Becoming an Exclusive Pumper, and the Pump

If your child is 3 then she may be telling you that she doesnt need breast milk. I would consult your prediatrition when is the time to stop breast feeding.

A.,
As the mother of two, who has tried many pumps...Let me recommend a Medela (you can rent at the hosptial or some medical supply stores). I used a Whisper pump with my first son and did not save/store much milk. With my 2nd son I rented a Medela pump and have been much happier. I have also made much more milk. I recommend pumping every 3-4 hours to prevent having mastitis (breast infection). Good luck!

You don't mention your daughter's age, but it sounds like she is around 7 or 8 months. It is very typical for babies this age to be easily distracted when they nurse because they are incresasingly interested in the world around them. You might find that she will still nurse well at bedtime or when she is very sleepy.
In order to transition to pumping, you simply pump when you would normally feed. You might want to first massage your breasts and use warm compresses to help the milk flow. As far as the Whisper Wear pump goes, moms offer mixed reviews. In my opinion as a lactation consultant, it isn't a pump I would recommend for a mother who is exclusively pumping. The two I do recommend for your situation are the Medela Pump in Style and the Ameda Purely Yours.

I had a hard time having a "let down" while I was pumping, so I tried to use it while I was nursing. Wow! makes a big diff. You might give that a try - baby on one, and pump on the other. Also, I never used the big pumps before, and have been out of the brands for awhile (never heard of yours), but my favorite was the Avent Isis. It goes anywhere (for times you have to pump away from home) and is cheap and easy to use even while holding baby. I collect 2 gallons in two months, even with my newborn taking 8oz every 2 hours (she was a heavy feeder). Good on you for feeding baby and I hope this info helps. :}

I wonder if her apparent lack of interest in nursing has something to do with her age - babies get VERY interested in what is going on around them - especially older siblings! :) I've found that I try find a quieter spot to nurse and then put something over my little one's head to block vision. He has even become extremely interested in the bookshelf and what is on it!! Good luck!!

Did your pump come with a manual? If so try looking there, or call a lactation consultant. They are the nursing/pump geniuses.

When I wanted to go to just the pump, I had to supplement formula for about a week.

I put the baby on for half her time (nursing), then pumped the other half. To ensure she was getting her fill, I gave her half a bottle of formula.

By week two, I had enough milk to fill a bottle. That way she got the breast milk from the bottle; then when she was done, I pumped again. By this time I was pumping for the full amount of time she would have nursed, so I produced the amount she drank.

Every couple of weeks you're going to need to increase your pumping time, so when her demand rises you have the milk stored.

Hi A.,

I pumped for several months after my daughter was born because she had major problems latching on that no one seemed able to solve. Anyway, the lactation consultants strongly recommended renting a commercial pump (you can usually rent from a local hospital) for anyone pumping full time. They told me it was just easier and faster to use. I never tried anything but, so I can't give you a comparison, but if you have trouble,you might want to consider that.

Good luck!
L.

I recently purchased a Medela Freestyle pump-it's a new "hands free" model and it also has a battery, so you're not plugged into the wall. I like it a lot!