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Postnatal health

As with all health-related issues, please seek advice from a RL health professional if you're worried about anything.

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Original poster

Pumping exclusively

12 replies

Aggy35 · 18/12/2021 21:29

My dd is 2 weeks old.Within first couple of days of breastfeeding she had 'destroyed' my nipples to an extent that when I got back from hospital (c section ,4 day stay) a thick scab had formed around both nipples making it impossible to feed her.Now that the scabs are off i tried again but even with the 'perfect latch' as taught by midwifes her suction is strong and painful .She also cluster feeds which means a lot of latching on and off.
I am currently pumping and giving her formula as my own supply suffered when nipples were healing.
Everywhere online it says pump 8 to 12 times a day.Is this whilst she is little and milk is being established or till I decide to stop?Surely nobody pumps or breastfeeds that often when let's say little one is 6 months?
Also currently I don't have enough to feed her pumped milk exclusively. Any tips on increasing milk supply would be appreciated.

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deedsnotwords11 · 18/12/2021 21:35

Has she been checked for tongue tie by a proper lactation consultant?
A lot of breastfeeding advice I got from midwives turned out to be wrong, some downright harmful eg one pushed baby's head onto my breast at one point. I was told it was normal for it to hurt.
IBCLC/lactation consultant finally identified a proper tongue tie, which was then snipped.

CelticPromise · 18/12/2021 21:43

It's not too late to get back to direct bf if you want to. It's not about how the latch looks but how it feels.

8-12 times is a normal feeding pattern yes even at 6 months. Feeds get quicker and easier and more efficient but not always less frequent. Work pumping, it's variable. Some mothers find that once supply is established they can drop a session or two. Not all. Cluster pumping, massage while pumping, skin to skin, close your eyes and listen to music can all help. And you will likely need a hospital grade pump, so you can hire from Medela or Ardo or if you want to buy, Spectra is good or Ardo Calypso. Finally paced bottle feeding is important. A full milk supply is around about 800ml/24 hours.

nellly · 18/12/2021 21:48

My baby is 3 months and I easily breast feed 12 times in 24 hours so yes I think that's normal, I understand pump isn't as effective at creating supply so could you aim to breastfeed once or twice a day and pump the rest? Might help keep supply up

VeggieSausage · 18/12/2021 21:52

I expressed milk for my daughter until she was 6 months old but also topped up with formula. I pumped around 8 times a day at first but I think I eventually decreased to 6.

Sunbeams09 · 18/12/2021 21:54

Could you try a nipple shield? I don’t think the frequency of feeds drops until you start to wean (or at least that was the case for me with DC1) so yes I could see 8-12 feeds continuing to 6+ months. I exclusively pumped until 3 weeks old then swapped to exclusive breastfeeding so you still have time. I had some terrible advice from midwives so don’t take their advice as gospel, if you have access to breastfeeding peer support groups I would go to them

Original poster

Aggy35 · 19/12/2021 10:38

Been trying this morning to get her to latch on but it seems she prefers bottle now.Did you experience this problem?

OP posts:

squashie34 · 21/12/2021 22:46

I pumped exclusively for 6 months and I expressed every 3 hours so yes 8 times a day for at least the first 4 months and then every 4 hours after that. I also had to power pump sometimes to increase my supply which was 10mins on/10 mins off for an hour once a day. It really is relentless but after my baby was born with a tongue tie and lost a lot of weight by day 5 I was driving myself crazy with not knowing what she was having so I chose to continue with expressing even when the tongue tie was cut.

Whatever you choose, fed is best and please do what allows you to enjoy your baby x

RogueV · 21/12/2021 22:56

I pumped exclusively for 6-7 months with my first and 4-5 months with my second.

It was flipping hard work. I wouldn’t recommend it. Luckily I had loads of milk - freezer stash full (they were both prem) but yes I had to start 8-12 times over 24 hours. I had a mobile pump that I used to strap on which I could do whilst walking around.

Flutterby8 · 24/12/2021 23:05

Just want to echo what another PP said about a tongue tie.
My DD is 4 weeks old and absolutely killed my nipples in the first few days. I could have cried.
All the midwives i saw told me she had a perfect latch and was doing amazing but she lost 8% of her birth weight in 5 days.
She was slow to gain and fussy when feeding.
I tried pumping after each feed and it didnt help nor could i pump much. Sometimes i literally got a drip of milk.

We paid for a private midwife/lactation consultant to come and assess her.
As i suspected she had a severe posterior tongue tie which she snipped at our house.
DD has been amazing since. Feeding doesnt hurt now and shes gaining weight.
As a side note, we were told during her newborn check that she didnt have a tongue tie so if youre at all worried about how sore things are, get baby checked out just in case.

summerhillgang · 25/12/2021 18:54

Try the herb shatavari, Pukka is a good brand. I take in caps 2 a day, also good for post partum hair loss. Since I have been taking them my supply has shot up.

And also the purple Lanolin nipple cream, can get off Amazon. I applied that after every feed for about 3 weeks and also used some composites called Mini Mams (also can get off Amazon) when things got really sore. You can use one a day and alternate between nipples.

Other than that when pumping just make sure you are hydrated, have a snack (rice and coconut supposed to be good so I had the Davina's rice pudding and coconut smooze - like an ice lolly - available at Sains), stare at your baby if you can eg if she/he is on the play mat or asleep or your partner is holding her, and relax as much as you can and get comfy.

Good luck sounds like you are doing amazing! It gets easier xx

Marmite27 · 25/12/2021 18:59

I did it for a year with my first. I honestly think I took temporary leave of my senses.

Luckily #2 latched, because I wouldn’t have done it a second time.

You need a good double pump. I had the spectra s-1 which is affordable. I pumped first thing, 10am-ish, 2pm-ish, before bed and around 3/4am when she was tiny.

Once she started sleeping through, I dropped the 3/4am one, which was about 6/8 weeks. I had plenty of supply, I was able to have 2/3 days worth in the fridge and loads in the freezer. I fact I donated the freezer stash in 3 lots of 500-ish litres through human milk for human babies, but that was pre Covid.

Good luck.

WotsitMum · 25/12/2021 19:46

I exclusely pumped for 13 months, feel free to message me with any questions! I developed whats called an over supply after a week, for the first 3 months i pumped every 3 hours, then i gradually went every 4 hours, then slowly over time i went longer and longer between pumps but i was making what my son drank in 2 pumps then the rest went in the freezer. I donated alot, if your adamant you want your baby to have breastmilk but not making enough have a look on human milk 4 human babies on facebook, lots of women donate breastmilk on there.
For an affordable double pump that is good id reccomend the bella baby on amazon

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