Starting to Pump

Just an FYI, don't offer a bottle until 6 weeks so there isn't any nipple confusion and don't expect him to pick it up right away. He is used to you and the bottle will take practice. :) Let dad or grandma give him the bottle so he doesn't smell you and wonder why he isn't getting the real thing. LOL

Hi, T.,
I just want to second the recommendation for the Easy Expressions hands-free pumping bra:
http://www.easyexpressionproducts.com/
I found if I could read or have a snack or whatever when I was pumping, I would do it for longer (and get more milk). Good luck!

Hi T.,
I'm a first time mom to a 13 month old beautiful girl. She drank breastmilk exclusively for the first 12 months so i became something of an expert on pumping. I remember feeling very intimidated at the thought of pumping, and I didn't know when I was supposed to, or how. What worked for me was that I would feed the baby on only one side in the morning (when I produced a lot of milk). Then once the baby was done feeding I would pump the other side. Once you have enough pumped to equal one feeding, you are set because when the baby is fed the pumped bottle, you should be pumping while the baby is feeding in order to keep up your milk supply (have someone else feed the baby the bottle). Hope this makes sense, Also if the baby isn't waking up at night to feed, you could pump sometime at night.

I used the medela pump in style, which is an awesome pump. I've also used the medela manual pump and that worked well too, but i wouldn't want to use it every day because it's tiring (i had to pump several times at work per day). i also have the avent isis manual pump, but that never worked well for me unless i was very full. i also used the easy expressions bra (allows you to pump hands-free if you are using an electric pump). it looks ridiculous but it was a lifesaver because it means you can read a magazine or something to pass the time while you're pumping. just read the directions for whatever pump you're using - they are pretty clear. you may not get a lot the first few times while you are getting the hang of it. ask your pediatrician how much milk they think would constitute a feeding (i wasn't sure since i had never bottle fed my baby, and it probably varies by child).

good luck! oh and remember to relax. have a pic of your baby next to you, and a glass of water.

Definitely start to pump. I started pumping after a week of milk and I froze it in 3 oz packets where I put the date and number of oz in it. After my milk was running out, I was able to still give breastmilk for 2 more months.
You get the packets, fill them with 3 oz, fold them a few times, clip them with a paper clip, and I used a small binder clip to attach them to a standing cup. I put the cup in the upright position in the freezer, and when the bag was frozen, I put it into a ziplock bag.
I used a double breast pump by medela. I pumped two to three times a day and when the baby stopped one of the night feedings, I still got up and pumped.
Hope this helps!

Hi T.,

I'm not sure if you are asking to build up your supply, start a stash or to pump in lieu of b'feeding

I used a lactation consultant and she suggested that to start, pump after your first morning feeding. I used to do this and freeze that stash to start to build up a reserve. I did this every day and then maybe one other time during the day when I could (but I must say I was an advocate of not driving myself crazy -- doing what I could but also being sane about it).

If you are asking about pumping in lieu of feeding, you can do the same thing (pump after a feeding and then use that for your next feeding giving the baby the milk in the bottle). I would warn you though that pumping and feeding is a LOT more work b/c you basically have to stay 'ahead' of the baby and then on top of being tired, etc. you have to clean bottles which there are a lot of when your baby is 4 weeks. But, it's nice to be able to have the option of pumping so you can go out or someone else can take a feeding.

There are a lot of forums about this topic on babycenter.com and also another site I found useful is kellymom.com.

Good luck with your new baby - enjoy!

Congratulations!

You've received great advice so far. My only comment to add is to either be near your baby or have props or photos to look at while you pump. I had a hard time "letting down" when I pumped at work. Finally I started taking my computer with me into the conference room and would run a slideshow of pictures of my daughter as I pumped. This really helped and made my pumping sessions much more productive (and I think my boss thought I was working while I was in there once I started taking my computer with me!)

T., when I had my son I breast fed him all the time every day until at 8 months when he decided he did not want it anymore and started to push the nipple away. After 3 months of being home on maturnity leave I went back out to work and I would pump the milk every night and freeze it so by morning when I drop him off to my Aunt who was taking care of him, she'll have a good set of breast milk along with the formula milk. Buy the electrical pump for it's more easier to use than the manual pump. It might hurt at first pumping but once u use it often it'll come like nothing. After pumping and your breast hurt use some vaseline and rub around the nipples which will help sooth the pain.

Good luck,

R. M.

If you are going to be pumping a lot, get a reallly good, electric, 2 breasts at a time pump! Medela makes a great one .

Your breasts will be full about an hour to 1 1/2 hours after you nurse, so that's an ideal time. Don't worry about not having enough the next round. If baby doesn't get enough, he will come back later! Or you can feed him the pumped milk by bottle.

1 handed, 2 breast at a time technique: apply one side, hold it in the crook of your elbow while you reach across to hold the other one. Then you use your free hand to read a trashy novel, gossip magazine or bounce baby in bouncer or sit and daydream for a few minutes.

Directions with pump will explain with pictures how to actually apply pump cups.

Hopefully this helps.

W. (Mom of 6,3,and 1 year old who breastfed for an accumulated time of 28 month of my life and pumped a lot too while working out of the home as well as while a stay at home mom!)

Pump between feedings or in the middle of the night (if you're not too tired).

hi T., just find the time of day that works best for you and dont go overboard at first. remember that the more you give to either the baby or the pump, the more you will produce. at 4 weeks you are still in the stage of getting in synch with your baby, so i wouldnt mess with it too much. if you get engorged it can cause problems nursing or with clogged ducts, etc...im not saying not to, i always feel much better having a stash, but i would stick to once a day at most for the next week or 3. remember to drink lots of water. pumping both sides at once will increase your supply a lot. there are lots of tricks and stuff if you need them, feel free to contact me if you have issues, but i wouldnt look for problems where there arent any for now. take care, D.

When I started to pump, I would sit down at the same time everyday to pump. My body would start to produce more milk for this time. I worked part time so I did not need a lot of milk supply.

It's too soon, but if you must go back & forth between pumping & breast feeding. Once he gets used to a bottle which is so much easier for the to suck, he won't want your breast, and that has alot more vitamins for them. It really does prevent ear infections and other things in the future. Try to breast feed for at least 3mos to make sure your baby gets all the nutrients it needs to keep its defense system strong.

Good Luck

I'd wait until 8 weeks...at least. For me, my daughter was going through so many growth spurts, my milk wasn't really established and constant until then. I nursed switching on an off each feeding. First left, then right, and so on. So, something that worked really well for me was nurse left, them pump right. Then nurse right then pump left. Or if you nurse both breasts, you can pump both, about 1 hour later.

Hi T.,

If you have any discomfort, be aware that the attachments that you place onto your breasts come in different sizes and that you may need one that is larger than the standard small size given with the pump.

Hi T.,

Congrats on your new baby. My suggestion would be to pump at the end of feedings, taking advantage of the letdown you've already got. There's often milk left in the breast after your baby is done feeding. Some moms find that they have more milk first thing in the morning after a couple of months, since (hopefully) baby is sleeping a little longer and probably extra hungry so a lot of women find they can pump some milk just after the a.m. feed.

good luck!

If he only nurses one breast, then pump the one he didn't right after he's finished. My baby only nurses one side at each feeding. It fills up the other one! If he takes both then pump right away after he's finished. That will also increase your volume. Personally, I pumped whenever my breasts filled (great after a hot shower!). And if he naps longer than feeding times (like a 4-5 hour sleep making the 3 hour feedings drawn out) then pump when he should be feeding, although you might only want to do one side at that time. You'll come to know when it's the right time after a while.

Congradulations! I successfully pumped for my twin girls for five months before going back to work. They came two months early and I didn't even have my colostrum in yet. I pumped until I was blue in the face and my milk finally came in. Have you got a pump already. If not buy one either used or new, so you can re-sell it later. I made the mistake of renting and I paid basically for a new machine. It's really not bad at all and usually if they didn't show you in the hospital either you can get a lactation consultant in, which most insurances cover or you can do it yourself. Also la leche league has a number for support and guidance. Since I pumped from the beginning I pumped usually after I nursed them to stimulate more milk for myself since I was feeding for two. I hope others with singletons and successful full term pregnancies with introduction of pumping can give you more advice. I hope that helps.

Be careful what you wish for. My daughter could never latch on, so I pumped from the beginning. My suggestion is to pump then feed him the bottle. At night though, you may want to continue to breastfeed b/c the worst part of pumping for me, was having to get up in the middle of the night to pump, then feed her. I did enoy the pumping for the fact that if I needed a break, my husband could feed her. So my suggestion is about a alf hour before you know he is going to have to eat, pump. Then give him that bottle.

Hi, I am currently nursing my third child (3 1/2 weeks old). My first 2 nursed for 1 year each. I worked 3-4 days a week with each of them. With each of them I used the Medela single electic pump. It worked great, and is still running strong after 6 years! I have used the Medela pump in style and the hospital grade Medela pump...I honestly didn't find the last two to be all that much better than the single medela pump. The single pump is much cheaper!!! I truly find the suction to be so similar that I would not spend the over 200 dollars extra. But if you already have a pump, none of this is helpful to you I guess.
Anyway, I found the morning to be the best time to pump. I always pump while the baby is nursing. This way I am not nursing and then pumping for an hour before work, etc. I also found it easier for the let down. The noise never bothered any of the babies. Then when they were done nursing, I would finish off with that breast. Then of course, if I missed a feeding, I always pumped then.
Currently, I am trying to get some milk in the freezer also. Remember to store in small amounts (especially now while he is still young and most likely will not eat more than 4 oz at a feeding) I got a great suggestion the other day...freeze some milk in ice cube trays, so that you can add a little to a bottle later if necessary. After the milk freezes, put the cubes into a freezer bag. So when he does start eating 6 oz instead of 4, you don't have to defrost two 4 oz bags, and end up waisting 2 oz, but rather add a couple of milk cubes to the 4 oz bottle.
While pumping, massage your breast. I am amazed at how much more milk I get when I massage while pumping, rather that trying to let the pump do all the work. You can litteraly squeeze more milk out than you think! If you start pumping now, and pump one of 2 times a day...if you are going back to work in 4-6 more weeks, you will be well on your way to having a nice freezer full. Good luck! Practice makes perfect! I had some milk in the freezer with my first child when I went back to work at 12 weeks. But when I went back to work with my second, I had to store milk in my Aunts deep freezer because I had started early (like you and I are doing now) and had sooo much milk frozen. It was nice, I never felt stressed that I would run out of frozen milk like I feared with my first child.
Now...there are some rules about storing milk also. Don't store it in the fridge more than 48 hours before freezing it. Don't add fresh milk to frozen milk. Don't save milk that the baby has already drank from, etc. Find a brochure about storing milk, look on line, or talk to a lactation consultant. Good luck!

Hi T., my advice is to start pumping after he has eaten for the first few times. My son is now 4mos old and that is how I started. And if he ever sleeps through a feeding time I pump as well. Try to be consistant with when you pump. It will be easier for you to keep track of a schedule and will ensure that your little giuy is getting enough. Good luck.

Great advice so far. My only suggestion is to not go over board especially in the beginning. I pumped too much and wound up with a freezer full of milk. For a while I was giving my little guy the frozen milk so it wouldn't go bad and freezing the fresh stuff. I pumped with an advent hand pump, it worked terrific and was basically silent. If I was in a rush I would nurse on one side and pump the other at the same time.

T.,
I used the Avent pump and loved it. I tried all the others and felt they were not comfortable to use, so on a last chance I tried the Avent and did extremely well. Plus it is not really big, as it fits in your hand, and all I do is put the milk into bottle bags or regular bottles and store it for later. I found that I got so much more milk with this one that it was well worth it. As a matter of fact I now purchase it as a gift for new moms for their baby shower or whatever. My daughter was telling one of her girlfriends who came over to try mine (it has been packed away for a long time now)and went out to buy one of her own. The bottles and nipples are great too. Hope this helps.
Congratulations on your son. Enjoy this time, it goes by so fast.
Hugs,
T.

Your milk supply is usually the greatest in the morning. I would recommend pumping approximately an hour after the first morning feed. I would highly recommend renting a hospital grade pump. They usually allow you to get more milk. Finally, don't get frustrated if you don't get much milk first. It may take a few days.

If you want to pump more than once a day, pump one breast, feed on the other and then offer the pumped breast to your baby. You can also pump the alternative breast if your baby falls asleep only haven eaten from one breast.