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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

Breast feeding help

11 replies

honeybunsleo · 08/04/2023 19:18

Hi, I really do not want to breast feed, I have a son who is autistic and it's just not practical for our family. I do however want to pump and give through a bottle. Has anyone else done this, I want to combine formula.

Baby is going to me in neo natal ward as she's going to require surgery when she's born, will also be on a feeding tube too.

OP posts:
gladhaw · 08/04/2023 20:03

If you're happy to share - why will breastfeeding be tough because of your autistic son? Pumping requires in some sense the same amount of effort - sat still, attached, prepping pump and sanitising it, pumping at certain times to stop engorgement and to encourage milk.

Ukholidaysaregreat · 08/04/2023 20:09

Pumping is quite hard work and it is easier to just feed the baby direct I think. If you are pumping then midwives in hospital told me you should aim to pump twice at night as your hormones produce more milk from night time feeds! To help with supply. Then obviously pump 6 to 8 times in the day. If your baby will be on a feeding tube you can drip it in to the tube and it will be really helpful for them when they are new. Good Luck with all of this, sounds like you have potentially quite a stressful time coming up. Hope you have some support and some one to make you a cup of tea! Look after yourself! Xxx

FluffySlippers23 · 08/04/2023 20:10

If pumping is the right choice for you then yes absolutely you can do it.

As PP Said, I'd say breastfeeding is easier than pumping, once you get the hang of it. Just feed whenever you want to, no messing around with equipment. You can still combi feed with formula if you want to, but combi feeding can quickly lead to a decline in your own supply due to lack of demand. If you want to keep your supply up then you'll need to pump quite often to mimic a baby.

Will you able to breastfeed your baby if they are in PICU? The nurses there should be able to help you with that, or expressing if that's your preference. They usually have excellent pumping machines to help with supply.

Soon after your baby is born you will produce colostrum which is very think and creamy. This is easiest hand expressed into a (sterile) syringe to give your baby. Not very glamorous but it's a good way of doing it as you'll only get a few drops (which is plenty for a newborn).

Good luck and I hope you and your baby are doing well xx

AlltheFs · 08/04/2023 20:25

Exclusive pumping is really not worth bothering with, it’s very difficult to maintain. Friend of mine attempted it twice and ended up very depressed because it was so limiting.
I successfully breastfed DD till 26 months but could not express a drop so it’s not a given anyway.

Honestly I’d just feed the colostrum and move to FF if you can’t feed from the breast at all. Being tied to a pump day and night is just no way to spend your time.

CurlewKate · 08/04/2023 20:37

Honestly? I'm rabidly pro breastfeeding, but if I were you, I'd go straight to formula. Pumping then bottle feeding is (IMHO) the worst of all possible worlds. And you've got enough on your plate as it is. Maybe pump colostrum, then go to 100% formula. Good luck!

twoundertwowho · 08/04/2023 21:21

Hello,

I wasn't able to breastfeed for various reasons, but I really wanted baby to at least start on breast milk.

Pumping is very hard work as previous posters have said, but if you are organised and have support then it is possible. I did 6 weeks, pumping 4x a day and supplementing with formula. I'm really glad I did it. It was really important to me.

Support is absolutely key though as it takes up a lot of time and one thing that I could never have foreseen is that baby would go mad if I pumped in the same room as him and it was extremely emotional for me and obviously him. So I would have to go in another room, which would have been impossible if I didn't have help.

Good luck x

Original poster
honeybunsleo · 09/04/2023 14:36

My son is very clingy in the sense he wants to be on me ect a lot, sleeping time is hard, he's on a reduced time table at school ect and he responds better to me than my partner. I do not want him to feel tossed aside because we have another child, I want him to feel included and one thing he talks about is giving her a bottle. I also feel as selfish as this is, between him, her, I will never have a moment for me.

Daughter (not yet born) currently has exompholas. Some of her organs are on the outside at the moment, she's going to require surgery some time after she's born and will be fed via feeding tube from anything from a week until 1-2 years. Some cases it can be worse but I'll visit that when she's here. I feel like breast milk however much will be better for her is she can have it, but I'm just working out how, I'm meeting with the surgeons in a few weeks. I don't even know if they can give breast milk through a feeding tube xx

OP posts:
Cappuccino17 · 10/04/2023 01:37

I started off breast feeding but my baby had jaundice so i was told to pump it was hard work and i felt my supply dropped aswel. Plus theres all the washing of the parts and then you have to feed the baby. I did it for a few months and you have to do it every 2-3 hours aswel so it's quite taxing and more time consuming than breast feeding. Some people can manage but i only managed a few months, felt like a huge chore and takes over your life.
Id just try to breastfeed instead and see how that goes first. Obviously make sure the baby gets all the colostrum. Then based on how the bfing is going take the next step whether its EBM or FF. I wouldn't write off bf straight away.

Cappuccino17 · 10/04/2023 01:49

Sorry just read your post. It does seem like a difficult situation for you. If your daughter will be on a drip then i think you can EBM and it can be fed through the drip and the hospital will be there to support you aswel. You can hire hospital grade double pumps or you get handsfree pumps too there are many options out there to make it convinient for mums, i would definitely recommend a double pump if you purchase one as it will increase the milk supply and it halves the time that you do it for. I used medela. But this was years ago. There are so many options out there. Depends if the hospital give you one or if you purchase it depends on your budget.
Also maybe it's a good idea to speak to a local lactation consultant who can advice you on the feeding side. Mine was so supportive and she gave me the double pump. I also asked for many extra parts to save me from washing up too often. So ask for it as it all helps when u have your hands tied.
They might ask you to pump in advance as breast milk comes before hand for some mums and you can start stocking up some breast milk and be prepared. Get advice. Hope everything works out for you. All the best.

Mumma · 10/04/2023 02:46

I am BF but unable to pump. It was my plan to but pump juat gets nothing from me. Pumping takes twice the time as you need to spend the time pumping and then spend the time feeding what you pumped...

Phoebo · 10/04/2023 03:19

My cousin pumped for both her babies as she wanted to BF but they were both tongue tied. I'd investigate the pumps that you can wear to make it a bit easier. Some you can literally wear or else the bras where you can put the pump in it so you don't have to hold it

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