pumping vs. off the breast

K

kellyst

Registered User
hi all,

i guess it really is tougher than it sounds like. my almost 2-week old has been quite the textbook case so far, i'm breastfeeding her anywhere between 1-4 hours. on a good day (for me), she sleeps for 3 hours until the next feed. today, she was eating consistently at 1.5-2 hours interval. she has plenty of wet/dirty diapers. so from reading everything, i think we're doing ok.

my family keep asking me if i can pump so the helper can help with some of the feeds to relieve me sometimes, i know off the breast is the best. so my questions are:
1, how do i time pumping WITH feeding at the same time? i.e. if i pump before a feed, i won't have enough for her before the next one. or is it just not advisable to do so?
2, she is still dozing off in the middle of feeds, which makes feeds longer, since i have to spend the time to wake her, is this still normal for a 2-week old?
3, when can i expect for her to move to the 3-4 hour feeding schedule? i guess i just need to know there is light at the end of the tunnel :)

she's been a joy otherwise, diaper changes are a breeze compared to feedings.

thanks,
kellyst
 
Hi!

1. Pumping and feeding was exhausting for me. I was feeding at 2 hour intervals a lot during the early days and adding in the pumping on top was all too much. Whilst in theory pumping before feeding gives you the flexibility to get your helper or someone else to help with the feeds (assuming the baby takes the bottle), you will find yourself probably consumed more with feeding than now. If you are going to pump then pump before a feed so you are all prepared when she is hungry. You may find you can pump more than she drinks in which case you will be ahead of the game.
2. Dozing off is very normal. I was constantly tickling my daughter to get her to wake up and finish the feed!
3. She will move to a 3 hour schedule as she grows but may well resort to 2 hour days or longer when she is going through a growth spurt. There is light at the end of the tunnel but I would suggest you hook up with a breastfeeding support group since it can be very difficult in the first few weeks especially if you have a frequent feeder.

Hope this helps. Breastfeeding really is exhausting and it sounds like you are doing a great job so far.
 
Hi

I do breastfeed and doing the breast pump at the same time. This trick really work for me as at the same time the baby and pump do the same job; means i got the milk from breast pumping about 4 - 5 oz. I fed my baby by bottle only in the midnight afterwards so I only pump for 3 to 4 times a day. And some of them I put in freezer just in case I need it.
In the day time sometimes I ask my husband to feed David so I can got some nap. About the growth spurt: David really made me exhausted too but after 6 weeks should be getting a lot better.
But right now David sleep still not long period one. He is 2 months old but he will sleep 2 to 4 hours(in some nights) each time. I read some babies after 3 months they getting better with sleep time too. Tho some babies already do sleep for longer hours mine not.
Breast feeding it is a hard job. I did felt really desperate when it was first time. But somehow I think we can tru this. I really hope you do.

(Sorry if too long) Maya



:breastfed
 
thanks both for your remarks.

just knowing that other people have been through the same makes me a bit more at ease already. i think pumping while feeding could be a great solution, but given that i need 3 hands on the baby while she's feeding and another 2 on the pumping bottle, that sounds pretty impossible! Maya, how did you manage to do that?

thanks again, will try to hang in there...

--kellyst
 
Hi Kelly

Sorry not to mention how long it's takes for me to become a bit expert to do the breast feeding - I need at least 1 month to getting better to do the BF. But the first few weeks is painful as David not latch on correctly.
What I did is I put David on my left breast and I used the medela mini breast pump on my right breast and vice versa (as David only fed on one breast in each time). And I used the cradle position so your other hand free. If you need more info and help the La Leche League is good for advices and support.

Keep doing it and not long you gonna be another expert of BF. :cheers:
 
I can also recommend pumping while the baby is feeding from the other breast. It is a big time saver and many people get much more milk while they have the baby stimulating their glands or whatever. But it is tricky to get the position right. You have to wait until they are old enough to stay latched on during feeding, and it helps for them to have some head control, so that you can support their head with the crook of one arm. The "football hold" also makes it easier to pump from the other side.

BTW if you pump separately, don't worry about there not being enough milk for your baby. Your breasts will adapt and produce more on demand. It's better to pump at the same time each day so that your breasts learn to produce more at that time of day. And don't be discouraged if you don't get much from the pump at first. Although your breasts are very full in the early days, the milk may not flow very fast, and it will get faster as your baby becomes a more efficient feeder and hence stimulates a faster flow.
 
Hi,

You seems to be doing good with your breastfeeding ! :cheerlead

I was exactly in your situation 3 months ago, so tired and hurting too because of sore nipples. :'-( Now, I'm still breastfeeding and so happy to still do so.

Like your family, mine also advise me to pump so that my husband or helper could help me feed her, but I found out that it wasn't helping me so much at all. In fact, even hurt, I found breastfeeding much more easy as we didn't have to pump and manage the bottles. What more, I found pumping not only so tiring but also quite upsetting : did I pump enough milk ? And then, if she didn't eat all, I would feel like my effort have had gone to waste ! :-/... Even the fact that she cries while waiting for the milk to be ready stressed me. How can I rest peacefully knowing that my baby is crying of hunger just 10 paces from me ?

So to rest, I have found a another method : breastfeeding her in the laying down position. At first, it was to releave my sore nipples, but then I discovered that I could doze off and so rest in this position ! It felt so good :dance:
My mission was to feed her, my helper and husband will do the rest of the chores in the household. The burping and diapers changes were also my husband duties when he was home along with the bathing. So In fact, I did have many times to rest !

My husband even told me once that I have nurse her while sleeping ! It was nearly midnight and I was sleeping, so when she cried he took her and put her on my breast. Even asleep, I took the "nursing position" and when she finished he took her right to bed ! Mind you, it only happen once and I didn't believe him at the time, but since then, I have read some other peoples sharing this same experience.

I think that the other reason why I was less tired/stressed after a while is because I didn't want to see my nursing time as a chore anymore but as a special moment with my baby. :-D

As for your questions :
1. I would say like the others : pumping one breast when nursing from the other. If you cannot manage alone, just ask your husband or helper to help you by handling the breastpump. A electrical pump may help also.
2. Yes, very normal. Mine has been dozing off all the time till she was nearly 1.5 or 2 months. I kept tickkling her feet.
3. It really depend of the baby, and as the others have said, it won't be the same from on week to the other. Mine is 4 months old and in the morning, she nurses quite often, let say every 2 hours or less. Mind you, she sleeps all night now so I guess that she is just making up for the night.

Hope this helps you :-)
 
I find my breast got smaller after many times of pumping, infact smaller than pre pregnancy. Does any of you have the same problem?
 
Are you using a good supportive pillow? I was able to pump and feed as soon as I started trying at six days old but my secret was a great breast pump (Medela Pump in Style) and a Boppy type pillow. Later, I also figured out that I could hold my pump in place simply by tucking it inside my maternity bra (Elle McP one which has just a hole cut out for your nipple c.f. others which are not enclosed on all sides) so had both hands free for other things!
 
Slee, i'm glad you mentioned the maternity bra. i could get quite a bit in my morning pump (got 7oz this morning from the 2 sides), but it's a pain pressing the two pumps against my breast and just sitting there watching the milk for 30 min. i'll try my bras, but any other suggestions for holding the pumps in place and keeping handsfree?

i am using a Boppy type nursing pillow, but have been finding that it's slipping from under my baby quite a bit. with the pump, i'm on Medela Lactina.

a little update for all, since my first post, i've been moving to pumping a bit more, though i think it takes away from rest time. i am quite convinced that the baby is not having quite enough as she's stopping without really emptying my breast, and if we try feeding her right after an 'on the breast' session, she could still drink around 2oz. from the bottle.

i agree with Sylvieng though that i also felt like my efforts going to waste if she doesn't finish off the breast milk in the bottle.

now, i didn't think i want to go to exclusive pumping, i am concerned about reduce in supply if i don't get baby on it at all, is that true? so what i've been doing is to use the time when the milk is being warmed up to put her on my breast first. let her suck on both sides until she stops and then put her on to a top up bottle. just trying all sorts of combination we could to make this work.

thanks all for your help!

--kellyst
 
It sounds to me as if you are over feeding your baby when you ae giving the milk in a bottle.

If you imagine a breastfeed as a normal dinner with your husband - after it you feel OK - not too full and not too empty.

Now imagine going to a buffet and keeping eating until your body says you are full - in fact you have eaten too much - this is what tends to happen with a bottle. The milk keeps coming out so the baby keeps eating and eats past the full mark.

Now imagine that you were offered a piece of chocolate cake straight after your dinner but were too full to eat it. But 20 to 30 minutes later, when you're not so full, you think, "Well, I'd like that cake now." This is what happens to a baby when he asks for another feed shortly after his main feed. The solution is to give him the high fat snack ? i.e. another breastfeed (the milk has a higher fat content for these top up feeds - pumped milk especially from the morning is likely to have a higher sugar content).

The feel of your breasts after a feed is not a good indication of how much milk the baby has taken or how much the baby needs. It could be that you have more milk than the baby needs. 7 oz would be a huge feed for a only one month old. Also as your breast gets used to lactating they will become softer ? even when full of milk.

The way to tell if you baby is getting enough milk is to look at the baby?s output. You should be looking for:
At least six wet nappies in 24 hours
At least two dirty nappies in 24 hour for babies less than six weeks old
Baby feeding between 8 and 14 times in 24 hours
Weight gain over time ? average of 170 grams per week
Good skin tone

If these are happening then your baby is getting enough milk even if you still have milk in your breast after a feed. Most mothers produce more milk than the baby can drink ? this is normal and there to help us out when the baby has a growth spurt.

Most mothers who exclusively pump to give milk for their babies have a hard time keeping their supply. The reason for this is because they get bored with all the pumping and over time start to skip feeds. It is skipping feeds that is the problem not the pumping.

Please remember that breastfeeding is not just about supplying milk for your baby. It is about communicating with him, cuddling, keeping his temperature right, bonding, loving and hormones. Giving the milk in the bottle is just not the same.

Best wishes,
Barb
 
Barb, thanks for your reminder. it does sound like you might be right, i'll watch the overfeeding. we had never had a lack of wet/dirty diapers. i think we might have over-reacted when she started feeding more frequently and got worried that she's not having enough.

plus, i have two other persons at home, my mother-in-law and helper that think that she is not having in enough, that does add extra pressure. anyways, will keep your comments in mind!

--kellyst
 
Dear Kellyst,

It can be difficult to breastfeed without a lot of support. If you are finding that your family is not as supportive as you would like of your decision to breastfeed have you consisted getting the necessary support from a mother-to-mother support group?

In Hong Kong La Leche League is the only English speaking breastfeeding support group. You are most welcome to join our meetings and ask about any issues that concern you. Our next meeting is tomorrow afternoon at Flat 2, 2nd Floor, Tower A, Villa Lotto, 18 Braodwood Road, Happy Valley, Tel: Maggie 2817-7475

All our meetings are free and it is not necessary to be a member to join our meetings. Of course we do encourage membership as money from memberships and donations are our major sources of revenue. The format for all the meetings is similar. We spend the first part of the meeting discussing the meeting title topic and the second part of the meeting the topics which the mothers attending bring up. Thus every meeting is different depending on the needs of the mothers there. Babies and toddlers are always welcome at our meetings.

The article Why La Leche League? http://www.wiessinger.baka.com/bfing/others/whylll.html gives a nice description of why our meetings may be helpful to attend.

For details of when our other meetings are please visit our web site, http://www.lalecheleague.org/HongKong.html

Occasionally we do hold extra events. If you would like to find out about these they will be announced on our e-mail reminder list. To join the list send a message to [email protected]

Best wishes,
SARAH
La Leche League Leader
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top