Question for the ladies who pump

[smock]

When did you start pumping? (assuming you weren't EPing from the start)

When did you first introduce a bottle?

Baby Smocklette and my engorged boobs thank you in advance.

[bugandbibs]

I started pumping at 4 weeks, to give my body a chance to regulate first. I would pump once a day approximately when my first pump session at work would be and then offer the bottle. I combine and freeze extra every couple of days.

At first DS1 would drink the bottle and the fuss until I let him comfort nurse. Now he takes his bottle just fine 4 months. DD2 had a hard time with bottles and we went through several brands before we found one she would take.

[Pilsy]

I just began pumping yesterday (just shy of 6 weeks PP), and my husband plans to introduce the bottle this weekend.

I have a friend whose 2nd child is 9 weeks this week, and I’m not sure when she began pumping, but she’s introducing the bottle this weekend, too.

[ssmjlm]

We got the ok to start pumping and giving a bottle once she went back to birth weight, which was 10ish days pp. I pumped the first time around 3w pp so DH could give her the first bottle.

[Deleted]

I started pumping at 4 weeks and l gave a bottle at 6.

In the beginning you don't want to pump too much bc it could create an oversupply (especially if you have engorged breasts) but you could pump a bit before a feeding to help make it easier for her to latch.

[spanikopita]

Started pumping around the 4w mark.

[smock]

I did use a hand pump last night and got 0.5 oz out of one side because she was sleeping and my boob was sore. But now I'm not sure what to do with the milk! It's too soon for a bottle and it seems ridiculous to freeze half an ounce, but I'm definitely not throwing it out! I'm thinking maybe a spoon or bulb? That shouldn't interfere with bf'ing right?

[daisycat]

Jun 6, 2014 8:22:08 GMT -5 smock said:

I did use a hand pump last night and got 0.5 oz out of one side because she was sleeping and my boob was sore. But now I'm not sure what to do with the milk! It's too soon for a bottle and it seems ridiculous to freeze half an ounce, but I'm definitely not throwing it out! I'm thinking maybe a spoon or bulb? That shouldn't interfere with bf'ing right?

I think I would just stick it in the fridge for a day or two and see if you need to pump again.  If so, then you can combine the milk (just refrigerate the new portion so they are the same temp), then you could freeze.

if you don't think you'll need to pump again, I don't know what to do as I had a preemie and worked with different breastfeeding rules. 

[booboo173]

I started pumping and giving a bottle at one week old. DS had a tongue tie which made him an inefficient nurser and I got mastitis. We did one bottle a day to get a break. It never caused any issues

[Velar Fricative]

Jun 6, 2014 8:22:08 GMT -5 smock said:

I did use a hand pump last night and got 0.5 oz out of one side because she was sleeping and my boob was sore. But now I'm not sure what to do with the milk! It's too soon for a bottle and it seems ridiculous to freeze half an ounce, but I'm definitely not throwing it out! I'm thinking maybe a spoon or bulb? That shouldn't interfere with bf'ing right?

You can put it in the fridge for up to a week. You can mix that with any BM you pump during the week so you're not only freezing half an ounce (just make sure the milk is the same temperature when you mix them, so you'll have to refrigerate separately first). Freeze after that if you don't use it within the week.

I pumped at 3 days old after we came home from the hospital because of latching issues and EPed until she latched with a nipple shield at 1 week old. It sucked at the time, but ultimately I'm really glad she got a bottle early because I was really afraid of having a bottle refuser and she's gone from breast to bottle with no issues ever since. Without the EPing, I would have given her her first bottle at around 3 weeks since we had our first date night at 4 weeks.

[VillainV]

I started pumping at around 3 . I would have started sooner but I had to order different sized flanges and they took a while to come in. I think we did our first bottle at about 3 weeks. The first few bottles were maybe 1 ounce each just to start him out slowly.

If you're pumping because you're engorged, then only pump enough to relieve the engorgement or you'll end up with an oversupply and even MORE engorgement. This comes from experience :-) For engorgement I just use a small hand pump, no bottle attached, just over the bathroom sink or whatever. I only pump for maybe a minute until I'm comfortable again. If I'm pumping to replace a feeding, I use my double-electric.

[catbear]

I had issues with jaundice so they set me up pumping in the hospital. I pumped as soon as I got home - maybe not the best idea, but nothing terrible has happened. I use a bottle for one overnight feeding and pump in the morning after first feed.

I will sometimes use a bottle when out (haven't really worked up the courage for public nursing) and then pump later to make up for it.

[megkat]

A had trouble with her latch, so I've been pumping since day 1 (I do nurse her also). She had her first bottle the night we brought her home, so around 3 days old? She's never had any trouble going back and forth between nursing and the bottle. At 5 weeks, she normally gets one bottle a day, and nurses for the other feedings.

[MamaMaui24]

3 weeks - same time for both (pump and occasional bottles)

[SJ]

These threads are very helpful- thank you.

Pumping is the only thing I really have true anxiety about right now (I am sure there are plenty of other things I SHOULD be worried about, but I'm not). It just seems so confusing to me, and I really don't "get" how all the logistics work of pumping, building up a stash, going back to work, leaving baby, storing/saving milk, all while also breastfeeding as much as possible.

It kind of makes me want to just BF while on ML, but I know I need to stop being lazy and start reading and educating myself instead of keeping my head in the sand.

[jene]

Jun 6, 2014 9:19:18 GMT -5 SJ said:

These threads are very helpful- thank you.

Pumping is the only thing I really have true anxiety about right now (I am sure there are plenty of other things I SHOULD be worried about, but I'm not). It just seems so confusing to me, and I really don't "get" how all the logistics work of pumping, building up a stash, going back to work, leaving baby, storing/saving milk, all while also breastfeeding as much as possible.

It kind of makes me want to just BF while on ML, but I know I need to stop being lazy and start reading and educating myself instead of keeping my head in the sand.

It really freaked me out too, but it is easy peasy. My LC at the hospital showed me how to hook everything up, position everything, etc.

Due to A being a lazy sucker initially, I had to pump in the hospital to supplement using a supplemental nursing system. We introduced a bottle around a week and a half and I have continued pumping most days to build my freezer stash

[Deleted]

Jun 6, 2014 9:19:18 GMT -5 SJ said:

These threads are very helpful- thank you.

Pumping is the only thing I really have true anxiety about right now (I am sure there are plenty of other things I SHOULD be worried about, but I'm not). It just seems so confusing to me, and I really don't "get" how all the logistics work of pumping, building up a stash, going back to work, leaving baby, storing/saving milk, all while also breastfeeding as much as possible.

It kind of makes me want to just BF while on ML, but I know I need to stop being lazy and start reading and educating myself instead of keeping my head in the sand.

On ML I only pumped once a day maybe 3 or 4 days a week starting at 4 weeks. It was enough to build up a stash so H could be alone with DS and give him a bottle, and I had about 100 oz frozen when I went back to work. I would pump about an hour after re first morning feeding and get about 8 oz or so which I thought was pretty good.

[VillainV]

Jun 6, 2014 9:19:18 GMT -5 SJ said:

These threads are very helpful- thank you.

Pumping is the only thing I really have true anxiety about right now (I am sure there are plenty of other things I SHOULD be worried about, but I'm not). It just seems so confusing to me, and I really don't "get" how all the logistics work of pumping, building up a stash, going back to work, leaving baby, storing/saving milk, all while also breastfeeding as much as possible.

It kind of makes me want to just BF while on ML, but I know I need to stop being lazy and start reading and educating myself instead of keeping my head in the sand.

These boards have been a good resource for me.  Really, there is no "right" and "wrong" way to do it.  I know it seems like there is a lot you need to remember, but really it's not that hard.  You just gotta try it and see what works for you.  You'll figure it out pretty quickly :-)   

[timorousbeastie]

I tried pumping and a bottle around 3 weeks. Pumping occasionally went fine. The bottle did not. By that point, DD had decided she only wanted the boob.

[Jalapeñomel]

Although I pumped for milk in the NICU, the nurses told me to wait until week 6 before I started pumping for a stash. I think I went two weeks, and I pumped one bottle so DH could feed him.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jun 6, 2014 9:19:18 GMT -5 SJ said:

These threads are very helpful- thank you.

Pumping is the only thing I really have true anxiety about right now (I am sure there are plenty of other things I SHOULD be worried about, but I'm not). It just seems so confusing to me, and I really don't "get" how all the logistics work of pumping, building up a stash, going back to work, leaving baby, storing/saving milk, all while also breastfeeding as much as possible.

It kind of makes me want to just BF while on ML, but I know I need to stop being lazy and start reading and educating myself instead of keeping my head in the sand.

You don't have to pump! No need to add extra anxiety to your life.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jun 6, 2014 8:22:08 GMT -5 smock said:

I did use a hand pump last night and got 0.5 oz out of one side because she was sleeping and my boob was sore. But now I'm not sure what to do with the milk! It's too soon for a bottle and it seems ridiculous to freeze half an ounce, but I'm definitely not throwing it out! I'm thinking maybe a spoon or bulb? That shouldn't interfere with bf'ing right?

IMO, the biggest thing you have to worry about with pumping early is oversupply issues, but this doesn't happen to everyone.

[kershnic]

I started with pumping from the beginning due to NICU and then transitioned to nursing, so my experience isn't too helpful for you... but most babies are way more resilient and flexible than you fear. I've seen WAY more stories about babies who can go back and forth easily after early introduction of both than I have babies who had problems after early introduction of both.

[sh10]

I started pumping when DS was 12 hours old because he was in the nicu. He was very sleepy and his sugars were dropping, so we had to give him a bottle because he kept falling asleep while eating. I started pumping and getting enough to freeze around 5-6 weeks.

[Saudade]

I had to start pumping and dumping at 5 days old due to health issues. DS was on formula. Once we went back to BFing I didn't pump to build a supply (SAHM) and DS refused a bottle from then until 6 months old. However, it was NBD since I was SAH.

At 7 months I had to go away one weekend a month, each month and I would pump during those days.

Haven't started pumping with DS2 (4 weeks).

[Mushe]

I had to pump a bit to help my milk come in, but in general, I would not recommend early pumping, because you're establishing your supply, and don't want to send yourself into oversupply. The first few days, especially, after your milk come in are rough with engorgement, but I'd just pump enough to take the edge off.

[pescalita]

A went to the NICU so I pumped right away, and then daily through ML. Once he came home he took one bottle daily.

With J I started pumping when he was about 3 weeks old and giving a bottle daily a week later. I continued to pump twice/day during ML and only giving him one bottle and ended up building a massive freezer stash that I'm using to supplement now that my supply has crashed.