First time mum to be some questions for fellow MN's

[Gonnabmummy]

Hi I'm 27weeks pg with my first. Right from the beginning I have been set on EBF him and hope all goes well. I've been doing endless reading on latches/feeding on demand/common problems etc. but have still got some questions to ask, I do know anyone who has breastfed baby so I'm just googling mostly. Any how thanks in advance for replies and hope I do t sound stupid just would like to know :)

Many websites say not to pump until milk is established and bf is going well, my question how do you determine when this is? Why shouldn't you pump off some say early in the morning I've read many posts where people do because of breasts being really full/engorged? What about people that can only pump at first say due to prem baby? Surely they manage after this period. It's just me and my partner are so excited about baby and I always had it in my head that maybe after say 2 weeks I could express a feed every other day for him to do, would this be detrimental to bf if so why?

Also if I were to express very small amounts due to engorgement or only getting tiny amounts when pumping, if I were to freeze it immediately (so It would all be fresh at time) could I put say three lots together when defrosting for one feed or is this a huge no-no?
Thanks once again

Pumping is a little bit of a faff. You've got to make sure the equipment is clean and ready to use, then find a time when baby is not wanting either a feed or your immediate attention for something else to sit down and pump. To get enough milk off for a feed can take a bit of time too, for me about 10 minutes at least to get 2-3oz which is enough for one feed.

In the first few weeks of having a giving birth you'll likely be tired, and baby requires a lot of attention, often feeding for long periods (sometimes hours - look up cluster feeding!), and very often they don't like to be put down.

Establishing breast feeding is about many things - making sure the latch is good, allowing baby to feed long enough to satisfy their needs and build up your milk supply but also making sure you're eating and drinking well and getting enough rest.

For me personally it took about 4 weeks at least before all of those things came together, I had a bit of a routine going and I felt confident about BFing enough to put the time aside to pump, for the same reasons as you want to - so DH could give some feeds.

Pumping won't really affect your supply but in the initial stages it's taking time away from your baby who will not only need feeding but also needs to suckle to make you produce more milk.

This is just my opinion but I'd give it some time until you feel confident about BFing before pumping unless you really need to. Congratulations BTW and good luck!

Pumping is a little bit of a faff. You've got to make sure the equipment is clean and ready to use, then find a time when baby is not wanting either a feed or your immediate attention for something else to sit down and pump. To get enough milk off for a feed can take a bit of time too, for me about 10 minutes at least to get 2-3oz which is enough for one feed.

In the first few weeks of having a giving birth you'll likely be tired, and baby requires a lot of attention, often feeding for long periods (sometimes hours - look up cluster feeding!), and very often they don't like to be put down.

Establishing breast feeding is about many things - making sure the latch is good, allowing baby to feed long enough to satisfy their needs and build up your milk supply but also making sure you're eating and drinking well and getting enough rest.

For me personally it took about 4 weeks at least before all of those things came together, I had a bit of a routine going and I felt confident about BFing enough to put the time aside to pump, for the same reasons as you want to - so DH could give some feeds.

Pumping won't really affect your supply but in the initial stages it's taking time away from your baby who will not only need feeding but also needs to suckle to make you produce more milk.

This is just my opinion but I'd give it some time until you feel confident about BFing before pumping unless you really need to. Congratulations BTW and good luck!

Pumping is indeed a faff in many ways - get bf sorted first :)

Your partner can be closely involved in a zillion other ways - no need for him to give a bottle.

I agree. Ds is almost six months and I still struggle to find the time to express. This is mainly due to the fact ds feeds a lot and I can't express much. This could be different for you though. Everyone is different. You may find it much easier to express. I would wait a few weeks though. DH can do nappy changes and bath time which are both really good for bonding :)

Totally agree that expressing is an almighty faff. I think that alone is a good enough reason to get BF properly established - maybe 6 weeks in? - before worrying about it too much. I'm due with DC2, this time I'm not even considering it until the 6-week growth spurt is over!

And yes, you can combine expressed milk into one feed as long as it's been stored safely. I found sterile milk bags were very good for that.

Whatever you do, don't make the mistake of thinking that what you can express is all that baby is getting - I was usually doing well to express two ounces unless DS had missed a feed for some reason, in which case I could express more like 6 to 8 ounces.

Finally - if you're determined to BF, find a nice BF support group, I loved mine and will be looking for a new one soon!

thanks everyone for your replies
6 weeks isn't too bad and DP can't really get involved in bath/bedtime unless its on his two days off as leaves for work at 8am is home 3pm til 4pm back to work till around 11 :/ (chef). I plan on giving him a lot of the job on his two days off but also realise he needs some rest time to especially as he will be at work all that time then awaken half the night by ds. So would be nice if he could squeeze in a lil bottle at some point like I say once every 2/3 days no huge rush and as you say expressing might not work well. Just trying to think ahead,
Anyone know anything about the freezing idea I mentioned?

I think you're not meant to add milk together unless it was all expressed within 24 hours.

Yes pumping is a faff but for me it's been a godsend since day 7 - helps relieve engorged boobs and lets DH give one of the night feeds so I can have a solid 4 hour block of sleep. DS is 19 days old (so admittedly im hardy an expert) and thankfully has no problem switching between bf and bottle but it's too early yet for me to be comfortable leaving baby for more than 20 mins or so. I pump when DH is around to look after baby, I agree doing it when you're on your own is hard.

Just see what works best for you when baby arrives, there's no right or wrong - maybe do some research into pumps, sterilisers etc so if you do want to buy them you can send someone out for them in the early days if you're not sure and don't want to buy in advance.

I pumped a bit quite early on (from a few weeks in) so that DH could give a bottle first thing and I could go back to bed for a bit. This was definitely helpful as I was ill. I also ended up back in hospital for a bit when DS was about six weeks old and obviously had to pump then (though he also had to have formula as there wasn't enough pumped milk to get through the first night). But after I came out of hospital I stopped pumping and didn't go back to it as I felt it was just one more thing that was exhausting me, I felt like a cow, and in the end I was happy for DS to have a small bottle of formula every few days instead when I needed a break. (And for mainly breast fed babies, the occasional bottle of formula really knocks them out as it is denser/harder to digest which is sometimes useful.) I know a lot of people are very purist about bf and don't want to introduce any formula at all but try not to put loads of pressure on yourself in advance. You don't know how you will find it. I thought I'd love breastfeeding and had a good model of it (my Mum bf all of us) but in practice I found it painful for the first eight weeks and have never really enjoyed it, although I am still feeding him (mix feeding now as I am back at work during the day) at six months.

I only ever used a mechanical pump as didn't have any probs getting plenty of milk but in hospital they had an electric one which was a lot easier/faster. If I was going to rely on it a lot I think I would splash out on one of those. Whereas my mother said she never had any kind of pump but would just express by thinking about the baby and squeezing her breast over a bottle!

Forgot to say that pumping did not seem to interfere with my supply at all, nor cause probs with DS feeding; but he fed practically constantly and took to it easily (no probs with latch/tongue-tie/reflux etc etc).

abi just found these sites they say you can mix so this would be massively helpful
www.babycenter.com/404_can-i-mix-breast-milk-that-i-pump-at-two-different-times_8878.bc
kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/

Hi Gonnabmummy, I didn't manage to breastfeed my first son but am happily and easily b'feedinv my second, who is now 5 months. Very different experiences but I found this book really helpful and supportive in each case. Good luck, hope it works out for you and congratulations!

Oh and I think it's fine to group a couple of batches to freeze but I would make sure they are each completely cold before adding them together.

Thanks minty just ordered it from used on amazon for the grand old some of 1p! 2.80 for delivery but it's still a win :)

That's a major win!!! She is fantastic and really practical, just what you need when you are floundering about with a hungry baby. Hope it all works out well.

I had to pump from day 4 as DD wasn't getting enough/latching on well on the boob and that was recommended by the midwife, so as long as the doctor or midwife thinks it's OK, I see no problem.

It's a faff though, that's true - It's also a faff to get them to exclusively to breastfeed after pumping too, sometimes.

Congratulations gonnab. I have no advice on breast feeding as it didn't work out for me. All I want to say is, it's not the end of the world if it doesn't work out - it's nice if you can, but not worth stressing you/baby/husband into oblivion in the process. Bottle feeding is just as good,and for some of us it turns out to be the only option. So, hopefully, it all goes to plan for you, but if it doesn't, remember this; you haven't failed, you haven't let anyone down, your baby will be just as healthy. That's all

Hi and good luck! Sorry to be a voice of dissent but I, and many others on here have been very unimpressed with the book which was linked to above. I see you have found kellymom, it is really fantastic!

Oh ps also google dr jack Newman breastfeeding videos to see correct latching etc!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/737675-Who-is-Clare-Byam-Cook-and-do-you-consider-this/AllOnOnePage

I also expressed from very early on (DS1 couldn't latch) and echo all sentiments about its being a massive faff. To be avoided.

I think the main objection against early expressing is that giving a baby a bottle instead of a feed can mess up supply/demand signals - but if you are freezing the pumped milk instead of giving it as a feed then that wouldn't be an issue, and the expressing would only boost supply.

Early bottle feeding can also prejudice a baby against breastfeeding from source - a human nipple is usually harder work than a plastic teat.

As an aside, keep your options open. The women I know in real life who were the most obsessed with ebf-ing antenatally also had most trouble and guilt, stopped feeding soonest, and struggled most with that decision. Those who were kinder to themselves and put themselves under less pressure had more success and less guilt. Just my experience, but be realistic.

For me, it took 6 weeks for bf to fully establish and to get over initial problems (oversupply, DS with a slight tongue tie), but it took far longer to express. I had the same idea as you, to express a bottle for DH to do occasional nights, however it didn't work that way.

Even though I had oversupply to begin with, DS fed every 1.5hrs for an hour at a time. There was never enough time to sit and express. When I found time, I'd pump for 30 mins and get a tiny dribble. We had to go out one evening when DS was 3 months - it took me two weeks of pumping 4 times a day to get 3oz for him!

Ironically, when I went back to work I could express loads really easily (2oz per side in one sitting), but DS now refuses to drink it, preferring to wait until I get home instead.

The main tips I have are to buy a tube of Lansinoh (think my nipples would have dropped off without it!) and find where/when your local breastfeeding group meets. You could even pop along for a chat before your baby gets here.

GF - her name is mud on here but there is one thing she recommends which I think is sensible. That is to rent a hospital grade pump and build pumping into your daily routine from Day 1, either pumping for 15 mins in morning or 15 mins in eve.

She claims this will help successful bf as DP can then give a bottle each night at 10pm so you can get an early night to set you up for night wakings. I think this is a good idea and wish I'd done it.

Like others on here I found it really hard to make time for pumping, also only had an ordinary pump and I have slow let down so took about 45 mins to get 50ml.

In the end when I was exhausted with bf we started giving a bottle of formula at night. I am still bf the rest of the time but really wish I'd managed to get the hang of pumping so I could have fed him exclusively on bm.

Horry v interesting last para! Yes successful bf requires relaxation - I was so bloody anxious in the early days made it really hard for myself!

I had to pump and give DS ebm from a bottle from day one as he had an awful time latching on. It is a bit of a palaver - cleaning and sterilising bottles.
Luckily his latching issues sorted themselves out after about 2 weeks but I was still expressing just in case DS relapsed and I needed to fall back on the ebm again
Once DH went back to work it was impossible to factor in a pumping session as DS either wanted the feed himself or wanted to be held making it practically difficult!
Now he's 7 weeks I've tried to get one pumping session in a day after him morning feed to build a supply to freeze and give to the GPs when babysitting but its still difficult to arrange - sometimes I can only manage it once or twice a week.
It hasn't affected my supply and Luckily we've had no issues with nipple confusion so DS will happily take the breast or the bottle.

Good luck. There's a fine line to be trodden between introducing a bottle too early and leaving it too late so they won't take one.

Seriously, make friends with your local bf groups. Go along before baby is born.

If you can, rent a decent electric pump initially. That way. If pumping doesn't work for you you haven't wasted money.

I struggled to pump and had an enzyme in my milk that mass it taste awful when it was frozen, so it had to be scalded before it was frozen. That was an extra faff I didn't need. Still, DS is 17 months now and we're still bf.

Best of luck!