Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #2

[Samuel's mum]

Shark - it does take some babies time to adjust to a tongue tie and obviously the older the baby the longer to adjust. He is going to have lost the need for a wide latch with his bottle use.
I hope you have some luck with your next attempt. I would think about using a nipple shield in your situation as well.

Obvious point but I'm guessing you have a back-up pump if anything happened to pump A.

[campbellchick]

Hi everyone, I am heading back to work soonish (6 weeks, but am applying for a new job and if I get it, I could be heading back in the next few weeks) and am looking for advice on how long I need to get my body used to pumping the feeds.

I have slowly been introducing dd to a bottle over the past month or so.  She gets one every so often, so she still much prefers the breast.  However, I haven't had very good luck in the past with pumping (with my first baby), so am a bit nervous about this.   I was thinking that I should try pumping the feeds that she would normally be taking at daycare and giving her a bottle so we can both get used to it for about a week or so before she actually goes to daycare.  Is this the way most people do it and is that enough time or should I do this for a few weeks instead?  I am having a bit of trouble atm as my milk supply is quite low due to dd having a cold for the last few weeks - but I have posted that on a seperate thread.  However, it means that I am trying to pump as much as possible right now as she is using all of my stock in the freezer. 

Can anyone make any suggestions on anything else I should be doing to get my body used to pumping before I head back to work?

TIA, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[lidiayy]

Kerrie,

Welcome to this board!
I have been pumping for 2 months or so. I started when DD was 2.5 mo with "pumping routine" as follows:
7 am ish - feed + pumping (2 Oz)
6 pm ish - feed + pumping (2 Oz)
11 pm ish - no DF, just pumping (3 - 4 Oz)

When DD dropped her night feed, my boobs woke up engorged and I had to pump 1st thing in the morning to relief the pressure. Since then, I think my body "assumes" that DD eats A LOT at that moment, because I pump around 3 Oz, then feed, then pump more 1.5 Oz.

Now that I'm back to work, I pump at 7am ish (5 Oz) + 10:30 am (3 - 4 Oz) + 11 pm (3 - 4 Oz).

I know that lots of pumping sessions are hard, but have you considered doing it 1 hour after every Holly's feedings, at least for 2 days or so?

Sorry I can't help much more than this!    But I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

hugs

Lidia

[campbellchick]

Thanks Lidia, that is great info .  It gives me a start anyway.  As I'm trying to increase my supply atm i am now pumping after every feed until I get it back up, but then I might try to do 1hr after her feeds for a few days and then drop back down to something like the schedule you started on and keep that up until I return to work.  Wow, you also must have had a lot of supply when you went back to work recently, after pumping for that long    Also, do you use a special bottle or a slow flow teat with her bottles now so she still wants the breast? 

Thanks for your help - nice to talk to you on a different board too 

[clh]

Hey, Kerrie!  Welcome & good luck with that job application! 

I think Lidia has some good advice for you.  I wouldn't replace feeds until you actually start to work.  Pumps are not as efficient as lo's, so you most likely wouldn't pump enough in 1 sitting to replace that bottle.  So you'd be eating (or lo will be eating!) into your stash.  I'd suggest pumping after feeds as much as possible.  (I know.  Sometimes it isn't possible when you have a toddler running around, too.)  If Holly is not taking a df, that time of night (10-11 pm) is a great time to boost your stash a bit. 

I think around the time my boys were her age, I was doing something like
7 am - bf
10:30 am - pump
3 pm - pump
7 pm - bf
10:30 pump
Or at least it went to something like that soon after 6 months...  Hard to remember now.

I would suggest keeping a slow-flow nipple as long as possible.  Both mine did that & went back to breast just fine.  If there starts to be issues with breast refusal, you can always look into something like the medela special needs feeder or the breastflow (that one may be UK only?).  They both mimic the way a breast works better than other bottles (makes lo's work for their dinner ).

[shark]

so be honest, do you wash your pump after every use, especially during the work day?

[campbellchick]

Thanks Candice, that is also great advice .  I guess initially I thought I'd 'practice' giving her those feeds to make sure it all works out, but didn't think about it eating into my stash! 

I think I am getting a bit nervous as I don't always get a let down when I pump (e.g. I've just been pumping now for about 10 mins and my let down on one side has only just kicked in ), but if I start pumping regularly now, that should give me more of an idea of what times work best for me.  It is very hard to pump at the moment with Hunter running around, but he actually likes to sit with his hand on the pump to feel the vibrations, so it keeps him amused for now anyway 

Shark, not that I am working yet, but I have read on one of these threads that if you put your pump straight into the fridge when done, you don't need to wash it before the next feed.  I've been doing that at home when I know I am not going to get the time to wash it before I need to pump next.  I then try to wash it every 2nd time at least though.  Hmm, hopefully this isn't too unhygenic 

[mere&braden]

Need Help!  First i'm having trouble trying to navigate the new lay out too this site!  I probably last logged on in 2005/2006 with my first child.  I have not been on since.

I now have a 6wk old little girl.  She has been nursing well since birth and being supplemented with formula.  Now I really want to work at getting her mostly on formula before I return to work in Sept./Octo.  She is very gassy and was doing great with taking formula supplement, but now is
fighting the bottle.  She seems to only take it from my husband or myself. 

Need Help,

Meredith

[clh]

I don't wash every pumping time.  Put in zip-top bag.  Keep cool.  Re-use. 

Hey, Meredith!  Welcome back.  Congrats on your newest bundle of joy!    Sorry you're having a difficult time navigating.    You're welcome to post on this thread, but the moms on this particular thread are trying to continue bf, even though they're working.  Both my boys took to the bottle decently well, so I don't have any advice for you there, either, I'm afraid. 

There's something in the bf FAQ about getting bf babies to take a bottle: http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64926.0

You could also post a new topic in either the bfing (http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=12.0) or bottle feeding (http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=11.0) boards.  That might get more "traffic" regarding your particular issue than on this thread.  To start a new topic (sorry if you already know this...) go to the board, & below the "child boards" section and above the main section, over on the right, there are a list of buttons.  Click "new topic" & then you can type in a subject & your post.  Hope that helps!

[campbellchick]

Hi everyone, sorry if this has already been discussed (as much as I would like to - I just don't have time to look back through all of the posts), but I was just wondering what type of pump everyone is using?  I only have a Medela Mini Electric, which I don't think would hold up for constant pumping when I return to work (also may have been some of the reason I couldn't build my supply up with ds just over a year ago).  But I had a look in the product recommendations and have narrowed it down to 2 that sound good - Medela Swing and Ameda Purely Yours (I don't want to spend the type of money needed on the Medela In Style Advanced since I will probably only continue this for another 6 months or so and this is my last baby too).  But if you either use one of those, could you please give me your honest opinion about it OR if you have another type of pump that you find great - please let me know.  Thanks so much, Kerrie

[clh]

I use the Medela Pump In Style Advanced (finishing up 2nd lo on it! ), but I've heard lots of good things about the Medela company in general.  I've heard less about Ameda.  That doesn't mean they're worse; just that I've heard of them less. 

You *do* need to have a pump that is designed for how you're going to use it, though.  You prbably want to have a double electric so you can pump both breasts at once.  Otherwise you'll have to double your pumping time.  Have you thought about renting one?  You might get a better-quality pump for less, if you're not going to use it long.  Don't know how the economics work on that, but it's a thought!

P.S.  If you start a new topic/poll you might get better traffic.

[lyndsy_p]

I only used my Medela PISA for 6 months but it was worth every penny. It made pumping at work sooo less stressful (not to mention shorter) and my yields for the 11am pump were always 10-11oz. I had a huge stockpile and that in itself is very comforting.

I sold my PISA after I was done with it for 1/2 price.

[clh]

Imy yields for the 11am pump were always 10-11oz. I had a huge stockpile and that in itself is very comforting.

   WOW!!    I think 7 oz at once is my tops EVER! 

[campbellchick]

Wow, that is a lot of oz....  That is fantastic.  I'll look into that one. 

Candice, TBO, I didn't even think of renting one    it must be this baby brain of mine....  I'll look into it definitely.  DH would be a lot happier if I spent a LOT less money on it than $300+ - though we both realise the cost of formula would be a lot more in 6 months anyway and I was really hoping not to go down that road. 

I thought about starting a seperate post, but just thought I'd ask on here first since everyone on here pretty much pumps the majority of the time so hoped I'd get enough opinions to help me make a decision 

[campbellchick]

Okay, so I just looked into renting a pump and it will cost me twice as much as buying one  .  The companies around here renting them out are asking around $300 per 3 months of hire.  Maybe I should buy a few of them and start renting them out myself  .  I will definitely be buying one I think, now I just have to decide which one to buy!!!