ELCS - Should I have my breast pump already?

[Liland]

Hi there,

Just a quick question. I have my ELCS (FTM) scheduled for 5 days from now - the ECV failed for my breech baby - and while I have everything else, I don't have a breast pump. I was waiting until after baby is here, but now I'm having a section all of a sudden, I'm questioning whether I should just order it now to help bring in my milk if needed? I'm hoping to EBF.

I'm quite nervous and want to make sure I have all my bases covered. A section wasn't my first choice, and it's all happened kind of suddenly.

If you are planning to EBF a good electric breast pump will be essential at some stage, I would 100% order one. Xx

I exclusively breastfed my son who was born by ELCS and never pumped once. An electric pump won't get more than a drop of colostrum out, and putting the baby to your breast as often as possible is far better for stimulating milk production. Milk might take a few days to come in after ELCS but you will still have colostrum, which is exactly right for a newborn with a teeny tiny tummy.

Bf all of mine, never owned a pump. Last dc was by emcs and managed just fine even at 5 weeks early. Imo thinking about pumping just adds to the stress!!

I'm planning on pumping later on as I only have a few months off work and would like to pass on some feeds to DP when maternity leave is over.

What are you supposed to do in the gap between birth and milk coming in if you're producing very little colostrum? Don't the babies get frustrated?

In the first few days baby's stomachs only hold around 10mls so they just feed little and often Pump might be useful later down the line but no need to rush to by one before their birth.

I've had two CSs and ebf'd both, starting in recovery. They just need to have a little very often to establish your supply - no need to pump in the early days.

Just had a section and baby is feeding fine. Little and often. Breastfed babies are virtually on the breast constantly in the early days anyway so get used to it!

You don't need the pump now. Just wait and see. Putting baby to breast often is the very best way to stimulate milk supply. Baby helps do this too by thrashing about and screaming at your boob like it's full of poison- this is totally normal and necessary! But can make you think you don't have enough milk.

Wet nappies, weight gain from 10 days old and an alert little one with a moist mouth are all the indicators you need of good breastfeeding.

All the best.

Depending on how long you stay in, your milk might be in by the time you are discharged, so you'd be OK to use a pump from the hospital, if they have one. Hospital grade pumps are far better than anything you can purchase at a retailer.

My milk came in day 4 after both my caesareans. Due to a couple of issues (flat nipples, babies with small mouths), we hand expressed colostrum and fed the babies by oral syringe. Lots of skin to skin helped most, I think.

Yep if you try and pump colostrum I find that you get so little out and it’s so thick and sticky, it gets wasted by sticking to the pump parts.
I EBF after a planned c section at 29 weeks. Section Friday, milk arrived Tuesday. Did lots of skin to skin. Baby just really needs a few mouthfuls of colostrum each time. Just don’t go too long without feeding. Hospital should help you.

See if you’ve got a local breastfeeding support group, go along before you have baby and they’ll be able to fill you in on how bf works and what you need to do.

Also, there are breastfeeding helplines (NCT do one that’s free and don’t have to be a member). They can be really helpful if you can’t get out easily post section

Colostrum is much easier to collect by hand expressing, it's thick and sticky. The most straightforward way of getting it into the baby is by letting the baby do it, although that doesn't always go to plan. KellyMom and Le Leche Leauge websites are great places to look for information on feeding your baby.

Speak to your midwife about colostrum harvesting as you can start expressing safely by hand from 36 weeks pregnant. You can get sterile syringes from the midwife or pharmacy and express into those. You can then store (ask midwife for guidance) for extra or for when your milk is coming in.

I had a four day gap between ecs and milk coming in, I also had a big hungry baby.. I gave formula for a few days, first feed was 15ml...

She now completely prefers BM, and turns her nose up at formula 🤷🏻‍♀️

Good luck x

Thank you for all the tips and reassurance. I'm a bit of a worried! I'm definitely going to look into all of these now :)

@Liland I have a medela pump that's hardly been used with accessories like storage bags. It's been cleaned and sterilised. Happy to send it to you if you'll cover p&p x

Thanks @ginpink but I ordered one last night already just to be safe!

I also had ELCS and baby‘s blood sugar was low after 24hrs so the hospital recommend that we supplement with some formula (10-20ml). We ended up using formula 3-4 times while in hospital as she didn‘t seem full after breast feeding. I really wanted to EBF but supplementing didn‘t bother me much because instinctively it‘s much better to see you baby full and happy. My milk came in 3 days after csection and we didn‘t need any formula after that. She‘s been BF ever since.

I had a breast pump but it didn‘t cross my mind to take it to hospital (I had no idea how to use it anyway). A midwife there said she wouldn‘t recommend pumping too early as it can make your engorgement even more painful. I waited a week before pumping, which was still quite early so not sure if this is good advice, but it did end up increasing my milk supply. I only pumped sporadically, once every 2-3 days just so there‘s always a bottle in the fridge for emergencies.