Moo (literally)

[mudslide]

Is there something wrong with my milk? Sometimes it really seems to stick to the sides of the bottle.

Also, how do I coordinate pumping every 2 hours to make my body make more milk? Do I still pump even if it falls at the time of feeding or an hour before?

[hopecounts]

That's milk fat and that's. really good thing.
The consistency of BM will vary, it responds to how your little one eats in terms of being more watery or thicker and over time condenses soLO gets more calories for less amount of milk.

if you are about to nurse nurse then pump, if you have time hour+ before nursing go ahead and pump, it'll tell your body that baby is eating more and it will respond by producing Moreno keep baby full longer. It's the reason baby's who are going through a growth spurt will start feeding ALLLL the time, they are telling your body to make more to fulfill their increased need.

[lilybug]

I think that just means it has fat in it - yay fatty milk!

When I was pumping, if it fell during a feeding time, I would nurse the baby and pump directly afterward. I usually didn't get much, but after a while of that routine, my supply went way up.

[mudslide]

Oh ok. Thank you! I was pretty concerned and was going to ask the lactation consultant if it curdled of something.

[Deleted]

Ditto, the milk fat is what sticks. I always found that if you gently swirl the bottle, it blends better and sticks less. Using your hands or warm water to take the chill off the bottle helps too, it sticks less.

As for pumping, if you are alternating back and forth between pumping and nursing I would try to nurse first, pump after. If you drain the breasts, baby wont have as much to nurse from.

[mudslide]

So I should pump right away even if I have to give up skin to skin or snuggle time?

[Deleted]

I would not pump before if you're going to feed her in a half hour or less, maybe 45m. But if you want to keep a high supply, pump after, like Missus said.

If you have an hour, even though it takes a bit to set up the pump, etc., I think you can pump. I would also separate skin to skin and feeding time if they'll let you -- like, can you pump while cuddling her, that sort of thing. You shouldn't have to feed her to get the cuddles if it works for her care routine.

This is amateur advice.

Good for you, this is so, so awesome of you!!!

[mudslide]

May 3, 2013 11:57:33 GMT -5 @scottydeux said:

I don't know, but I was wondering about you. You have a baby, man!

I know! I still can't believe it.

Emotionally I'm starting to do better. H is helping me work through overwhelmed times and freak outs over the phone. I had a marathon skin-to-skin session with Tiffany yesterday at the advice of 11d and omg I think it helped a ton. I think it's helping that I got help right away and have been on adjusted meds for a couple days already. I feel like I'm more able to conquer stuff now. A lot of that is due to the fact that I know as my body responds to my meds being adjusted and the fact like so many of you have pointed out that these feelings won't last forever.

[ering1115]

How many feedings are you getting in?

I wouldn't want to give up the skin-to-skin time because it will help you produce more milk too. I would think about trying to schedule so you pump and/or feed at least 6 times/day. Are you pumping every 2 hours to boost your supply or because it is just a number you were given? If you can stretch it to 3 hours does it help?

You are doing great! Keep up the awesome work, mudslide!

[speckledfrog]

May 3, 2013 11:54:12 GMT -5 @missusbee said:

Ditto, the milk fat is what sticks. I always found that if you gently swirl the bottle, it blends better and sticks less. Using your hands or warm water to take the chill off the bottle helps too, it sticks less.

As for pumping, if you are alternating back and forth between pumping and nursing I would try to nurse first, pump after. If you drain the breasts, baby wont have as much to nurse from.

Ditto all of this.  When we gave him milk from the fridge I would turn the sink onto hot and then hold the bottle under the water, swirling to "melt" the fat off the sides and warm the milk.  FYI, sometimes your milk will have a big later of fat and sometimes a small layer.  Boobs are magical that way.

[mudslide]

Also, any tips on how to coordinate double pumping? I really cannot seem to master the art. I can't get hooked up to pump properly without both hands. Anybody else struggle with this?

[Deleted]

YES! You need a hands-free bra, it made my life soooo much easier. Otherwise you have to use your whole arm to set it up and I don't know about you, but I always dribbled because of it. It was so messy! So much better w the hands-free.

I think someone else said you could do the same with a sports bra, but I liked that I could take the bra on and off over my regular nursing one with just a zipper.

[ering1115]

For double pumping- I would have everything set up and the bottles attached to the pump. I would get the one on and then use my forearm to hold it in place while I used both hands to get the other one in place. I usually ended up holding them in place w my forearms in the beginning because I never trusted the bra.

[mudslide]

May 3, 2013 12:29:24 GMT -5 ering1115 said:

How many feedings are you getting in?

I wouldn't want to give up the skin-to-skin time because it will help you produce more milk too. I would think about trying to schedule so you pump and/or feed at least 6 times/day. Are you pumping every 2 hours to boost your supply or because it is just a number you were given? If you can stretch it to 3 hours does it help?

You are doing great! Keep up the awesome work, mudslide!

Thanks!

I'm only trying to breastfeed every other feeding because it is most important for her to learn how to feed at this point. Sometimes only once a day.

Yesterday her nurse said I need to start pumping every 2-3 hours to boost supply because she's going to start eating more soon. So maybe I can shoot for every 2 but stretch to 3 if need be.

[ering1115]

May 3, 2013 12:36:09 GMT -5 mudslide said:

May 3, 2013 12:29:24 GMT -5 ering1115 said:

How many feedings are you getting in?

I wouldn't want to give up the skin-to-skin time because it will help you produce more milk too. I would think about trying to schedule so you pump and/or feed at least 6 times/day. Are you pumping every 2 hours to boost your supply or because it is just a number you were given? If you can stretch it to 3 hours does it help?

You are doing great! Keep up the awesome work, mudslide!

Thanks!

I'm only trying to breastfeed every other feeding because it is most important for her to learn how to feed at this point. Sometimes only once a day.

Yesterday her nurse said I need to start pumping every 2-3 hours to boost supply because she's going to start eating more soon. So maybe I can shoot for every 2 but stretch to 3 if need be.

Definitely!  If you are religious about pumping and you are getting in some feedings, 2 hours or 3 hours won't break you.  There is no way I would have given up snuggles w DS to pump.  I was crazy strict with a 3 hour schedule (making sure to pump post feeding) and I ended up with an over supply.  Are there pumps in the NICU for you to use?  Ours had them so I didn't need to lug anything back and forth. I kept a set of tubing and the suction pieces there, used their bottles and pump.   

Is Tiffany red when she comes out of the isolette because it keeps her so warm?  I laugh because DS almost looks sunburned in all of his really, little baby pics.

[mudslide]

May 3, 2013 12:41:07 GMT -5 ering1115 said:

May 3, 2013 12:36:09 GMT -5 mudslide said:

Thanks!

I'm only trying to breastfeed every other feeding because it is most important for her to learn how to feed at this point. Sometimes only once a day.

Yesterday her nurse said I need to start pumping every 2-3 hours to boost supply because she's going to start eating more soon. So maybe I can shoot for every 2 but stretch to 3 if need be.

Definitely!  If you are religious about pumping and you are getting in some feedings, 2 hours or 3 hours won't break you.  There is no way I would have given up snuggles w DS to pump.  I was crazy strict with a 3 hour schedule (making sure to pump post feeding) and I ended up with an over supply.  Are there pumps in the NICU for you to use?  Ours had them so I didn't need to lug anything back and forth. I kept a set of tubing and the suction pieces there, used their bottles and pump.   

Is Tiffany red when she comes out of the isolette because it keeps her so warm?  I laugh because DS almost looks sunburned in all of his really, little baby pics.

The NICU has a pumping room w/ Medela Symphony pumps. I have my own set of supplies for those. And they give me lots of disposable bottles to store and transport my milk. They also gave me a bag to transport my stuff around. I can't pump next to the baby. I have to use the room.

No, actually in her first week she was really red and pink. She was born that way though. She had a very ruddy complexion the first week just like her daddy does.

[Gato]

May 3, 2013 11:52:53 GMT -5 lilybug said:

I think that just means it has fat in it - yay fatty milk!

When I was pumping, if it fell during a feeding time, I would nurse the baby and pump directly afterward. I usually didn't get much, but after a while of that routine, my supply went way up.

This is what I did too.  It worked, because my supply sucked with my older daughter, but with the baby I even started to have an oversupply.

[Deleted]

yay! sounds like you're doing great with the pumping.

breastmilk is super weird looking. sometimes it's strange colors too (mainly white, but a little greenish, a little yellowish, etc.), so don't be too concerned about that if you notice it.

the hands free bra is the greatest thing ever.

[greenchile1]

My DD is a preemie. We spent 21 days in the NICU. Does your NICU have privacy curtains? I brought my medela PISA with me to the hospital each day. I used the symphony in pump room but I also used my pump next to her crib. I would set up a couple of the curtains around us when it was time for a feeding and almost time for me to pump. I would breast feed her and then when she was done I would hook up to the pump. I felt like I got more milk when I would pump next to her than when I was in the lactation room. A handsfree bra will make a huge difference. Ask the lactation consultant if they have them for sale there. We were also in a hospital three hours away from home. The NICU is a scary roller coaster of emotions but it WILL get better.

[DotAndBuzz]

Yay for fatty milk!

Ask if they still want you to do every 2 or every 3 hours. If they think you can go to every 3 hours, try to coordinate that with her feeding time in the NICU. Kangaroo/nurse her, then pump afterwards. Keep on that schedule, and ask them to notify you if they change it up (sometimes nurses move babies 30 minutes either way to fit them all into their schedule for that shift, so you can adjust accordingly, or ask them to keep her as she was).

[tdk2]

Your milk will eventually go from the yellowish color to much whiter. Like others said, the fat makes it look like it sticks. More frequent pumping means fattier milk (odd thing conceptually, but read it on kellymom breast feeding site and how they worded it made sense)

I did the 2-2.5 hour pump span and bf in between and then supplement w pumped if she didn't latch much or get much bf-ing (flat nips, had to use nipple shield).

You'll get better w the timing. Your choice on how you do it w snuggle. Killed me to put her down in between but I usually did after an hour or so, pumped, and then hoped milk would replenish for next feed. It was hellishly tough at times, so dot feel badly if you feel like its a struggle. And it's up to you how long you want to do it. (I liked being reminded of this but didnt like anyone making me feel pressured to give it up before I was ready. I nearly stopped a million times over but somehow lasted 11 months. I was able to move to 4 hour 20-30min pumping instead later on which kind of helped.


Get a simple wishes hands free bra. I got mine off amazon. I tried on medals ones at store and found them no where near as good. I honestly don't think holes cut in sports bras can hold up for as frequently as your pumping. (I do have fairly big boobs though so that was prob part). I had 2 so I could wash them. W that amt of pumping, it's hard to wait for one to dry when you wash. I loved a nursing cover for pumping at home if we had visitors. I couldn't just wait til ppl left to pump and didnt want to transport everything elsewhere ea time. I was like a moron the few times I pumped w/o the hands free bra. I couldn't keep them in place enough. Too fidgety.

[tdk2]

Ps. You're kicking ass. Great job!