Pumping Breastmilk - Kaukauna,WI

I only wanted to add that using a special bra to pump is pretty much essential. I didn't go the way of buying an expensive one specially designed for it, I just cut slits in an old sports bra. It works great, keeps the shield in place and my hands are free to do whatever.

I agree, that I don't like to use the TV as a babysitter, but you could find her favorite show and let her watch it so you get a few minutes to pump. My girls loved Blues Clues, so that show always worked for me to shower or get a load of laundry in.

Is there a reason that you are pumping instead of just breastfeeding? The time you spend with the breastpump could be spent with you two girls. C., I can't see how you could be getting you rest if you are up so much at night. I'd would put my babies in bed with me and they would nurse and we both would fall asleep. I did this with all 5 babies and all was well with all of us.. I hope you will take the oportunity and nurse your baby, just look at all the snuggle time you will have.. Good luck D.

I did exactly the same thing when my son was a baby. Anyway - I was able to get my milk supply to the point where I could just pump three times a day to keep up with him. My advice is to try and adjust to something like that. If you start pumping longer those three times, and then pump only when you can't stand it otherwise, your supply will start to adjust. Then you'll get more milk, more time, and everyone's happy.

I'm due in June, so I'm wondering about this myself as my son will now be three. I'm hoping I can breastfeed this time, but who knows.

My advice is if it's too stressful and time consuming, just switch to formula. He'll get a lot more from a calm mommy, than breastmilk. :) I know my son did.

I pumped one side while my son nursed on the other. It helped with letdown and I got a lot of milk that way. I would usually do first thing in the morning when I was more engorged anyway and then I only pumped about once a day or every other as I only needed to have enough supply for the occasional bottle. But, if you wanted to pump a little bit each time, just remember to alternate sides. Also, I do think that some others are on track with the recommendation to get nursing well established before you're worried about pumping. It will make everything go much more smoothly. Best of luck.

Hi C.,

I also have a 3.5 year old and am exclusively pumping for my 8 week old because of being unable to breastfeed. At around 6.5 weeks, I dropped from 7 pumps a day to 6 pumps a day by spreading out my time between pumps. My supply stayed the same. I plan to drop to 5 pumps in another week or so and then down to 4 a couple weeks later. Once you feel your supply is established, you can experiment with dropping pumps to see how it is affected. Most moms can't stay sane with a 7-8 times a day pumping schedule, but it is important early on!

I actually involve my 3.5 year old in the pumping process. He will help me get my supplies and will even get the baby his pacifier if the baby starts crying when pumping. If the baby is content, I will verbally play with my 3.5 year old (let's do the ABCs, Numbers, I-spy, etc.). If the baby is not asleep, I put him in his Ocean Wonders bouncy seat. There have been a few times where he is crying, but I try to keep pumping knowing that the breastmilk is for his own good. I also have a hands free bra that I use sometimes in a pinch. I can use the hands free bra and then lay my son on his boppy pillow and feed him. I only pump for 20 minutes at a time, so we can usually get through it.

There is a great community on iVillage for moms who are exlusively pumping. It has really helped me. http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppexcluspump

Also, once my son started sleeping through the night more (around 4-5 weeks), I stopped getting up at night to pump. I typcially go 7-8 hours at night without pumping. I get engorged, but am able to take care of it at the first morning pump.

If I can be of more assistance, feel free to email me.

J.

Hi C.,
I'm pumping while writing you! A friend lent me her pumping bra from 'easy expression' (which you can get on amazon.com) it's amazing!! it allows you to have your hands free- much better when you have other little ones around the house! my little guy is 6 mons and i pump first thing in the morning (and my husband gets up if i'm pumping to deal with our 3 yo and infant if they wake up). Then I pump again at 10, 2, 6, 9. You didn't say why you weren't nursing- I have found that if I can nurse around 6 pm, rather than pumping, it's a nice break from the 'machine' and since that's a busy dinner-hour time, you're not doing double the work of pumping, then giving a bottle! Often I'll give my 3 yo art stuff (markers, stickers, stamps) to keep busy- she's not a fan of the TV!

I have to do a bit of pumping time to time as I have twins and need to help stimulate for additional milk supply. I do mine when the twins are asleep. It only takes 10-15 minutes and I can still lie down for a bit if needed. As far as the 3.5 yr old goes (mine is just over 4)...get her involved in coloring or another fun activity she can do by herself for a few minutes (sorting, putting cheerios on a string, etc)...and good luck! Maybe even try to rework your schedule so you can feed the baby and then pump afterwards...hence she is satisfied and can sit by herself for a little bit (swing, bouncy, under a toy, etc)....

I often breastfeed on one side while pumping on the other. I know that you are bottlefeeding so you could pump on the opposite side that you are holding your daughter. I have seen advertisements for bras that the pump attachments hook into but I just wear a nursing bra and have the edge of my bra hold the attachment in place. It's a little tricky but it's worked for me.

i would highly recommend going to www.llli.org and finding a local or nearby la leche league. my closest group was an hour away, but trust me it is worth it. you can bring your older child along with you, so no worries there.
you will find other moms there who have most likely been in a position similar to yours, and lots of books and resources to help you do this! :D

good luck. above all, dont be frustrated when you dont get it all done you know? expect less from all of you, and you will be surprised when more gets accomplished than disappointed when less gets accomplished! :D

Why don't you try to just straight breastfeed? It would free up the pumping time because you would be feeding her already. Now you're kind of going through the work of feeding her "twice."........

I was able to do a ton while I breastfed our son. And I breastfed him on demand. He never (or very rarely) had to wait because I didn't believe in letting him cry when he was hungry. It didn't matter if he ate 20 minutes ago or 2 hours ago, if he was hungry I fed him. Our daughter (who was 27 months when he was born) would sit by me and I would read her books or play dolls, etc. Breastfeeding litteraly only takes 1 hand/arm to do so you are still able to do much else. I would even eat my lunch while I breastfed as he always seemed to want to eat with the family...LOL.

And then you could just pump here or there to build up a supply for when you are not around. It wouldn't be so time consuming. You could just do it whenever you actually had time.

Don't give up right away if your baby won't latch because she's been on the bottle for a little while now. Call a lactation specialist if you need help. Or call the LaLeche League and have someone come give you some tips.

Good luck!

I don't have anything to add, except hopefully your body will 'remember' pumping from your last baby and you will produce tons and tons of milk soon and have your freezer overflowing with milk and then you can stop pumping and enjoy your children!

I had to pump and bottle feed with both my boys, too, as I was PHYSICALLY unable to nurse. Kudos to you for doing what you can with it, because it takes twice as long as regular nursing (since you have to take the time to pump, then also the time to feed). I was able to figure out a way to sit on the floor cross-legged, and cradle my baby in my lap/leg on one side while I pumped the other. I would also switch it up and prop him up across from me (like the car seat, swing, or boppy) and spend face-to-face time talking and being silly. That usually made up for not holding him. I kept my pumping stuff in my bedroom, where there was lots of floor space to do this. It got trickier with my second baby, because my older son was 3.5 at the time and required a lot of attention, too. I would pump during his naps, while he was at preschool, taking a break watching a show, or even while hanging out with us. He would bring books to read, and he would sit next to me while I pumped--he'd hold the books and turn pages, and I read. Baby loved it, too. Sometimes just being together helps.

And when all else fails and you can't do it anymore, DON'T feel guilty! You've done the best you can, and my pediatrician said breast milk is great, but not at the expense of a mother who is always in tears over guilt and stress, not to mention the reduced milk consumption that results. Enjoy your babies!

I don't know why you're pumping instead of just nursing, but if you can, I would consider trying to simply nurse. My oldest son had some serious latch problems, but we were able to work with a great lactation consultant and got it working. It was a lot less work than the pumping had been!

But if nursing isn't an option for you, then good for you for keeping up with the pumping! My sister did it for a year, and I know how hard that is. It's like all the work of nursing plus all the work of bottle feeding. I've heard great things about the pumping bras, that they let you do other things while you pump. You may also want to talk to your older one about your pumping and see if she can do anything to "help," like bringing you nursing pads, holding the tops to the bottles or any other accessory you can trust her with and aren't concerned about contaminating, etc. My sister now has a new baby and her older daughter has her own "baby," which she cares for while my sister takes care of her littlest one. That seems to help too, so she can say "I'm going to change Josie, can you change your baby?" Perhaps while you're pumping, your daughter could give her baby a bottle or something.

Good for you for keeping up with it. I know what a hard thing you're doing. Try not to stress, nurse when/if you can just for your own sanity, and don't worry if you supplement!

I'm doing the same thing, but I have a 6yo and 2yo in addition to my 8-week-old baby. It's really hard to get the pumping done!
The only way I can do it when the baby is sleeping and the 2yo is either taking a nap or is watching a movie. I don't like using the TV as a babysitter, but it's the only way I get uninterrupted time.
Luckily, I am like a cow and produce LOTS of milk (I already have at least 100 bags of milk in the freezer), so I only pump 3x/day: first thing in the morning after the baby goes back to sleep, in the afternoon while the baby is sleeping, and again right before I go to bed.
If it gets stressful, pump a little less and supplement a little bit with formula. It's not going to hurt your baby (my oldest was only formula fed after 7 weeks and is super smart and healthy) and she'll still be getting mostly breast milk. Happy mom=happy baby.

Do you have the pumping band? It is a band that goes around your chest and allows you to pump hands free. I have one and it's awesome- I can dry my hair while pumping! I ordered mine online and it was around $30. Well worth the money! I don't remember the website, but if you google "pumping band" you should be able to find it. Anyways, it may help you to at least have the ability to hold your newborn while pumping. Good luck!

I was in a similar situation with pumping/feeding my son. I did it for the first four months, but then decided to gradually phase it out because it was so much work, I was getting stressed, I had gone back to work, and it just seemed like the right time for us.
My daughter was 16 months old when my son was born, and my husband didn't get much time off from work to help me out on maternity leave. We sent my daughter to daycare three days a week as she normally did when I was working. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with my newborn. Then, on days when both kids were at home with me, I tried to get her occupied with something before I started pumping or breastfeeding....coloring, playdough while strapped in her booster seat at the table, a video, whatever. I also tried scheduling my pumping for about a half hour off my son's feeding schedule. So, I would feed him, then get him settled down...either napping, or in a bouncy seat or swing, then I would pump. It's a difficult balancing act. Don't feel bad if it gets to be too much and you have to quit again. Everyone's different and some moms breastfeed for years, others for only a few months or weeks and some not at all.
Good luck and have fun with your girls! :)