pumping ?

[KStarr07]

I was wondering, if I wanted to get enough milk pumped to feed my baby for about 1 day, what is the best way of going about this without effecting my milk supply? what I mean is, should I pump before hand, or in between regular feedings, or just a little here and there... I am pretty sure that at some point toward the beginning I am going to need a break to catch up on sleep because I have not been sleeping well and I'm basically sure this will continue once the baby is born, and I am trying to keep the option open of letting my mother or the baby's father watch him for 1 day so I can just catch up on sleep and not be so exhausted, at SOME point during the first couple weeks.. I don't want to introduce the bottle too early, either.. and I plan on using breast milk exclusively..
What are your suggestions? As I do not know too much about how breastfeeding works and the whole supply and demand system.. My main concern is effecting my chances of establishing good breastfeeding.

[mamaofonetrying42]

I dont know to much,as I didnt do it for every long with my 1st. But I do think that you should do your BFing and then try to pump after. in the start the baby doesnt eat much and you can save what you pump. and as time goes on your milk will come in more and more. But some women dont have a "great" supply of milk.......

[mamaofonetrying42]

Oh yea, it takes about 3days or so after the baby is born to get your Milk in......

[KStarr07]

Okay, well I already have colustrum now at almost 37 weeks.. Should I pump in between feedings ? or would that make me produce more than I need to feed him with afterward?

[mamaofonetrying42]

Ummm. IDK. sorry But If i had to guess, I would say No because if your baby is eating every 2hr. sometime 1.5hour you may be taking the milk away from it, and you want the flow to be good, you know? but at most hosp. you will have a "coach" there to help you on BFing, Or at least I did......

[chantal21]

I actually pumped when my lil guy was 2 weeks because we went up to NY...it was about a 3-4 hour drive. He slept the whole time so I was able to pump a great deal to give him a bottle later. I find it best to pump when he is napping. In my opinion breast pumps don't have the suction your baby does. so even when you pump, and you think you are empty (the pump can't get anymore out) you still have plenty of milk in there for the baby. I just pumped 4oz and thought i was completely empty...nursed him for 15 min. and there is still milk coming out. I tried not to pump right away, but with traveling it was hard not to.
I plan on leaving him with my mom today so hubby and I can go out together for the first time in a while! yay

[KStarr07]

Well I guess I should just wait a while..and be exhausted.. I really don't want to do anything to mess up my chances at breastfeeding and the people around me are not educated on the subject, either.. So they don't understand why I can't really do that so easily or be as flexible as mothers who bottle/formula feed.. It's all so complicated to me.. :/

[chantal21]

Oh you know what? In the beginning they will want to feed a lot...but my lil guy would only eat for a total of 5-10 min every 2 hours or so in beginning and then go right back to sleep..babies sleep a lot in the beginning...I would make sure you sleep whenever he is sleeping!

[sdo527]

As for the "rest" factor, I agree with the PP that your best bet is to rest when baby rests and get help in to take care of you/family/house etc. If you get someone to watch baby for a day so you can rest, you will have to pump every time baby gets a bottle so your milk supply will keep up, and even at that there is a risk that your supply would dip and that baby would reverse cycle (feed more at night) to get your supply back up.

As for pumping in general, at 6wks I started pumping for 10 minutes after ds's early morning feeding (btwn 5-7am). At first I just got an ounce or so, but I started eating more oatmeal to increase supply and within 2wks was getting a good 3-4oz. I do this every morning like clockwork. I have a really good freezer stash, and I might not go through it all but it's great to have on hand. I lay the freezer bags down on top of a frozen box of veggies and they freeze paper thin so they store really easily.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

[KStarr07]

Hmm, okay thanks.. Maybe I won't do this after all.. but the baby's father was wanting to take him to his house for a day or so to let me get some rest, and I'm thinking okay... but how if I'm breast feeding, you can't pack up my boobs and take them with you! Hahah... So anyways, it seems like it's not worth the risk of causing problems..

And is there anything that can increase the supply other than oatmeal? I'm not sure I like oatmeal...

[Tanker Chic]

If he only feeds from one breast each feeding you could pump the other breast.  If he feeds from both breast each feeding you could pump after the feeding.  If you do it too many times in a row it may induce more milk supply but it will level out.  

Good luck to you.

[JOYJOY123]

the discharge you are having now really should not be pumped. the colostrum is what the baby first eats because it is really high is calories and super sweet!! you should hold off on pumping until after the baby comes. once your baby gets on a feeding schedule, whether you designate one or let the baby designate his own (which is what i favored with my son) you will be able to fit in pumping. the times i found pumping most convenient were right after he ate. the milk bags (lol) were already exposed and ready to go!! plus, the baby will normally not be able to completely drain you and will only eat out of side per feeding. little bit of advice...the more he seems to eat, the more you should pump to keep your supply going and for storage. breast milk is good in a deep freeze for up to a year!!! i dried up when my son was 4 months old, but i had enough milk frozen for him to still be exclusively on breast milk until he was 10 months old and we just moved to milk from there...i know i know...people tell me he was too young. also, drink plenty, i mean, ALOT, of water while nursing. that is why i dried up..thought i was getting enough and wasnt...good luck. nursing is one of the best bonds a mommy can have with her baby!!

[JOYJOY123]

also...oops, sorry this is long!! there is an herbal tea called "Mother's milk" that helps bring on more milk. you can buy it at almost any healthfood store and i have even seen it at walmart in the vitamin section...tastes like ****, but it works!! one little coffe cup worth and just chug!! lol.