Anonymous wrote:FTM here. Just started to pump using the Medela Freestyle. When we gave the first bottle to our DD, the nipple seemed to be too fast for her and it seemed to create a lot of gas. Is the nipple meant for newborns? If not, can I pump directly into either the Dr. Brown's bottles we have or the Playtex drop in bottles? DD is 2.5 weeks old.

Also, should I be pumping until nothing comes out of either breast? I pumped this morning for 6 minutes and got 1 ounce from the left and 2 ounces from the right. I probably could have kept going but I don't feel let-down nor do I feel when I empty a breast. So it's hard for me to tell whether I should keep going or stop. I'm also worried that if I drain my breasts completely (again, not sure I would feel the difference) then DD would get up and I'd have nothing to offer her. Of course I would have what I just pumped but for some reason I'm troubled by that.

And can I combine what I've pumped from both breasts into one container? Should I? It just seems efficient but not sure why or why not to do this.

Finally, do I need to sterilize the pump parts after each pump, just wash the stuff or will a mere water rinse suffice?

Thanks for answering my questions. I'm so clueless about all this and tried Dr. Google but not a whole lot of info there.

- I think the nipple that comes with the bottles with the Freestyle is Medela's "slow flow" which is meant for newborns (although I also used it the whole time I pumped for my first baby, 1 year). But you can attach other bottles to the Freestyle if you don't like those.

- Your breasts are never technically "empty." If you pump a lot and then baby wakes and wants to nurse, baby will still get some milk. It depends on your purposes for pumping how long you should do it. If you're home with your baby and are just trying to increase your supply and/or build a freezer stash for a return for work or the occasional night out, I don't think it matters much. Are you going back to work? If so, once you are back at work, you'll probably want to go longer. I tended to double pump for about 15-20 minutes per session at work (3 times/day). I think that's typical. You'll learn quickly what you need to do to get enough milk, but more frequent, short sessions boost your supply better than less frequent, long sessions. Also, you may start to feel let down as you get more used to the pump. I didn't at first, but later I would really feel the let down coming and then the milk would flow quickly for a minute, slow, and then pick up again at the next let down. It takes practice to get used to it.

- Yes, you can combine milk from both breasts in one container. If you're freezing the milk, though, I personally liked having frozen milk in smaller amounts (equal amounts of 1, 2, and 3 oz bags) because if you defrost a whole 6 oz bag, but baby doesn't need all of it, it goes bad quickly and can't be re-frozen.

- I never strerilized my pump parts and baby was fine. I washed them well in hot water with soap. Also, between pump sessions in the same day you can just stick your pump parts in the fridge and then wash once at the end of the day.

- One more tip - kellymom.com is a good resource for tips on pumping.

I think my 2.5 mo old breastfed baby may be sensitive to the dairy in my diet. She spits up multiple times a day, not necessarily right after eating, and it is thick and pasty sometimes with lumps like cottage cheese. She also is gassy in the very early morning and grunts a lot, sometimes for a couple of hours, trying to pass the gas. Finally, her bowels sometimes are kind of acidic smelling, stronger than usual. Do these symptoms sound familiar? Could they be signs of a dairy sensitivity? I did eliminate it from my diet for 10 days then reintroduced it, and it seemed to lessen the symptoms but not so much that I'm 100% sure this is the problem. Thoughts?

My newborn was similar. It just got better the last week or so -- she's 11 weeks. One thing that helped was burping her for longer to get all the gas out. I also think she has a slight intolerance to dairy in my diet, so I've eliminated it and that seems to help. Finally, I think I had an oversupply for a couple of weeks when she was about a month old, and this upset her tummy during night feeds when my boobs were more full I think. The supply evened out after a couple of weeks, and she began to sleep easier.

We also love the Whale of a Tub -- it's by Fisher Price. Our daughter has been comfortable in it from her very first bath until now at 2.5 months. There's a bumper in the middle of the tub to hold small infants in a comfortable seated position. You can take that piece out later when the baby is sitting on his/her own and continue to use the tub as your baby grows.

Also, just want to mention that I also was very stressed that my baby was not getting enough to eat, and my doctor reassured me that she was fine if she was well hydrated, which the doctor can tell from her eyes, saliva, etc, and you can tell by baby having a lot of wet diapers. My baby was having only 1 stool a day, but the doctor said she was fine since she was well hydrated. Once my supply increased, her stools increased to 3-4 or more a day.

I also had a similar problem -- my supply was slow to come in and my baby gained no weight until a little over 3 weeks of age. In addition to the other suggestions, you might consider feeding the baby even more than every 2 hours. I did this mainly because my baby seemed constantly ravenous, so I just keep her nursing up to and, sometimes longer than, an hour, often with no more than a 15-20 min. break to eat or shower. I had rented a hospital grade pump from an LC and tried to pump a little when I could find a few minutes, but I -- like you -- got virtually no milk, and the trouble of assembling and rinsing, etc. the pump was too much for me. So, I ended up just letting her nurse on demand which literally was most of the day and night. My supply eventually came in, and she gained a ton of weight the first couple of weeks after that, and now -- at 10 weeks -- things have regulated. She's now nursing 6-8 times a day for 15-30 min. and gaining well. I love breastfeeding now, and it was worth the trouble. Good luck! I hope things turn out well for you too. Oh, and I also tried all the other tricks to increase my supply -- not sure if they helped, but worth a shot -- oatmeal every day, lots of water and healthy, high calorie meals, herbal supplement (a fenugreek blend by "Motherlove"), rest as much as you can given the circumstances -- let your husband or other support person take care of the house, meals, etc.

I just got a really cool one from my brother and SIL for my baby's playroom from Land of Nod. It's no super detailed but is very colorful and fun.

I'm looking for recommendations for an in home provider for my infant near our home at the intersection of West and Great Falls, between downtown Falls Church and the West Falls Church Metro (we're in 22046 zip, but close to 22043). We'd also consider locations in downtown Falls Church and immediately surrounding it, such as north of Falls Church in McLean (i.e., off Great Falls) and east of Falls Church in Arlington (such as the East Falls Church, Williamsburg, and Westover neighborhoods in Arlington). The provider must accept infants -- mine will be 6 months. I'd like to find an environment that is loving and nurturing and a caregiver(s) who gives each child lots of attention and affection. Other important things are clean environment, play based learning, no TV at least for the very young kids, familiarity with feeding babies expressed breast milk, gentle approach to discipline, ample time outdoors everyday, healthy varied meals and snacks (if they are provided), and consistency/low staff turnover. Exposure to some Spanish language and a separate space for moms to breastfeed their babies before they leave them for the day would also be great, but I realize my wish list is a little ambitious . Please let me know if you have any recommendations, event if you are unsure of when they'll have spaces open. My dates are a little flexible, and I'd like to explore all the options. Thanks very much!

I won't be back to work for a few more months, so no personal experience with this. However, I did read about this in a family member's LLL magazine. Apparently it's common -- the baby is getting more mommy time by nursing more when you're around. The article also said babies will sleep more at daycare so they need less nighttime sleep at home. I guess it's some kind of coping mechanism that kicks in when baby is newly separated from mom. Good luck; hope things improve for you!

This sounds similar to my daughter, although she's only 2 mo old. Elizabeth Pantley's "no-cry" nap and sleep books were recommended to me. I've just started reading them, so can't speak of any success yet. The layout of the books seems to be (1) helping you understand infant sleep, (2) giving various ideas of ways to improve napping and nighttime sleep, and (3) create your own daily plan based on whichever of the ideas from the book you like best. The books get lots of great reviews on Amazon. I like its create your own personalized plan approach. We've been winging it, trying different things each day, i.e., mall walk in stroller on day, bounce baby on exercise ball the next, then an outdoor walk in the moby wrap, etc. It feels like the whole day revolves around napping, and it's emotionally exhausting. So, I think it will be nice to have a routine plan to follow each day until her sleep gradually improves. Good luck!

Can anyone recommend a good in-home provider in the Falls Church, McLean or North Arlington areas? My baby will still be an infant when we begin care, so the adult to child ratio is important. It seems like a lot of in-home providers have large groups of children per adult, but I'd really like to find one that only has 2 or 3 children per adult, if that's possible. I realize it would be more expensive. Thanks for any suggestions!

I want to send a bouquet of flowers as a gift. Any recommendations on a place with good service, fresh flowers, and reasonable prices in Falls Church, Arlington, or Alexandria? Thanks!

I'm about 37 weeks pregnant and am thinking of buying a few pre-made meals to freeze and re-heat in those first couple of weeks post-partum. I'm going to cook one or two freeze ahead meals, but have limited time with work, so I'd like to purchase some too. I've heard of Let's Dish, but it doesn't look that healthy, i.e., the dishes come with white rice or pasta and few veggies. Does anyone know of a healthy alternative in Nova, especially something not too far from Falls Church? Thanks!

I've seen multiple posts re - seeking out preservative free flu shots. I had one this week at the Safeway at the Pan Am Center in Vienna (on Lee Highway). They have them specifically for pregnant women. This is for the seasonal flu, not H1N1.

Is it worth the cost difference to get a hands free breast pump if you're planning on continuing to breast feed once you return to work? (I'll be working 4 days/week, sometimes long days). I have a private office at work, so can pump there and am thinking the hands free may allow me to work while pumping rather than needing to take a break each time. Is it easy to work on a computer, read, etc. with the hands free? Thanks!