FWIW, I had an MRI done with contrast and my pedi was fine with one session of pump and dump.
I will ask when the time comes what I should do. I find that interesting only one session. When I've had them in the past they tell me it takes 24 hours for the contrast to completely leave my body & to drink lots of water. I'm thankful to be preg right now because its keep me out if that MRI machine. I'm dreading that more than labor. Lol
I had 3 CTs during the first 5 weeks of DS' life. The first one I was pumping and dumping q2h because I was on 3 abx, decadron, and 2 painkillers. But after that I BF'd him after the procedures because he wouldn't take a bottle. The techs told me 24 hours of pumping and dumping but when I actually talked to the radiologist he said it was just a cya thing and that it would be fine. The small amount of radioisotopes that DS possibly could have gotten would have been so minuscule compared to not eating anything for 24 hours (since he wouldn't take a bottle).
Post by browneyedgirl9 on Mar 24, 2014 15:09:49 GMT -5
Breastfeeding in the first few weeks can be really hard, I'm not going to lie. There were some times as the beginning i thought about EP, but I found pumping it to be soooo time consuming and hard. You need to be attached to pump, which makes caring for baby hard, then washing pump parts and bottles. Babies also eat so often, you need to be pumping every 2-3hr...in addition to feeding the baby the bottle. It takes up a lot if time, and can be very stressful. BF became easy after the first 4 weeks.
We also supplement some with formula. So i am def in the camp of formula is not evil! And is breastfeeding isn't for you, there is no sham in using formula.
I was coming in here just to say don't write anything off yet. You don't know how your labour is going to go, you don't how you are going to feel and you don't know what your LO might like or dislike yet. Things change when babies are in the mix. It is good to have a plan, but you also need plan B,C and D. And just as one thing works for you something else will change. It is all normal.
If you do choose to EP, Veronika on www.veronikasblushing.com talks about it a lot, and I think even has a post dedicated to talking about why she does it and how it works for her. Hope this helps.
I have always had boob issues, too. I am flat and have always hated how I look, and my nipples are inverted and so ugly. I have always been hugely self-conscious about them, whereas I have no problem showing off any other part of my body. I wouldn't be seen without a padded bra on so I could look like I had something there. After breastfeeding for 3 months, I have no problem pulling out my boob in a room full of people. Like others have said, they are useful now. And I just don't care as much I guess.
Breastfeeding was super hard in the beginning. It took me about 6 weeks to feel confident with it. I told DH that I enjoy it now and his jaw hit the floor because I would not have said anything like that in the beginning. I think what got me through was laziness- I just did not want to deal with bottle feeding for the next year, whether it's formula or pumped milk. That seems like such a pain. It's much easier just to pull out a boob. Hopefully I'll be able to continue with it, but at the same time, I know it's okay to switch to formula if I need to.
I hated pumping. After returning to work I had to do it 2-3x a day and it sucked. Breastfeeding was so much easier for me (after the first month or so that is).
the first month of breastfeeding was terrible. So much pain and she constantly wanted to eat and each feeding was so long it seemed like there was more on-boob time than off-boob time. But, I don't think EP would have helped because it would take so long to pump the milk and I'd have the baby to care for too.. Logistically I feel like my choices were only to FF or BF, not EP.
I also felt weird about it before giving birth. I said I'd give it a go but in my mind I assumed it wouldn't last too long and I certainly never expected to be breastfeeding a toddler (WEIRD). But, I BF her for 14 months and yet now I am totally freaked out again at the thought of a baby sucking on my boobs. WEIRD. But I assume it will seem natural when the baby is here.
Give it a go, then if it doesn't work out, give EP a go. Then if that doesn't work out, FF. All are fine options!
I EP and I don't hate it. The hands free bra and extra pump parts (I have 3 sets) are key. I started out pumping about 6 hours after my C-section because I had a 33 week preemie and was told she could likely go home sooner if she could have breast milk. When we tried BFing from weeks 6 - 10, it was ok at first but then we were both becoming miserable. She was not getting full and thus crying and wanting to eat all the time. I was crying from having to nurse her all the time. My husband and I were fighting because he didn't understand how exhausting and unpredictable this whole process was being the sole provider of nutrition for my baby. I went back to bottles and we all became much happier. Anyone could feed her a bottle, the responsibility was not all mine alone. Like one of the PPs, I felt a lot more secure knowing exactly how many ounces my baby eats and how many ounces I pump. I rented a pump for home and keep the one from insurance at my office. I know that she usually drinks 4 oz bottles about every 3 hours, though in the daytime she may drink a little more frequently and inconsistent amounts. When she wakes up in the MOTN, I prop her in front of me in a seated position with the bottle in her mouth while my hands-free bra holds my pump parts secured to me and I pump away. Multitasking at its finest. I don't have to do this every night since my husband helps feed her 2 nights/wk on the weekends and my mother helps me 1 - 2 nights/wk. I pump 5x/day, occasionally 6. Though if I get enough at 5x/day, why bother with the 6th pump?
I did make peace with myself about supplementing when it appeared that she would outdrink me at 3 months. I asked her pedi about supplementing and got sent home with a bunch of formula "snacks." Somehow my boobs decided they would start making a few more ounces each day and I haven't had to supplement yet but am ok if I will have to. We've been trying to give her formula a handful of times just to see how she does so we can switch at some point. Right now my pump rental is through May 18th so really close to 6 months. I'm thinking of getting to 6 months and then deciding what to do from there.
I hated the idea of being tied down by BF and always having to be the one to feed. I EP'ed my now 2 yr old until he was about 18 months. I more than enough milk to feed him and donate several thousand ounces. I will EP this baby also.
Post by simpsongal on Mar 26, 2014 13:20:19 GMT -5
Just thought I'd add my experience - BFing hasn't been very hard. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. And I don't mind pumping - I do it to build a freezer stash and in case I need some milk for a babysitter.
Just wanted to give hope to others - you may be pleasantly surprised (as I was).