Another question for Nursing Moms...

[SarahAndMike]

I am new to breastfeeding (DS only 6 weeks old) and even though I've read a million books I still could still use some advice. My husband would like to take over some feedings regularly with bottled breastmilk. Do I need to pump at these feeding times forever, or if I have enough milk stocked up, can I skip the pumping? What do I do if I want to spend an occasional afternoon out (as in would I bring the pump to a movie theater - I guess it depends on how long I'm gone)? And then I'm returning to work part time in January and I'm anxious about how much/when/where I'll be pumping there too! Sorry about the rant...I feel like I'm overcomplicated this but it was a long night last night and it's strange what things race through your mind at 3am!! I am committed to breastfeeding but sometimes it feels overwhelming. Thanks for listening!

 

[Tam1067]

Congratulations on breastfeeding! It's a wonderful gift to give your child.

I became very adept at pumping by the third one.

Once your supply is well-established, you can skip a feeding from time to time and be okay. You might get a bit sore and full feeling, though. When this happened to me, I would usually wait until I got home and then pump a bit then. You will have a lot of extra milk.

When I returned to work, I pumped once a day during my lunch break; however, I teach college, so I was only away from the baby for about 5 hours a day. If I were to be gone for a full 8 hour day plus commute time, I would have needed to pump twice a day, probably once in the late morning and then again in the mid-afternoon. If you are pumping for an extended time, you want to try to pump each time the baby would nurse.

If you have not yet done so, invest in a good double-pump system. I was able to pump in just a few minutes, so it was never a problem for me. Medella makes the best ones, and you want to get a professional grade one. Mine was around $200 several years ago.

 

[XYSRUS]

Congratulations on wanting to continue to breastfeed. I fed 4 and loved it. In this early period I would feed and pump as much as you can. You can get enough for months stored up if you pump and feed frequently. Store/freeze it so when you are gone so the hubby/sitter wants to feed baby, they can. I used to pump, put it in a ziplock, date it and put how many ounces and put it in a shoebox (perfect size) according to date. You'll get tons of milk and you can store/freeze it for a long time (check the books on specifics). If you freeze it flat first, it'll take less time to defrost in warm water. Remember, the more you pump, the more you make. Keep hydrated! I, personally could go no more than a few hours without having to pump. It's different for everyone. At work, I'd pump in the locker room and put it in the fridge til I got home. Good luck!

 

[sskem96]

Hi, I'm an OB nurse. So, you want to know if you'll have to pump at those missed feeding times forever? Well, maybe not, but for now, yes, you do need to. Since breastfeeding works on supply and demand, if you skip those feedings, your supply will diminish. Even if you have lots of milk stored up, that still doesn't mean that you want your supply to diminish. Your baby is young enough right now that you want your supply to be continually increasing as he grows to meet his nutritional needs.

Now, if you happen to be one of those people who pumps way more milk than your baby could possibly ever eat, then it won't hurt you to skip a feeding occasionally, like when you go to the movies or something. For now, if you're gone during a feeding and can't pump at the feeding time, just pump as soon as you can. If it's already time for the next feeding when you get home, go ahead and nurse, then pump afterwards because you'll probably be so full that there could be a significant amount left after the baby's done.

As far as pumping when you go back to work, it depends on what kind of job you do. If you have a private office, you can just lock the door and pump. Some places have a lactation room with a rocking chair and a refrigerator. If there isn't anyplace to pump that you're aware of, check with your boss or some coworkers who have young children. I've pumped in dressing rooms at the mall, in the car, anyplace clean and relatively private will do. Try to avoid bathroom stalls if possible, women just shouldn't have to resort to that. I used an Avent hand pump, so it was easy to pump on the go, I never had to worry about having an outlet or anything.

I don't know what you or your husband's schedules or like, but it would be nice if he could take over the feedings that you'll be missing when you're at work. Any introduction to the bottle isn't a bad idea at this point though. The baby needs to get accustomed to switching back and forth since you're going back to work. My first baby had a lot of trouble with that, but there wasn't the wide variety of different nipples 12 years ago! My second used Avent bottles and did great. It may take some trial and error to see what works best for your baby.

 

[SarahAndMike]

Thank you for the quick responses! I do have a Medela double pump which I have been using with success. In the morning I'm able to pump at least three ounces on one breast but I usually stop after that much b/c I don't want to increase "the demand" too much. I seem to have plenty of milk, as it's not uncommon for DS to get a mouthful and choke a little or for it to spray all over the place when he is eating.

 

[Juliet25]

I am new to breastfeeding (DS only 6 weeks old) and even though I've read a million books I still could still use some advice. My husband would like to take over some feedings regularly with bottled breastmilk. Do I need to pump at these feeding times forever, or if I have enough milk stocked up, can I skip the pumping? What do I do if I want to spend an occasional afternoon out (as in would I bring the pump to a movie theater - I guess it depends on how long I'm gone)? And then I'm returning to work part time in January and I'm anxious about how much/when/where I'll be pumping there too! Sorry about the rant...I feel like I'm overcomplicated this but it was a long night last night and it's strange what things race through your mind at 3am!! I am committed to breastfeeding but sometimes it feels overwhelming. Thanks for listening!

Congrats on your new baby! And WTG for breastfeeding.

Good for your for sticking with it. BF'ing *can* be overwhelming. I had a heck of a time with my first DD. But it gets better and won't be so all-encompassing in the very near future, so hang in there.

To answer your questions...

TBH, it will be hard for DH at this point to be feeding your DS breastmilk on a regular basis. Remember, your DS is getting used to breastfeeding and your body is depending on his cues to produce milk. You really do need to pump if your DH is going to be in charge of a regular feed. If it's every once in a while, I wouldn't sweat it. Pump if you feel engorged.

If you go out for an afternoon to see a movie, just plan on wearing breast pads. At this point it's possible you will get engorged and your milk will let down. It's not at all necessary to pump unless you feel uncomfortably full.

As for returning to work, it totally depends on your hours how often you need to pump. I work outside the home 3 days a week, and I usually do just one pumping session. I'm not a fan of the pump, so I tend to run low on reserves. Nursing from the tap is just so much easier!

HTH!

 

[happymommy]

Relax.

Your baby is 6 weeks old. That is a typical growth spurt time. Me may seem attached to you at the breast, but it won't last too long. Next will be about 3 months.

I nursed my son about 6 weeks, but due to his severe food allergies, colic, and my inexperience he was weaned to soy formula (good thing, he was milk allergic, had to get epinephrine at 8 months after trying to introduce some dairy).

DD was nursed until she weaned herself at about 14 months (yes, it can happen, I was sad but happy to have my body back to myself). Bittersweet.

I can seem like forever, but your boy will grow up so quickly.

For now, if you can nurse him, I don't see any point in pumping. Your husband can help with baths and such. It would really make your life simpler. Bottles can be a pain, washing and all, I did both!

There is no reason for you not to still get out and enjoy your life. There are great ways to nurse discreetly everywhere - I nursed DD in church (back pew), at the Ritz brunch, everywhere.

Do stay hydrated! And congratulations!

Oh, also, I did join our local La Leche League when pregnant with DD which helped. I also learned - there is such a thing as reading too many books! You know your baby's needs. No one else does! I was so confused with the books I read - then learned to just give my baby my breast when she needed it.

 

[PenguinWaiters]

Congrats!

I have a six week old too. He's my second so I feel like I have a better handle on some things this time around.

I just introduced the bottle this past week. My DH has been giving my DS an occassional night time feeding of EBM so that I can get some more sleep.

On nights that he does this, I pump the next time I feed - feed on one side, pump the other with my manual pump. That usually gives me enough for another bottle feeding - sometimes we use it that night but if not I put it in the freezer. On days where we don't do this I still usually pick one feeding during the day to pump and feed so that I can increase my freezer stock for when I go back to work.

We also just made it out to the movies for the first time. I left a bottle, but the timing ended up working just right that it wasn't needed - I fed DS right before I left and then about 20 minutes after I got home. If your DS is on any kind of predictable schedule you can give that a try.

I'm also going back part time in January. When I'm at work for a regular 8 hour day, I will probably pump 3 times - that's what I did when I went back to work after my DD was born.

If you want to chat more, feel free to PM me. Hope this helps!

 

[wilderness01]

We recommend that you pump at least 8 to 12 times within a 24 hour period to keep a good milk supply.

 

[NotUrsula]

We recommend that you pump at least 8 to 12 times within a 24 hour period to keep a good milk supply.

Whoa! That has GOT to be for someone who is pumping exclusively, right?
Pumping that many times while also direct-feeding a newborn would have you attached to one or the other 24 hours per day!

When I was at home on leave, I normally pumped about 4-6 times per day for the "freezer stash", either by pumping on one side while the baby nursed on the other, or by pumping for a few minutes before the baby fed (this was especially helpful when I was feeling full, as it stopped that situation of baby gagging on a too-forceful let down.) Understand that the baby WAS nursing about 12X daily at that age.

I initially pumped 2X daily at work, then cut that down to once daily when they were well-established on solid food and also able to drink some water during the day from a cup (at about 10 months.) I stopped pumping at work at 13 months. I'm still nursing whenever I'm home, but she's 17 months now, and eats a full complement of solid foods and cow's milk/water from a cup.

BTW, breast-fed babies seldom will need to drink an 8 ounce bottle of EBM. Four to five ounces is more the norm. Breastmilk is more nutrient-concentrated than formula; you don't need as much of it to get the same nutrition. Any extra is for hydration.

You should probably bottle your milk in quantities of 3-4 ounces; NOT 8 ounces, which would probably lead to a lot of it being wasted.

 

[Calla]

In order to have a supply for occassional use I started pumping every morning right when I woke up, whether or not I'd need the milk that day. That gave me a supply for my hubby to do a bottle while I slept or to leave with a babysitter if we were going out, and left some for the freezer for emergency use. No way I was waking up to pump while my hubby fed a bottle!

 

[Stan's MaggieMouse]

We recommend that you pump at least 8 to 12 times within a 24 hour period to keep a good milk supply.

We who?

Maggie

 

[wilderness01]

Whoa! That has GOT to be for someone who is pumping exclusively, right?Pumping that many times while also direct-feeding a newborn would have you attached to one or the other 24 hours per day!

When I was at home on leave, I normally pumped about 4-6 times per day for the "freezer stash", either by pumping on one side while the baby nursed on the other, or by pumping for a few minutes before the baby fed (this was especially helpful when I was feeling full, as it stopped that situation of baby gagging on a too-forceful let down.) Understand that the baby WAS nursing about 12X daily at that age.

I initially pumped 2X daily at work, then cut that down to once daily when they were well-established on solid food and also able to drink some water during the day from a cup (at about 10 months.) I stopped pumping at work at 13 months. I'm still nursing whenever I'm home, but she's 17 months now, and eats a full complement of solid foods and cow's milk/water from a cup.

BTW, breast-fed babies seldom will need to drink an 8 ounce bottle of EBM. Four to five ounces is more the norm. Breastmilk is more nutrient-concentrated than formula; you don't need as much of it to get the same nutrition. Any extra is for hydration.

You should probably bottle your milk in quantities of 3-4 ounces; NOT 8 ounces, which would probably lead to a lot of it being wasted.

Yes, you need to either pump or nurse the baby 8 to 12 times in a 24 hour period in order to keep a good milk supply. This is a lactation department rule of thumb for newborns.

 

[DannysMom]

I do have a Medela double pump which I have been using with success. In the morning I'm able to pump at least three ounces on one breast but I usually stop after that much b/c I don't want to increase "the demand" too much.

Sounds like you and your little one are doing great with breastfeeding so far, congrats on that! IMO, while your little one is dependant upon your milk you should pump at all missed feedings. Otherwise you risk compromising your milk supply.

You mentioned going back to work and pumping, for lots of support & info on that I reccomend Yahoo groups' PumpMoms groups: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PumpMoms/
When pumping it's easy to think that you are the only woman in the world dealing it, having access to a group of moms dealing with all the same things you are can be very, very helpful.

 

[SarahAndMike]

Thanks for all the helpful info. It really helps to get encouragement from those with experience. If you couldn't tell, I'm a new mom so I'm learning as I go!

 

[alyssa810]

My lactation consulted recommended I pump 8-12 times a say, 7-10 minutes, not more than 15 minutes at a whack. I never came close to that but while I was home, I think I managed to pump 2-3 times a day. I also had a hard time getting my son to latch on so he was drinking formula and breastmilk right from the get go. While I tried to increase my pumping, I could never build up a really big supply, so by the time I went back to work just before my DS was 5 months old, I was nursing him 2-3 times a day, and pumping once at work. He also stopped his night feedings around that time so I didn't have to nurse him then. I just stopped pumping in October, and Joel's 14.5 months old and I'm still nursing him in the morning and before bed. Anyway, I do wish I was able to get a better supply going but I was home alone with an infant and to stop and pump so often was just unrealistic. Breastfeeding is hard work but so worth it! Congrats on your baby too and get your husband involved for sure!