
I’ve always been told that if you can drive, you can breastfeed. So a drink or two won’t hurt and pumping and dumping is unnecessary in that situation. There were many times I breastfed DD after a couple of glasses of wine.
@rabtaido1214 I think in general, of course it’s best not to at all, but I’ll have maybe one drink right after a nursing session, and then wait 2 hours or so before nursing again. I’m having my mulled wine at Christmastime, thank you.
So my prenatal teacher told us similar to @tlmill that if you don't feel tipsy/buzzed you are fine. No need to pump and dump.
She actually said the best time to have a drink is WHILE you are feeding as it take a while to transfer to your milk and you'll be done feeding by then.
Re: Breastfeeding/ Pumping General Discussion
I'm intimidated by all this pumping and such, but hope that my kiddo both can breastfeed without totally ripping apart my nipples and will also take a bottle. I've read that 3-6 weeks is when you should try to introduce a bottle, maybe for one feeding per day. And yes, that it may take trying different kinds of bottles. We've gotten 3 different types as samples, so we'll try those 3 first.
From some light nannying experience with two different sets of twins, I think that one set of parents didn't try bottles early enough, and had one twin who really struggled to feed when her mom went back to work. They finally figured out that she would only drink it quite hot, but they suffered through a week or two of her refusing to eat enough and being super cranky (and worrying the parents) because of it. The mom's milk also had a high concentration of a certain substance in it, that made it taste like soap, especially if it sat out too long. One twin was pickier than the other, so they had to always make sure that she had a fresh bottle just out of the fridge (but then super heated up).
My nanny kiddos that are over 2yrs now still use two different types of bottles. They just have a bottle when they are going to sleep (or sick and super meltdown-y), and they still prefer their own, but if one kid abandons their bottle, the other will pick it up and finish it without complaining.
With my 2nd, I learned to put parts in a ziplock and keep it in the ice chest so that I can reuse it. I had a difficult time keeping up with her though. She wouldn’t nurse for a long period of time, but would nurse for short bursts frequently, which made it hard once I went back to work. We had a huge stash though because I was pumping on maternity until my husband told me that I had more than enough. We were done with that stash by the time I was out for summer.
This time around, I plan to pump and store like crazy. My supply diminishes when I go back to work, so knowing this, I’m planning to oversupply so that when the decrease happens, I can hopefull still be able to meet baby’s demand once I’m back at work.
I highly recommend everybody that plans to bf learns how to manually express. You never know when you’ll forget pump parts, pump parts will break, or you’ll just get caught out unprepared. I was so glad I learned how to do it a couple different times.
DS didn't latch well ever and we gave up after about 3 months.
With DD I was very nervous about nursing, but wanted to try at least. It took 2 tries and she latched and never looked back! Interestingly enough, it seemed to help when we gave her a pacifier. I dunno if it just trained her how to latch, but she was a piece of cake! She was a seriously laid back baby, and never had paci basically. When I tried to give her a bottle at about 2 months, she would have nothing to do with it. Kinda hold the nipple in her mouth and gag on it. That was a pain as well and I tried lots of different kinds of bottles to try and get her to take something! She finally took a mOmma Bottle by Lansinoh.
Next DD took 1 time before she latched and took off nursing.
You never know how it's going to go. I think it's worth a shot, but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work. FED is best!
DD 3/15/12
DD 6/3/14
#4 Due 10/26/18!
I think pumping so early directly contributed to my oversupply. I plan to start pumping around 3-4w this time.
As for bottles he never had any type of nipple confusion. He takes medication daily and they had us crush it and put in milk. But to make sure he got it, we did 20ml followed by a 10ml flush before nursing once a day. As we did this starting at 3 days old, plus previous bottle supplementation while under bililights, he adjusted fine.
Finding bottles he was happy with for a feed was different. We went through about 6 types before dr Brown's since I heard so much negativity about washing them. But he loved dr Brown's so we never looked back. I didn't think they were that much effort to wash, plus DS's willingness to eat trumped all. As we were already using bottles for meds we added a bottle feed once per week from about 2 or 3w. H was very happy about this and we had no problems. I think it could be child based so just evaluate with your kid.
Eta: I did have to use a nipple shield for a week or so just before and after leaving the hospital. Since he never really got the hang of nursing before going under the lights and being so tired from jaundice. Once the jaundice was pretty much gone we were able to establish a good nursing relationship. So keep working at it if you can (ie I had no pain, no bleeding nipples, milk was there, etc.) Sometimes all you need is a little time and it works out.
@kiwi2628 I'm no expert but I think oversupply can cause problems by causing too much pressure when baby tries to feed, like coming out too hard, and then problems for mom trying to empty the breast leading to clogged ducts and mastitis.
I have been catching up on this thread and I thought I would just share some bullet points on my experience in case it helps or answers any questions
- I spent some time with an LC in the hospital, which was great, but try to find someone you can 'connect' with so you don't feel more stress or pressure in case things aren't going a certain way. And TRUST YOUR GUT always.
- I only nursed for the first 4 weeks, no pumping and no pacifiers. Sometimes I was a human pacifier, but that was OK. I spent a lot of time doing skin-to-skin and nursing when the babies needed it.
- After 4 weeks, and my supply was 'established', I started pumping once a day and getting a freezer stash going.
- I used the Lanisnoh bags too, I thought they were the cheapest. I would keep them in larger Ziploc bags with the month written on them to help me keep organized.
- It was hard to find time to pump when I was home because you need to make sure the baby is fed at least 30 minutes before, and then you're strapped in. I tried to do it during nap time or even sometimes after the kids went to bed. I think it's more helpful if you do it at a consistent time of day, but sometimes that isn't totally possible.
- I don't know when the kids got their first bottles - maybe 8 weeks? My mom always wanted to feed them but it just meant I had to pump so I wasn't pushing it.
- I had 3 sets of pump parts for when I went back to work. I kept one at home, one I took back and forth to work every day, and one I left at my desk just in case. You don't have to wash pump parts in between feedings during the same day - just put them in the refrigerator with your cooler bag or what have you and they will be OK.
- Hand expressing is a good tip! I second that. I also had a manual pump (they're like, $30? Mendela sells them) that was good to have if I was going somewhere and didn't want to drag the whole pump and everything with me. For example, I used the manual pump in a swanky restaurant bathroom stall while out for my sister's bachelorette party :P
Hope this helps!
The only way to drop a feed/pump is to make you feel (sometimes painfully) engorged and not pump until your body gets the hint. A few days to a week.
Now. All this depends on your level of oversupply. Some just have extra. At once point I was pumping over double what he was eating each day. That's just not comfortable or necessary. I know others who had a larger over supply.
I used lansinoh or up & up bags. I have noticed the up & up leak more after freezing. Its like 30% of the time, whereas lansinoh leak about 5%. And usually I've dropped the bag or something and know its about to happen.
have a really forceful letdown, and DS would pull off coughing because of it. DH used to joke that I was choking our baby with my super milk.
Also, I may be the odd one out on this, but I absolutely hated my electric pump, so throughout the whole time I was pumping after I went back to work (so almost a year in total), I exclusively used my manual pump. For me, doing it manually just worked better, and I was able to pump and be done quicker than when I tried using the electric one.
- Start with small goals (ie I want to BF until I get out of the hospital, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month) At each milestone reassess and determine if the pros outweight the cons. Because at this point you can say I made it X weeks and I didn't die I feel okay, or you can say hey I made it X weeks it isn't as long as I thought but you know what formula sounds nice and my baby will be fed and happy and it's one less thing to stress about.
- ALL THE NIPPLE CREAM. I'm serious from day 1, you slather those things in that stuff and keep it up even if you feel like you are fine, because it can change so fast.
- BF is Exhausting like in the hospital you will be feeding baby and falling asleep, have someone there the first few times helps to grab the baby if you fall asleep or wake you up.
- You are going to be SO HUNGRY, you think your cravings during pregnancy are bad wait until you are burning through calories making milk for your little.
- Drink ALL the water. You may not be thirsty but this is the best way to up your supply.
- I personally liked the Mother's Milk tea, did it really help? idk If you don't like the taste of anise or licorice don't bother you wont like the tea
- Also a good to know I would bring in my oldest frozen milk to daycare on Monday the replenish the rest of the week with what I pumped. On Friday if there was anything leftover at daycare I took it home and froze it. Then start again with the oldest on Monday again. It helped to cycle through my supply.
- I honestly would skip trying to weight baby to see if they are getting enough it is just added stress if they are wetting diapers they are fine! No offense to anyone who wants to way that it offers comfort to.
As far as the questions asked so far.DD1 - BFP 7/23/15 (EDD 3/31/16). "We believe in you rainbow" DOB 4/2/16
DD2 - BFP 2/9/18 (EDD 10/19/18). "Grow baby grow!" DOB 10/24/18
BFP 11/16/20 (EDD 7/31/21). "Round 3 FIGHT!"
@lest12 I completely forgot about organizing them in larger freezer bags, thanks for the reminder!
I just said to DH last night that we need to prepare our mess of a freezer for the impending stash
DD1 - BFP 7/23/15 (EDD 3/31/16). "We believe in you rainbow" DOB 4/2/16
DD2 - BFP 2/9/18 (EDD 10/19/18). "Grow baby grow!" DOB 10/24/18
BFP 11/16/20 (EDD 7/31/21). "Round 3 FIGHT!"
Another BFing/pumping tip- bring your pump to the hospital or at least leave it in your car. The LC at your hospital can help you learn how to use it and you may end up needing it. DS1 was jaundice and they had me pump after nursing him to help supplement until it cleared up.
I know colostrum (first milk) is awesome also gets the meconium moving in baby - but are there any tips/tricks to get milk to come in sooner. It's a few days but it feels like an eternity!!!
https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/engorgement/#cabbage
TTC since 2016
Due: October 12, 2018
Location: Ontario, Canada
https://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/
She actually said the best time to have a drink is WHILE you are feeding as it take a while to transfer to your milk and you'll be done feeding by then.