1st time BFing Mom...Pumping during the first month?

[Anonymous]

I plan to BF my baby. I've received conflicting advice from lactation consultants regarding using a pump during the first month. I'd appreciate some feedback from BF moms. If all goes well and DS nurses like a champ, do I need to pump at all during the first 4 weeks or so? The last consultant I spoke with told me that the baby is the best pump. However, I've also heard that renting a hospital-grade pump may be wise to help establish my milk supply. I'm a SAHM so I'll be with baby 24-7. I'm a bit confused and overwhelmed at this point. Any advice?

[Anonymous]

I think it's a little hard to figure this out in advance since every mom-baby pair works a little differently. I actually think that both of the things you've heard are true, it's just a little confusing to know how they'll apply in your case -- the baby is the best "pump" in that once your baby gets the hang of nursing (it's new to the baby, too!), the baby is a more efficient "milker" than the pump is, and if the baby nurses frequently, that should theoretically be enough to get your supply established. On the other hand, if your baby is having trouble getting the hang of it (my baby was "tongue-tied" and could not nurse well until his frenulum was clipped, some babies have other difficulties latching, or are just so sleepy that they won't be trying to nurse often enough to stimulate and establish your milk supply as quickly as you would like) -- in that case, a hospital-grade pump can be incredibly useful for establishing your milk supply quickly. I'd keep the name and number of a local lactation consultant, get information on renting the hospital-grade pump so that you know how to do it if you need to, and just see how everything works out once the baby is here. It's natural for it to take some time for the milk to come in, so don't worry about a slight initial weight loss. Good luck with everything!

[Anonymous]

Ok-I'm going to respond since no one else has and I am not the BFing expert but I'll tell you what I experienced. I was surprised at how hard of a time I had just figuring out how to hold the baby and how to get him to latch on. Looking back I wish I had taken a class before hand since you want to know a little bit about what to do when the baby comes. Lactation specialists come in and when they did I could breastfeed with their help but for all the other feedings through the day and night I was almost in tears because I couldn't do it. At the beginning your milk doesn't flow and it doesn't really come out through the pump since it's colostrum and the baby can get it but it's thicker so the pump doesn't show that you have any. Anyway-The problem with breastfeeding only at the hospital is that when you are having trouble and the baby isn't getting enough to void as they call it then the billy rubin doesn't go down enough--something in the blood that has to be released after birth through going to the bathroom--so my son was under the lights with blindfolds (this is SO no big deal but seems dramatic if you have never heard of it) My point is that had I known more about BFing I might have felt more comfortable and maybe I could have fed him better-I had to supplement with 2 oz bottles of formula (I think they only eat one oz at a time) and when he had that the billy ruben went away and we could take him home when I left (since I had to stay longer for c-section)
Sorry I went off-topic I just felt it was related--SO I used the breast pump in the room and what I was told and do believe is that when the baby is not getting much at the beginning that the pump gets you prepared to feed because it encourages your milk to come in. I rented one from the hospital (Holy Cross had a center across the street ) not sure what hospital you will be at. I found it easy to use and had I done it more I would have produced more. It is true that the baby does get more out of you than the pump--but if you are having any trouble--and most people that I know did-then you will want this as a back up. I got little med cups and medicine droppers so that I could give him whatever I pumped-even a small amount--sorry if this was not what you wanted to know!(if you pump and then transfer it to a bottle sometimes if you only get a little you lose most of it by transfering

[Anonymous]

hi OP,

My DS is now one month old. I started pumping occassionally just over a week ago. BFing was well estalished for us by then and it's been nice having some ounces in the fridge for backup. Beware though - pumping can make you pretty engorged at first!

[Anonymous]

It's really hard to know what will be best for your situation. Women produce vastly different amounts of milk in the first few weeks and dbs have vastly different levels of efficiency. Some women and dbs get the hang of it and are a great fit from the get go. Some women and dbs have supply issues due to supply and/or db inefficiency. Some women have too much supply which overwhelms db and makes pumping necessary to sort of reduce the pressure with which the milk comes out. There are just so many scenarios. My advice is that you plan to have a lactation consultant come to your home during your first week home after delivery to sit with you, talk with you, and observe how things are going.

It's important to know that breastfeeding is a LEARNED SKILL, not simply an intuitive activity. We used to grow up seeing lots of women and children breastfeeding and used to have babies within communities of other mothers who shared their experience and helped us. Now, we have lactation consultants

Best wishes to you and your family!!

[Anonymous]

I had a few challenges BF my 1st. He did not gain enough weight at his 2 week check up and my ped wanted me to supplement. I was not opposed to it - but so frustrated b/c I felt that the only thing I did the previous 2 weeks was nurse!

I found 2 websites really valuable.
www.kellymom.com and
http://www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html

using these 2 sites I was able to look at some things at my pace at any time of day. I found that the nurses in the hospital each told me something different about BFing and it was really overwhelming. Each nurse had a different opinion about how to hold the baby so every 8 hours I was doing something different and did not get into a routine.

On the positive side - I wound up getting it down - it took about 6 weeks - and we kept it up for 18 months.

[Anonymous]

I know this may be counter to what the LC said, but I started pumping right at around 2 weeks post-partum. I wanted to make sure I could BOTH breastfeed and pump, since I knew I would be going back to work. I would pump AFTER I had fed baby and this helped me to store away a few bottles for emergencies (or to get a little break so DH could take care of baby).

One important note is that you must either breastfeed or pump every few hours (2-4) in order to maintain supply. If you supplement with a bottle, you really need a replacement pumping session to ensure your milk supply does not go down.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the posts above, that you will figure out what is right for you. But you really won't know until your baby has arrived. I know the feeling of wanting to understand what it is going to be like, and to plan for it, but it will all be much different that you ever expected. So my advice is have the baby, breastfeed at the hospital and when you get home you will figure it out. I recommend the Breastfeeding Center on K Street. They have a Tuesday support group where you can ask lots of questions and hear from other new moms. This group really got baby and me off to a grat start. Personally, I started pumping on day 4 (on the advice of the LC at my ped's office) because that way my husband could give baby a bottle once a day and I could catch a break from the seemingly constant feedings sessions. We didn't have any trouble with nipple confusion. In fact, I have a number of friends that waited until 4-6 weeks and had a terrible time trying to get their babies to take bottles.
Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I've had Drs and LCs tell me that baby is the best pump but I'd also pump after a feeding to increase supply during the first few weeks.

I also found pumping to be really helpful during the 4 week growth spurt when we had 3 days of 8+ hour feedings (almost non-stop.) Both the baby and I were frustrated and tired. I met with a LC who advised me to pump and take a break and give him a bottle.

After 2 months of renting a pump, I bought one so I'd have it for work. I've got a decent stash in the freezer for when I return to work which feels kind of nice.

I like the PP that said BF is a relationship. It took us 2 weeks to get it but 6 weeks to really find our groove and then by 12 weeks we were down to 15 minute feedings. If only I had known that early on -- I would have felt way more encouraged. My goal was to give BF a shot and get to 6 weeks -- we're on week 17 and not stopping yet.

Whether you decide to pump or not, find a LC whose style works for you and use them as a resource.

[Anonymous]

I agree that all babies are different, and developing that relationship will be a beautifully unique thing for you.
I also wholeheartedly endorse Pat Shelly at the Breastfeeding Center--the support group during those first 12 weeks was invaluable to me.
My struggle was that baby wanted to every two hours on the dot and would take 45 min to finish...so even finding time to pump those first couple months was a challenge! I decided to focus on getting breastfeeding down pat and worry about pumping later. Eventually, starting at about 5 weeks, I would pump once a day (in the morning when supply was highest) just to practice for work and give baby a chance to practice with the bottle (and he did need practice!) WISH i had allowed husband to give the baby an occasional bottle of pumped milk so i could have had a break, but I was stubborn (and exhausted!) I went back to work at 4.5 months, and we breastfed exclusively for a year!
Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Can I add a question to this thread? Another first time mom here, and I wondered if I buy the fancy Medela breast pump, can I start with that in the first month or two, or do you think a hospital-grade pump makes a huge difference? I was going to get a Medela anyway, so I wouldn't rent one unless I needed to...

[Anonymous]

It was recommended to me that you should both breastfeed as well as pump. That way, you can ramp up supply faster. So what I did was I'd feed the baby, then pump for another 10 minutes afterwards. Sometimes not much comes out during the pump session, but it help to stimulate to bring more milk in at a later time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can I add a question to this thread? Another first time mom here, and I wondered if I buy the fancy Medela breast pump, can I start with that in the first month or two, or do you think a hospital-grade pump makes a huge difference? I was going to get a Medela anyway, so I wouldn't rent one unless I needed to...

I bought the Mendela Advance pump but also ended up renting the Mendela Symphony (hospital grade) for about 2 weeks because it felt gentler on the boobs. Given how sensitive one can get the beginning couple of weeks, the Symphony just seem to work better for me. After that, I returned the rental and just used my purchased pump.

[Anonymous]

I'd always heard you should wait until bfing is well-established to introduce anything that might cause "nipple confusion" like bottles or pacifiers. Turns out my little guy just could not latch though, so I ended up pumping from the get go with the hospital pump, then had DH buy a pump (Medela PIS Advance) before we went home. Our first month I primarily pumped/bottle-fed, and transitioned to mostly nursing only after seeing an LC a few weeks later. I had no supply issues, in fact, I usually pumped enough for two bottles at each session until we started nursing more and my supply actually decreased to match his demand. There was also no nipple confusion at all - Ds happily glommed on to the hospital's bottles at first, then my Medelas and Born Frees, and eventually me, with no trouble at all.

[Anonymous]

You're getting great advice, OP! I will just add one more thing: if your baby is not nursing well from birth, ask for a pump right away in the hospital and pump for 15 minutes every 2-3 hours around the clock whether or not anything comes out. My baby would hardly ever latch on for the first 2 months, and luckily I knew enough from my pre-birth BF class and reading to ask for the pump. However, I had no idea what to do with it and the nurses and even the hospital LC were not helpful at all. I was pumping for 45 minutes to get 3 drops of colostrum and I was in PAIN. After a couple of weeks and another LC and more reading I realized that the most you can expect from pumping in those early days is just to stimulate the breasts to bring the milk in and establish supply. You can't really feed the baby through pumping until the milk comes in. I wish I had known that going in.

If your baby is nursing well from the start, I wouldn't bother with a hospital-grade pump, or with pumping at all for the first couple of weeks.