Preparing to breast feed

[kaetts]

I am 26 weeks and want to try to breast feed, I also worry about seeing the amount of milk the baby has so want to pump.

I would love something like the Elvie - but this is expensive and I don't know if breast feeding is for me.

So my question is did anyone take a hand pump to the hospital with them (incase I am there a few days and we aren't sure baby is eating etc)

Did anyone start on a simple hand pump and then upgrade to a portable pump to make life easier?

I don’t know I’m afraid but I’m 25 weeks and interested in answers. I’d love the Elvie but same on the expense, even second hand.

Pumping is a pain in the arse. It produces (usually) less than direct feeding and is far more uncomfortable. I really wouldn't start with pumping. It is just another chore to deal with.

I did a bit with DC1 after about 2 months so I had enough to have a few hours away at a hen do at 5 months. Had no plans with DC2 so never got the pump out or tried a bottle. Also as you are getting wet and dirty nappies you don't need to worry about how much they are taking. I had two babies ebf to 6 months and no clue at all how much they took at any one feed.the

Pumping is hard. I can’t do it as it also requires an emotional response and I find it stressful. Your baby will be much more effective than any pump. You know how much milk the baby is getting why looking at their output. If you need a pump in hospital then they will provide you with a hospital grade one or you can hand express and cup feed.

To be honest, I was probably a bit under prepared - I didn’t think about it with DS1, just assumed I’d BF and didn’t look into it!

I was recommended not to pump until a few weeks after, because your supply will start with supply and demand. It’s easier to establish with the baby, rather than a pump due to hormones etc.

Yes and as @Fallagain has said, you’ll know they’re getting enough from wet/dirty nappies and weight gain.

Try not to worry and just go with it

I really wouldn’t worry about pumping at the start, you can track nappies to make sure baby is getting enough (I was extremely meticulous about my recording of nappies and feeds, suited my need to feel in control!!). It’s genuinely more hassle than it’s worth, just start with direct from source and take one day at a time. Find out which pump you think you’d want and where you’d buy it if you needed it quickly but don’t buy until you need it.

You know how much baby is having by their weight gain and how they are content and happy after a feed. No need to pump. I think worrying about quantities is something that stops women breastfeeding, I wouldn’t go there until at least 6 weeks.

You don’t need a pump for the hospital! Likelihood is you’ll be in and out before your milk is even in, and if you’re not then they have hospital grade pumps there which are a million times better than any pump you could buy.

It’s quite easy to tell if the baby is getting enough milk. In the early days they do a certain no of wees and poos a day. If they’re not, they’re not getting enough. Instead of focusing on pumping, read up on how to establish feeding (basically feeding on demand, responding to baby’s cues), normal breastfeeding behaviour (eg cluster feeding - doesn’t mean you don’t have milk) and get a big water bottle with a straw and a nice comfy bf pillow. Kellymom is a great resource and answers pretty much every bf question you could have.

They recommend not to pump till 6 weeks. I had plenty of milk (an oversupply) but I still barely produced anything pumping, so I'd really recommend not doing it until you have established your supply.

The absolute joy of breastfeeding for me was not having to worry about exact amounts the baby took. They get you to count minutes feeding on each side at the very start, and dirty and wet nappies, and they track growth. Its no less reliable than formula fed babies except with the joy that you can't overfeed a breast-fed baby so you can just feed on demand and not stress.

It was tricky establishing feeding at the start, getting latch right etc etc (I suspect mild undiagnosed tongue tie, but we got there) but it became so easy once it worked. I did buy the Elvie once I went back to work but it was still such a pain: sterilising, storing, and I never produced anywhere near as much as I did feeding directly. Personally I would focus on not worrying about how much milk they take and thinking of ways to support feeding, and then look into pumping options once you're at that point.

If you need a pump in hospital then they will provide it.

But beware - breastfeeding is far more efficient than pumping. Baby will actually get far more milk feeding directly from the breast than you will be able to pump. Some women get very little milk or none via a pump but successfully breastfeed.

The best way to tell if a baby is getting enough milk is if they are putting on weight and having wet and dirty nappies - not by measuring quantities and comparing it to formula.

A pump is a good thing to have. It allows you to store milk so that if you want to someone else can do a night feed or you can go out and know baby can be fed if you are not there.

But its really hard work pumping. Much harder than breastfeeding. I had to pump for a few weeks with my second for a few weeks and it was hard, hard work. It was so much easier when we were able to move on to straightforward breastfeeding.

In order to breastfeed you need to have a good nipple cream and let your breasts have lots of air time between feeds. It is also essential to have a good latch. Pumping is an arse and something I never had time for but others able able to pump easily

I don't think pumping is advisable in the first few weeks, is it?

But, I wouldn't worry about "seeing" what the baby drinks.
They will let you know if they are fed, don't worry. And you will feel the breasts empty.
The weight gain will also tell you if it is enough.

Plus, pumping is never as effective as a baby sucking (particularly hand pumps), and your baby will need the different types of milk produced. First the most watery milk, then the more nutrient heavy milk. Pumping and feeding from a bottle mixes the different types of milk.

Just let your baby feed as much as they want. The beauty of breasfeeding is that it is hassle free.

PS you’ll probably find that pumping is the worst of all worlds. I too thought it seemed convenient but it’s not, for loads of reasons. Just crack actual bf first then think about pumping once you’re ready to leave your baby (NOT so you can see how much they’re getting).

If you're going to get anything in the early days you'd really be needing a hospital grade pump.

It's advised not to pump until supply had been established. Baby will do that by cluster feeding over the first few weeks.

Pumping is hard work, you won't get an actual idea of how much your producing as it's not as efficient as a baby would be.

The best way to know if baby is getting enough is from wet/dirty nappies and weight gain.

Also the first few days you'll be making colostrum not milk. You can hand express this into a syringe towards the end of your pregnancy if you want to take some to hospital. I did it with both of my children, the first time I needed an operation and it meant DH could feed DC while I was away. The second time it wasn't needed so just got binned.

I triple feed - breastfeed and pump - by necessity (i don't think anyone would do it by choice, as it's double the work!) And i know quite a lot of women who exclusively pump.
I won't debate whether you should or should not EP - it is a lot of work but can be done.
The elvie is very good but regarded by some not to be 'good enough' as your only pump for EPing. If you don't use a hospital grade pump it will affect your supply in the shorter or longer term.
A good double hospital grade pump is essential. The spectra s1 is very good, doesn't need to be plugged in, is hospital grade but not a bad price.
If you really want an elvie style pump for less money, the momcozy is a new option which is apparently just a good but about a third of the price.
Follow bemybreastfriend on Instagram too for lots of EPing advice.

Honestly don't pump if you don't have to. It's exhausting, you generally don't get as much milk as if your baby was feeding and it's so hard to maintain long term. You'll know if your baby is struggling with breastfeeding from things like a lack of weight gain.

If you want to breastfeed I'd suggest finding a supportive breastfeeding group whilst you're pregnant and get to know the people there so you have a source of support for when the baby arrives.

Don't buy a pump yet, see if you need one. You can use an excellent NHS (big powerful expensive Medela) pump straight away at the hospital, you can hire them to take home at first (was 50 quid a month here though) so check that out. I pumped for the first 3 months cos bab couldn't latch, don't worry about monitoring how much milk babies have, they get way more out of you themselves than a pump can, even if establishing bf takes a while in the beginning.

Get a haaka for the time being. You can empty your breast with it, it just takes longer (but basically hands free) or just catch the let down. Also helps take the edge off when you are encouraged. I was really committed to breast feeding and did buy an electric hospital grade pump (spectra 2) which has been brilliant. I bought it second hand which I know isn't for everyone, but meant it was £40 instead of £150.

It's entirely up to you but I've breastfed both of mine for 1 year + and I absolutely loathe pumping! It's massively time consuming because you have the faff of pumping itself, plus all the sterilising and then you still have to actually feed the baby. Plus I never could pump that much. It seems to suit some more than others and I never 'yielded' much but I had a decent supply because my babies all gained weight as they needed to.

I'll be honest and say that it can sometimes be hard to have confidence that your body is making enough milk when you can't actually see it. I've frequently worried about my supply but have always followed advice about monitoring wet and dirty nappies and I also purchased some baby weighing scales so I could reassure myself that they were gaining ok. After a while you do learn to trust your body and go off instinct rather than the numbers on a scale.

As for pumps, I've never used the Evie but I did use a Haakaa which was recommended to me here on MN in fact! It's about £12 from Amazon and it was been so much easier than any electric pump I ever had. You just put it on the breast that you're not feeding from during a feed and it collects the milk, I managed to store up loads of extra milk using it.

It was a while ago, admittedly, but I was advised not to pump for at least 6 weeks as it can impede supply. You really don’t need to ‘see’ what they’re taking. That’s one of the many joys of breastfeeding.

I wouldn’t bother with pumping, as others have said. I’m bf my 7mo and I don’t own a pump or bottles. To prepare to bf I would say you need:

• a supportive partner who is on board to bring you snacks, drinks, blankets etc while you’re sitting feeding getting established.
• feeding bra and clothes that you are comfortable feeding in, whether these are specific bf clothes with holes/flaps/zips or vest tops you’re able to pull up/down.
• breast pads, either disposable or reusable.
• you may want nipple cream, such as the lanisoh one- I used it first time around with DD1 but haven’t needed any this time with DD2.
• phone numbers/contact info for local bf support/lactation consultant/la leche league (specific bf support rather than just HV).

Good luck OP, once established bf is so easy and convenient x

I pumped exclusively for the first 6 weeks due to a severe tongue tie. I had a good pump (spectra so, brilliant piece of kit) and a partner wfh who could often help with entertaining the baby while I was (endlessly) pumping. My supply is good and I can pump easily as much or more as baby needs it was still utterly miserable - you spend all day and all night pumping, sterilising pump parts, feeding baby, cleaning bottles. If DS hadn't had the tongue tie snipped at 6 weeks I would absolutely have transitioned to formula.

Breastfeeding feels scary and it is hard für the first few weeks, but once it's established its much much easier I'd recommend lanolin, trying to get the latch right, and resorting to nipple shields if necessary. As PP said - as long as they have wet and dirty nappies and seem alright in themselves you're doing ok.

Spectra S2 that should read - thanks autocorrect

As a few people have said, unless you need to pump for medical reasons, you should try to hold off for 5-6 weeks to allow your boobs to regulate snd not cause an over supply/mastitis.
It’s also worth mentioning that what you can pump isn’t necessarily the same as what baby drinks - they are more efficient than any pump!

I really struggled with baby 1 with not knowing how much she drank. so I timed her feeds, which helped me. This time around (baby 2), I’m much more chilled out. She drinks til she’s full and I’m happy with that.

I never found pumping a pain - and I knew I wanted baby to have a bottle as she’d be going to nursery at 10 months. I found pumping gave me freedom and made me feel like I could go out without baby and not feeling super anxious I was needed at home.

I have used a medela pump both times snd had great success. The kellymom website is a great resource for all things feeding and pumping.

I would say don’t be afraid to ask for help with feeding - if you’re sore or it hurts, go to your local clinic for help. It saved me last time. I would also say that it gets SOOOO much easier after 6 weeks, so keep telling yourself that!