BF Mamas... when did you start to pump?

[greekypie]

I started pumping once in the AM around 3 or 4 weeks PP. The first week I got about 0.5 each time, ha! It was just to get my body used to pumping at that time every morning so I could build a freezer stash before going back to work.

[fortmyersbride]

With DS- I waited until 6 wks pp. It took me a while to get the hang of pumping, and when I went back to work at 7 wks I had only 30oz saved up (also largely due to laziness on my part).

With DD- I started at 3 days pp. I had to go back to the hospital for a quick procedure and wanted to leave her a bottle. From that point on, I started pumping a bottle a day. I went back to work with 400 oz in the freezer and it was so much nicer not having to worry about how often I pumped and whether I had enough on a daily basis.

[ijack]

Once my milk came in because I was so engorged.
I would recommend trying before 2 months because that's when kids get a little finicky about taking a bottle.

[oukapu]

I started that first week. It was sporadic at first. I liked having milk to be able to get out of the house and not worry if she got hungry earlier than expected. She didn't have any problems with taking a bottle.
It is nice to have a freezer stash before going back to work, but i wouldnt stress over it at the expense of spending time with your baby. My supply decreased over time and recently I have pulled almost exclusively from the stash to make it to a year.

[af1212]

The lactation consultant at my hospital and also the teacher at a class I went to both said 3 weeks was the magic #. So on day 20 I pumped for the first time, and on day 21 she got her first bottle. From then on I pumped each night while my husband fed her a bottle.

The lactation consultant said that if you start pumping much earlier than that your body hasn't established its supply yet and you will mess with it. Also, the baby is still learning to latch. If you wait too much later the baby may not take the bottle. I'm a rule follower, so we did exactly what they told us.

[slug*bug]

First time around, it took me a little longer to get the pump set up so probably 3 weeks.

Second baby, at 2 weeks.

I had my mom try giving them a bottle each around that time (date night!) and it went off without a hitch. We really didn't give them more bottles than that before I went back to work at 6 w, but they adjusted (thankfully) w/o issue.

[Mushe]

I think you'll get two different categories of responses (besides the I don't remember folks, lol). Those that pumped very early because of latch/supply/engorgement, and those that just started pumping to get baby ready for bottle/build a stash/etc.

I was in the first camp, and had to pump the first week because LO couldn't latch on one side and I battled with getting supply going. In hindsight, I think half the battle was not knowing to just keep trying to bf.

Anyway, I got my supply sorted out within a few weeks and didn't start pumping in earnest (i.e., for any reason other than so we could go to dinner or something) until I went back to work at 4 mo.

I read the same thing, basically to let your supply get established before introducing pumping.

[Mushe]

Oh, I should say that next time I'm not going to wait so long to start pumping for real. Because our time out was so rare and short (maybe just a movie), my LO was not at all used to a bottle and our first week of daycare and trying to get him ready for it were rough. He hated bottles.

[h]

I pumped once a day from about three weeks on with both kids so that they could start getting used to a bottle and I could build up a supply of pumped milk.

[karinothing]

6 weeks.

[jenjen]

I started the day after my milk came in because I was so engorged DS wouldn't/couldn't latch. I wouldn't recommend that unless it's necessary. I had to pump before each feeding for just a minute to soften everything up so DS would latch. It was so painful but I did build up a nice stash. My milk leveled out (thank God) around 3-4 weeks so I only pumped when DS had a bottle and I missed the feeding. DS had his first bottle around 2 weeks and probably averaged 1/week until he started daycare last week.

I started pumping for real last week. I seem to get just a little more out of the pumping than what he takes through the bottle so hopefully it continues to work once I go back to work later this week.

[MamaMaui24]

3 weeks and it worked for us.

DS took a bottle fine and would go back and forth no prob.

I pumped once/ day (1 hour after first morning feeding) and had ~ 300 oz. frozen when I went to work at 12 wks.

[satama]

First baby it was 3-4 weeks, maybe more. Second baby was in the NICU the first night, so after his first attempt to nurse right after birth I pumped. The lactation consultant brought me a pump a couple of hours after I was out of recovery.

[Ashley&Scott]

I pumped any time I left to run errands. Since he didn't like the bottle most of it was frozen.

When he started sleeping longer stretches around 2 months I would pump one side in the middle of the night. (He typically only nurses on one side per feeding & waiting 8 hours was uncomfortable.)

ETA: I totally forgot, I also pumped in the hospital. The first night we had a bad latch & that side was too sore to nurse the next day. I pumped on that side for 24 hours while I was healing.

[Deleted]

Immediately. In the hospital. DS wasn't eating much and I had a ton of milk. My dr wanted DH to do one of the feedings every night because of my blood pressure.

[livinitup]

I pumped around 2 months to save-up for an overninght wedding. Total PITA. Then I had a small stash of EBM to start work. But I was nver really pumping regularly until I went back to work and just pumped when baby was eating. I also didn't mind the occassional warmed formula bottle - neither did she.

[rootbeerfloat]

Around 2-3 weeks both times.

[Mrs.Syntax]

I started pumping the day my milk came in. I was too engorged for DD to latch and I needed to empty a bit before feeding her. I know "they" say not to do that or it will perpetuate the problem, but I felt like I really didn't have a choice.

We first introduced a bottle at 3 weeks and she took it like a champ.

[gbck]

I started the day after she was born or so and gave her her first bottle around week 3 or 4.
But I was alos back at work FT at 6 weeks...if I had it to do again and was going back at 12 weeks, I'd probably start pumping at about 6 weeks and intro a bottle by then.

[Deleted]

I waited until 4 weeks. The 3 week growth spurt was a bitch and I didn't have any time to worry about pumping during that.

He took a bottle no problem from 1-4 months, then he quit. We weren't that diligent about giving him bottles on the regular.

Pumping too early (or more too much too early) can cause over supply. Which sounds great until your baby has nasty poops and a belly ache and your boobs hurt all the time.

[sewpinkgal]

I started at just over a week old because of low supply. The LC had me pumping after most feedings each day. Not fun, but I did build up a good freezer stash. We introduced a bottle at 3 weeks per the LC recommendation and then he got one every couple of days. I would pump and go to bed while H did the last feeding of the night. We were diligent about him regularly getting a bottle even though I was nursing so he would take it if I had to leave or something. This worked out well for us.

[mie]

I waited too long with child 1 -- around the 6 week mark. Chil 2 was between 2-3 weeks and child 3 was between week 4-5.

[Deleted]

I started pumping at 4 weeks and have him his first bottle at 6 weeks. He has never had any issues going between breast and bottle.

[anna7602]

I think I offered a bottle for the first time around 3 or 4 weeks. Before then, I just timed my outings betwen feedings.

[megs193]

Aug 27, 2012 20:08:21 GMT -5 @kirkette said:

Aug 27, 2012 18:05:48 GMT -5 ijack said:

Once my milk came in because I was so engorged.

Yup.

This. I didn't give him his first bottle until 1 month though because that is what my LC recommended.

[Deleted]

I pumped and BF when I got home from the hospital to build up a freezer stash, and it was a big mistake. I ended up with an oversupply which made my life miserable, and made BFing a lot more complicated than it needed to be. I was engorged all the time and DS had trouble latching, which is trouble he didn't need at 2 weeks old KWIM? I highly recommend nursing on demand until BFing is established, so until 4-6 weeks. DS had his first bottle at 7 weeks, took it no problem. BFing takes time for you and LO to learn, so IMHO throwing a bottle into that equation too early is problematic.

[nabum]

The day that I came home from the hospital. My son was late pre-term and had issues regulating blood sugar. The LC that I saw wanted me to start pumping immediately to make sure that I could supplement if needed.

[Deleted]

Somewhere around 3-4 weeks so DH could start giving them a bottle and help out with night feedings.

[aspentosh]

I pumped a few days after DD was born because she wouldn't latch and I needed to feed her. Once we got that going, I didn't pump again until closer to 3-4 weeks. That was to ease engorgement.