Breastfeeding Question

[VivaciousJewelz]

Originally Posted by Khaelasmommy08 I agree with pp. It's very hard to just exclusively pump. It's a lot of work!! When I bfed my 1st I did for 10 mos and then I went back to work. Even when I went back to work I was pumping and she would bottle feed the bm and she was fine...not confused at all, but at the same time she was older. When you go to the hospital...it's best to ask them on your specific situation...they should have a person especialized on that. At the hospital they will give you a lot of info too. I would also recommend pumping every 2 hrs to avoid pain and discomfort. Babies do sleep a lot when first born and they also don't latch on well either until after a couple of weeks or so. The more you pump the better, but exclusively pumping its a lot of work!! If there is no activity your "friends" will suffer a lot and the milk will dry out. So just keep the activity going...!!! And it also seems like you will be pumping at work, correct? I hope they will be very understanding of your decision. My bm dried out after I went back to work...I could not pump there.

Yes, I'm going to pump at work. There are several people here who take extended smoking breaks (sometimes up to 10-15 min!) every few hours, and a couple others who train to run marathons, so they take extended lunch breaks to train for those, so if they try to tell me I can't lock myself in a closet for 15 minutes to pump breast milk for my baby, they're going to have to find themselves another employee. I put up with a lot with this company, but I will not compromise on breastfeeding my child if I can manage it.

[lazy1608]

I guess I was in the minority. I breastfed my son until he was 12 months. I pumped like crazy but was only producing 1 oz or so everytime I pumped. I was so discouraged. I continued to bf but I had to supplement b/c he wasn't getting enough. The supplementing occured starting around 2 months because he was losing weight instead of gaining. I should have known then that he wouldn't be a good eater. At 3 1/2 now, he still eats like a bird! LOL :)

Another thing that I will be checking out whenever I have another child is the pallette of my child. I have a high palette and there is a possibility that my nipple wasn't stimulating him enough and therefore he didn't eat as well as he should have. Just a fyi....

[MrsPinecone]

Originally Posted by lazy1608 Another thing that I will be checking out whenever I have another child is the pallette of my child. I have a high palette and there is a possibility that my nipple wasn't stimulating him enough and therefore he didn't eat as well as he should have. Just a fyi....

You can nurse sucessfully if your child has a high palate. My kids both have them, and I nursed DS until 14 months, and DD is going strong.

Nearly everything can be worked around if you are determined to nurse. My son had a high palate, weak suck, hard ridgy gums, tongue tie, receding chin, strong tongue thrust, was a 'chewer', I had flattish nips and we had thrush off and on for more than 4.5 months.

Most LCs were amazed that we lasted as long as we did. They said that most people give up with only 1 or 2 of those issues.

So it can be done.

[anothershopper2]

I agree it can be done no matter what but I'm not hard core and whatever the mother is comfortable with, I think is the right decision. My goal was the last at least 3 months, and I made it and more. So I felt good about that. If I can do, anyone else definitely can. My DD had weight loss issues too. So we supplemented with pumped milk. She seems ok, but she's always been on the small side - now 5 months old. If you are determined, you can do it.

Pump pump pump all the time during the first month - I feel like that's when the surplus is big and you can freeze it for DH and later. My DH is lazy and he was dumping a lot of the pumped milk in the first 2 months, because he said, "Oh there's always more..." So I didn't have a good "stockpile" going. Formula is mad expensive... so nursing is the way to go if possible.

[MrsPinecone]

Originally Posted by anothershopper2 . My DH is lazy and he was dumping a lot of the pumped milk in the first 2 months, because he said, "Oh there's always more..."

OMG, I would have cried, and then quite possibly hurt him. I have never been able to pump much, and every drop is like liquid gold.

[VivaciousJewelz]

Originally Posted by MrsPinecone You can nurse sucessfully if your child has a high palate. My kids both have them, and I nursed DS until 14 months, and DD is going strong. Nearly everything can be worked around if you are determined to nurse. My son had a high palate, weak suck, hard ridgy gums, tongue tie, receding chin, strong tongue thrust, was a 'chewer', I had flattish nips and we had thrush off and on for more than 4.5 months. Most LCs were amazed that we lasted as long as we did. They said that most people give up with only 1 or 2 of those issues. So it can be done.

You've got major balls of steel, Mrs. P. That's all I can say.

Originally Posted by anothershopper2 I agree it can be done no matter what but I'm not hard core and whatever the mother is comfortable with, I think is the right decision. My goal was the last at least 3 months, and I made it and more. So I felt good about that. If I can do, anyone else definitely can. My DD had weight loss issues too. So we supplemented with pumped milk. She seems ok, but she's always been on the small side - now 5 months old. If you are determined, you can do it. Pump pump pump all the time during the first month - I feel like that's when the surplus is big and you can freeze it for DH and later. My DH is lazy and he was dumping a lot of the pumped milk in the first 2 months, because he said, "Oh there's always more..." So I didn't have a good "stockpile" going. Formula is mad expensive... so nursing is the way to go if possible.

I thought you could freeze breast milk for awhile. I mean, I know you can't freeze it, then thaw it, then freeze it again, or microwave it, but I thought breastmilk stays good frozen for at least 3 months.

[MrsPinecone]

You can freeze it in a regular freezer (NOT in the door, BTW) for up to 3 months, and in a deep freezer for 6-12 (upright is more like 6, chest is the later end).

[livinlovinsavin]

I was very fortunate when I went back to work after my first son was born. The general manager of the company was so excited when I first told him I was expecting. He had two mostly grown daughters. Anyway, he was a big promoter of breastfeeding. He even knew of the health benefits which meant I could possibly miss less work to care for a sick child . He had a lock installed on the inside of my office so I could pump comfortably!
BTW I 'think' breastfeeding moms have laws that protect them in the workplace. You may want to check into that in case you run into any issues.

[VivaciousJewelz]

How long do most people breastfeed? Do most people that continue to do it stop after 1 year, or do they continue for longer?

[MrsPinecone]

It totally depends on the person.

Some people quit after a couple of weeks and some nurse until age 3. I think that MOST quit by 6 months.

I planned to nurse for at least a year, so quitting was not an option for me. I got rid of the formula samples and just did it.