Breastfeeding Question

[zoeys_mom]

It seems you have already gotten a flood of info, but I will put in my 2 cents anyway.
I am one of the moms that did exclusive pump feeding. My first was preemie and just would not latch on. I pumped and feed expressed milk for 12 months. I went back to work when she was 6 weeks and my mom stayed home with her feeding my pumped milk.
I will not lie, it was HARD. I was on a tight schedule and was pumping round the clock. Washing/sanitizing all the pumping supplies and pumping was exhausting but well worth it. I also had the Medela Pump in Style double pump. Worked great as it is in a discreet bag that looks similar to a laptop bag etc, for those working in corporate America.
You will have to decide what works best for you and your child and your schedule. Just don't let anyone tell you your way is wrong. This is YOUR child and YOUR decision.
I had such success with my method that I did the same for my second child. Again it was hard to stay on such a tight schedule, but it worked for me. My child still got the benefit of my milk and my dh got to take part in feedings as well.

Also, I have to disagree with one of the pp to throw out the free formula. Both my children were jaundice and needed supplements of the formula to overcome that quicker, so nice to have a few cans on hand.

[peachafrye]

Originally Posted by regbyandjulie 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.

Fyi you are not supposed to refreeze thawed breastmilk. And you are not supposed to microwave it. We always thawed mine under warm running water and depending on what kind of freezer you put it in, it can be good for awhile. I have a magnet with the refrigeration and freezing guidelines. DS is weaning so I'm gonna pm you and send it your way.

[Mitchell]

I exclusively pumped for my first baby for a full year - he would not hold a latch for anything and I figured I was going back to work, so it wasn't that big of a deal, so after 2 months of trying to get him to latch, I gave up. I would pump again in a heartbeat because I think breastmilk is essential for my children, but it was very hard, incredibly inconvenient, time-consuming, and flat-out a pain in the butt. If one has a low or even moderate supply, I imagine it would be that much harder, if not impossible and so I do not recommend it except as a final resort.

You also miss out on a certain amount of bonding with baby. I am not saying those who pump or use formula do not bond with their infants, but nursing takes it to a higher level. Having done both, I can attest to that.

My second child I nursed until 2.5 and #3 is going strong at almost 11 months. I do not plan to wean her before age 2. To those who have no children (yet) that seems like a really long time, but I assure you when your child is 12 months (or 18 months), they still seem like such a little baby to you. I never expected to nurse over 12 months and now I cannot imagining weaning so young.

I have also had 3 c-sections, the first was unplanned and very unpleasant. The second resulted in me being readmitted to the hospital for 2 weeks without baby. C-sections do make breastfeeding harder, if they are necessary, but you must stand your ground and be determined. You can do it.

I know so much more than I did when I had my first child, I could probably avoid pumping if I had to do it again, but you do the best you can with the knowledge and skills you have available.

I highly recommend kellymom.com to anyone interested in breastfeeding. also askdrsears.com is very pro-breastfeeding. Your local LLL and the LLL message boards have loads of fantastic information as well. I urge you to take advantage of these sources even before the baby is born. Knowledge is power, both in the forms of information and of confidence. Sadly, you may run into health care providers who make you second guess yourself - arm yourself with the truth.

[~~Who,Me?~~]

My first son is handicapped and therefore was born with a poor suck reflex, so he was unable to breastfeed. I exclusively pumped for almost 9 months, and when I stopped I still had enough frozen stash to keep him going on BM until about a year.

I would not recommend EP'ing unless you have to. It's triple the amount of work--you have to have time to sit & pump, you have to have time to prepare & clean bottles, and then time to sit & feed baby. Looking back, I honestly don't know how I did it, other than I was a ftm and didn't know any better, LOL.

If you do decide it is for you--
Rent a hospital grade pump and buy/borrow another good pump for work. My rental Ameda pump was set up at a 'permanent pumping station' in our computer room, so I didn't have to set-up and take-down all the time. I also set it up at our computer desk so that I could at least surf the web while pumping for 30-45 mins.

I purchased a Medela PIS that I used for work. Make sure your workplace is friendly and that you'll have a private place to go. Also, if you normally only get 30 mins for lunch, you'll now need more than that, probably about 45. Get used to eating sandwiches while pumping.

Building up supply is very hard when pumping but it can be done. You have to build up supply, then wean down pumping sessions. I had it to where I was pumping at 4 am, noon and 8 pm, and getting 10-15 oz each time. But it was a *TON* of work and lots of tears too.

You (or anyone) can contact me privately if you wish for more help or support.

[Kim1013]

I just want to continue the encouragement of pumping at work. I was able to pump at work for 4 months until work kept me out in the field all day. It was a little embarrassing at first b/c I work with all guys (6 of them) and their offices surround me. I have my own office but the walls are thin. I pumped 2 times per day (mid-morning and mid-afternoon) and was able to pump 8oz+ each time. Then I would have to take my pumped milk into my co-workers office where we share a refrigerator and to clean my pump I would have to walk down a looooong hallway to the bathroom. I got over my embarrassment quickly b/c there was nothing to be embarrassed about. My boss was very supportive of me and no one ever made any negative comments. In the evenings and on weekends, I BFed my DD exclusively. I wish I could have BFed longer but I'm very grateful I was able to do it for 4 months. With baby #2 being born late August/early September I should be able to BF for 9 months or longer. YEAH!!

I watched an episode of Oprah a long time ago and I think it was about miracle babies or multiples. Anyway, this woman had sextuplets and BF them all but I don't know for how long. She must have been hooked up to a pump 24/7. WHAT A WOMAN!!!