Sterilising Medela Swing

[covycrump]

I'm having problems feeding 3 day old DS and am looking to buy the Medela Swing breastpump today to relieve some of the pressure.

Does anyone have one of these and if so can the parts be sterilised in a microwave steamer? I was thinking of getting the Avent Express II, but wasn't sure it would be compatible with the Medela Swing parts, or even whether the Medela Swing can be microwaved (some people on other forums have said theirs died when doing so).

Can't comment on the swing, but I had an electric Medela breastpump with dd and it was absolute murder to clean. A real pita.
Fwiw, I found the Avent Isis much better than my avent electric pump. It's a manual pump but took no more effort really and I found it much easier to express with. Very easy to clean too

I use sterilising solution or boil it in water with mine rather than microwave steamer.

Think the instructions tell you to boil it in water.

You don't need to sterilise anything to do with breastmilk.

Of course you do Picante. My medela had a little valve that would collect milk and just go stale if I didn't wash it

Oh, I am feeling so confused about this, probably compounded through lack of sleep (although i just got 20 mins - that's now almost 6 hours in total since labour started 84 hours ago... ). Breastfeeding is so hard.

So we've ended up not getting anything pump or bottle-like today, and I am dreading the night again. I am overwhelmed with love for my boy, but spending midnight 'til 7am with a baby permanently suckling is shockingly painful and demoralising.

Moan, moan. Whinge, whinge. I am of course pleased that he finds me and my boobs a comfort, but I wish he would sleep in other ways.

It really does get better - really! FWIW, I have the tommee tippee manual pump and bottles and have found it easy to clean and sterilise - also quieter and seems easier than an electric pump to relieve pressure.

Are you able to co-sleep at all so you get some rest even if it isn't very good quality? Do you have a DP who could take the baby for a bit so you can hgave a sleep or a bath?

Hang in there, it will be okay.

He won't co-sleep in normal ways - that's what I don't understand. I read so many people say on MN that their babies wouldn't use moses baskets etc, so we decided to go straight for a sidecar style arrangement, the idea being that I could sleep with my arm around him and face next to his. I thought this would be comfort enough; it seems not.

DP wants DS to sleep on him so I can rest, and we keep trying, but DS wakes in the handover from my boobs to his daddy's chest, gets outraged, and then roots furiously until he's back on the breast or he will not calm. This goes on all night. And most of the day. I encourage DP to catnap where he can, so he has the energy to do the nappies, clothes, and make adult food, but he's only getting a fractured 3-4 hours a day himself in total.

I knew it would be hard and sleep-deprived and miserable a lot, but I really thought I would be getting at least some hours of sleep a night. After last night's monster fuel-fest, this morning I was sobbing at the thought of having to keep feeding. Frozen peas have helped the pain, and lots of purple lanolin cream stuff.

ugh goodness those first few days...
about the medela swing, i sterilised all the bits that touch milk/boobs in a microwave steriliser and all still in working order 4 babies later (not all babies mine btw)

I have a medela swing and had probs breastfeeding at first like you!

I really sympathise with you covycrump Breastfeeding is hard at first. I nearly gave up lots of times. I found it painful and used lots of lasinoh (for cracked nipples) which helped. I got v frustrated that everything I read said that if it hurts the latch is wrong and the nipple has to be further back in babys mouth. We just couldnt seem to get it right but didnt know what was going wrong. Lots of people said it would get easier and it has done. I didnt really believe them at first so I bought a medela swing which I intended to use to express exclusively. It actually seemed more hassle to exclusively express that put up with the pain which was lessening. By about week 8 breastfeeding did get easier and now its great.

My medela swing is good and i still use it so DH can give a bottle if im out. Its easy to clean. I always sterilise it in a small one bottle tommee tippee steriliser (the instructions on the breast pump say just to wash it in hot water but I prefer to sterilise also)

Try and persevere with breast feeding if you want to. Maybe see a breastfeeding counsellor?
Newborns do like to feed alot!Im sure you will both get the hang of it with practice like me and my little boy who is now 3mths have done. the first few days/weeks are difficult in many ways but amazing too.
Good luck x

Can you feed lying down? you could lie him next to you and attach him to your boob so ou can doze while he feeds? Will he sleep at all other than by being fed to sleep iyswim? Could you get him to sleep by patting/ stroking/ rocking on your chest?

Do you have a sling? Could you pop him into the sling and have him go to sleep without you?

Just think about what you can do to get through tonight. I would strongly suggest that you see a breast feeding counsellor tomorrow even if it just to confirm that everything is okay - it might be that your latch could be improved which will make his feeds a bit easier. It will also give you support and sympathy and most breast feeding counsellors will help with expressing as well to show you how to do it most efficiently if that is what you need to do.

Finally, although it feels horrible, it isnot the same to have your DS crying in his daddy's arms as leaving him o cry on his own

I will read through all this again tomorrow, to make a practical decision about how to proceed with the pumping & sterilizing issue.

I'll call the breastfeeding counsellor at my hospital tomorrow, to see if there's anything that can be improved to make things easier. Maybe our latch isn't efficient enough and slowing feeding down because it's taking longer for him to be fed?

God knows how we'll get through the night. I tried the lying down side feeding, but I couldn't get comfortable as my breasts hurt so much. It seems like a lovely thing to do though, in the future.

We have a sling, but I don't get what you mean about having him go to sleep without me? Would it not be me wearing him? I am so scared of squishing him, that I can't sleep with him too close.

hang on in there

has your milk come in????

my DD was permanently attached to me for the first three days - slept on me, wouldn't sleep for more than a few minutes just wanted to suck and suck

i was a wreck

however, my milk came in on days 3/4/5 and bam - DD was more settled

because she had sucked so much i had no engorgement at all

don;t be discouraged - i have been where you are and DD is 11 weeks old and i am still breastfeeding (a few wobbles along the way)

I have the medela swing and just stick it in the dishwasher. I've never sterilised it.

Try going to bed with your baby. Really at just a few days old your baby does just want to feed and it does get better. No need to pump just yet, just feed and feed and I promise you will get some sleep. Also, day 3 is always a hard day, according to the midwives at my local hospital.

I would agree with rubyslipped - has your milk definitely come in? My LO is now 11 days old and my milk didn't come in until day 4 - day 3 was HARD!

Baby will just suck and suck but I promise it'll get better.

As for the Medela swing - I have this and sterlise the top bits in a steam sterliser

Will respond to all advice tomorrow - thank you for all these suggestions to help us out, but finding it hard typing right now as am one-handed with DS in rugby hold. Am feeling more positive though!

I sterilize my medela in the bottle sterilizer after washing the parts in soapy water. I stick everything in except the long clear pipe that runs between the motor and pump. I just suck up hot soapy water in it and hang to dry.
Best advice on expressing and pumps I found hear www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bf-links-pumps.html#tips
The next issue is getting them to take the bottle and there are some very good threads on MN on what/how on that if you search the archive. I?m using Tommy tippy closer to nature.
The first couple of weeks are very intense but the feeding and the sore baps will calm down.
Get the cabbage leafs in for soothing.
A lot of people give up co sleeping with their partners during the early months and the DPs usually start takeing on more care, as the baby gets older. Better to tag team the sleep. Get him to bring the baby to you during the day when he?s hungry to give you a break.
If your BF its pointless you both losing sleep, he will do his time when you get the EBF on the go, and you get some kip in later on as the baby gets older.
It goes so fast, honestly. You?ll look round one day and they will be asking why they can?t have a dog, and you stand there wondering what just happened. One minute they are a wee squirmy terrifying creature, and the next your trying to change the subject about why grandmas got a mustache.
Hang in there.
All the best.

A with Rubyslippers, my milk took ages to come in, my poor wee son was crying a lot for days because he was getting hungry all the time. By day 6 when it had come in properly he was like a different baby and saved his screaming for nappy change time...

hope you get on ok.

Um you don't need to sterilise anything to do with breastmilk.

See this.

And THIS.

And THIS!

Need more links? Am happy to oblige. Cannot believe so many women are wasting so much time sterlising unnecessarily.

I prefer to sterilise my pump - just for peace of mind. it only takes a couple of minutes. Good to know its not vital though.

Hope things are improving for you covycrump

ps. I only do the bottle and the top bits taken apart. Not the tube unless milk got into it, which it hasnt done. Sometimes you get a bit of condensation in it and the instructions say to leave just the tube attached to the pump and leave it going for a few mins.

I'm sorry you're having such a tough time, I have a 12 week old and the hardship of those early days is still fresh in my mind, so much sympathy. It will get easier!

I pump every night around 3am (as I BF DD with a handsfree bra) with my Swing and after washing through with warm soapy water, I sterilise using cold water and a milton tablet, for 15mins and then air dry; very hassle free, (and I sterlilsed because I had suspected thrush in one breast and really isn't difficult).

DH then does the late night feed whilst I nip off the bed a bit earlier - I introduced this around 2 weeks and do this every night and works well for us.

And feeding lying down really helped, unfortunately DD is a very sicky baby so I can't do that anymore but I wish I could!

Anyway, best of luck and take it a day at a time, it will fly by

I think my milk came in on Saturday night; it was definitely in full flow throughout Sunday. DS has agreed to sleep on DP for about an hour at a time now, so that's progress of sorts, and means that in the last 24 hours, I have achieved three one-hour sleeps, each one following stuffing DS silly with milk. One feed was almost three hours; where does he put it all?

So now it's 3.30am, and as I sent DP to bed at 11.30, I don't want to wake him to take over as the baby's human sofa until 6 am, so I just need to get through another 2.5 hours and DS might let me leave him for an hour so I can sleep. I hope there'll be lots of MNers up too, as telly makes me sleepy, and I am terrified of dropping off with my vulnerable little bundle crashed out on me. Oh! he's stirring now. No - zonked out again. God, he's so cute.

Anyway, I called the breastfeeding counselor at my hospital and left a message, but her voicemail says that one should consult the community midwife, go to one of the borough's BF clinics, or call BF Network or Leche League. Maybe she's not someone who helps in person herself. I would go to a drop-in clinic, but they are not nearby (they closed the one at the Children's Centre a few hundred metres away), and I don't feel confident about going out far with a five day old DS when the weather is so awful, as we have no car. The community midwife calls for her 2nd visit tomorrow, but her time constraints means she can't spend the time I need to master this. I'm trying to find out whether there are people who you can pay to come to your home and spend a couple of hours really sorting out your BF problems.

I have read so much and seen so many animations on what you're supposed to do, but when DS is squealing and angry because he's desperate to get on the boob, stuffing his tiny fists in his mouth and snapping his gums like a turtle, it's really hard to get his in the right position and latch. DP helps a lot, restraining his arms and padding his body up to a comfortable level, but it just gets the experience off to an awkward start each time. When it begins well however, I feel so pleased and happy.

Still can't decide what to do about which pump, whether to pump, sterilising, storage - there is too much choice, and we can't even decide on a name, which we've had 8 months to think about. Poor no name, milk-addict baby.

Things always seem worse in the early hours!

Your baby is still very tiny and still wants and needs to be cuddled. It is very early days and they are tough. Have you tried swaddling? Or a sling?

DS2 is exclusively bf; DS1 was mix fed and it is so much easier with DS2! Things were really hard until around 6 weeks and then it all got so much better!

The NCT have bf counsellors, but do be quite demanding of your midwife to get the help you need.

Good luck, you are doing really well.

If you can pinpoint what the problem might be, it is worth starting a new thread asking for help. There are some really knowledgeable people on here, particularly Tiktok if you can track her down.

Personally I wouldn't use a pump in this situation - it'll be more work for you, and it's very early to try to get the baby used to both bottle and breast. Stick with it - it should get easier!

There have been moments of triumph today! Just now, DS and I slept together for the first time without DP there to watch over us. Admittedly, I only slept an hour (DS an extra 30 mins at the start), and it took place on a squishy large towel laid out on the living room floor, rather than our bed-cot sidecar, but still, I'm very pleased to have had the confidence to do it. I've also had 6 hours sleep over 4 naps in the last 24 hours - this is fantastic.

DS also has had two other snoozes without lying on a person today. Right now however, he's sprawled asleep on my chest, but I'm going to leave it for a bit - as much as I want him to feel ok snoozing in other places, I do need the cuddles sometimes too.

With feeding, the midwife who came today (never the same people twice in this area) was not much use. She didn't know that the BF drop in at the local Children's Centre no longer exists, wouldn't look at the clot I saved which I was worried about, and didn't examine my stitches, which are suddenly quite sore. But, with regard to my opening post, I think DS and I are going to persevere without expressing for the meantime. I'd like him to have fully mastered boobs before getting a teat involved, and I do love to feed him when it goes well. We will get there; DP constantly tells me I am doing brilliantly which reassures me. DS must be getting plenty as he had gained 40g at his weigh in (at 4.5 days old).

Llagerrub, I've seen TikTok's name on here somewhere - thanks for letting me know she's a go-to person for feeding advice. I'm going to try the sling at the weekend (it's Kari-Me). DS is not liking our swaddling attempts so far and really kicks about, but DP (this is his terrain) is looking at and practicing other techniques.

Thanks everyone for the support, encouragement, and practical advice.