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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Going back to breastfeeding after exclusively pumping at 4 weeks. Can I do it?

13 replies

MrsDx · 19/10/2018 06:12

Please help me. Due to various reasons I exclusively pumped rather than breastfed from boob from when my baby was a week or so old. He’s now four weeks tomorrow and I feel ready to try breastfeeding again but I’m terrified he won’t latch or it just won’t work. Any success stories after such a long gap? Can I make it work again?

OP posts:

theboxofdelights · 19/10/2018 06:24

Yes, I pumped for nearly six months for a NICU baby until she got the hang of it, pumped exclusively for about the first three and a half months.

Original poster

MrsDx · 19/10/2018 07:13

Thank you so much for that x

OP posts:

littlebillie · 19/10/2018 07:28

I had 10 days of pumping before I started feeding again it was fine and the dc response had improved

Verbena87 · 19/10/2018 07:31

I’m sure you can do it! You’ve got a decent milk supply and a hungry baby: those are good odds! Work out where you can get support in advance in case latching is tricky at first - our area have nhs breastfeeding counsellors who will come out if you’re struggling, and I also found our local breastfeeding drop-in great for sharing tips and asking advice.

Best of luck.

Original poster

MrsDx · 19/10/2018 08:19

Well we tried for his first feed and he fed for ten minutes came off on his own then went back on for another 5/10 minutes and has slept ever since...if he hadn’t been able to get enough he’d be crying and still hungry right? Does that sound right for a breast feed I just don’t know?

OP posts:

Soiree · 19/10/2018 10:03

That sounds like a fine length for a feed, sometimes they'll want 5 mins, sometimes 45! Remember 'tummy to tummy, nipple to nose', try a sandwich hold if latching is tricky and get as much support as you can from your NCT, health visitors, La Leche League, wherever you can really!

Verbena87 · 19/10/2018 17:11

Sounds great to me! Trust your instincts: if he seems full and content he probably is.

ILoveHumanity · 19/10/2018 17:54

I pumped for my bang for a week and then he was able to latch.

Read up on kelly mum about some hurdles you might face, such as the flow being too fast for baby at first since the pump might be different to his suction...

As well as supply and demand, if your pumping wasn’t based around his feeding times you could have a few days of stress on your boob before it regulates to his demand ..

Try massage and switch gradually so that things aren’t too hard on you .
Feed the baby while laying backwards so that they don’t find the milk let down too fast.

Few things to be aware of really but you should be fine

If they don’t latch, try nipple shields

Original poster

MrsDx · 19/10/2018 21:51

Thank you very much everyone I really appreciate it x

OP posts:

Soiree · 20/10/2018 03:28

Ooh yes nipple shields were a lifesaver for me at one point.

dicdicnurse · 20/10/2018 04:06

I pumped and bottle fed for the first 4 weeks and then switched to breastfeeding. I had a really supportive health visitor who was on board with my plan and I ended up bf until DD was 18 months. Definitely do-able! Good luck!

flumpybear · 20/10/2018 04:10

Sounds like you're doing just fine - no stress just enjoy your baby 😉

Rainbowstorm · 20/10/2018 21:42

I pumped until 21 weeks by which time she had finally got the hang of breastfeeding. We had to use shields for a while afterwards before eventually dropping those too. Still EBF now at 10 months. We had a lot of support from a local lactation consultant and bf group to get there. I also found a lot of useful info on Kellymom and LLL. Good luck!

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