Do you pump when breadtfeed? How does it work...

[Somerandomgirl]

I'm debating here with myself lol...as i have no idea to buy pump or not... (baby due soon now)
If i manage to breastfeed do i need pump? I know boobs get sore if u dont express..but then what do i do with expressed milk? Chuck it? Cause would like to avoid bottle feeding this time... how do u give it to baby and whats the point if its on the boob anyway..... and they get comfortable its easy when drinking from bottle, then dont want boob... i really dont understand... enlighten me lol xx

Do i also need nipple shields,gel..? With first was so unprepared ended with formula cause yea.. midwives didnt explain milk doesnt come instantly and started bottle feeding = not wanting boob

I never used a pump - baby is 11 months now

I wouldn’t bother until baby is here and see if it’s something you are going to want to do then

I assumed I’d pump and was all set to buy one but so glad I didn’t bother

You don't need a pump if you intend to breastfeed. If you decide you would like a pump, you can get one after the baby is born, so cross that off.

I don't think you need anything to "prepare" for breastfeeding, except maybe a few nursing bras and the contact details for a local bf support group. One tube of Lansinoh in advance may be helpful. I EBF two babies and while I did pump, I never used shields.

4 kids and no never needed to use one, mine didn’t get sore but then I wasn’t away from my babies for long enough for that to happen

Never used shields either

I know boobs get sore if u dont express..but then what do i do with expressed milk?

Not really, they might get sore if the baby sleeps for a particularly long time, or if you spend a longer than usual time away from the baby, but other than that I never had any specific need to express to prevent soreness.

I'd buy some nursing vests, I've given birth in one both times and lives in them until milk has settled and even afterwards.

I bought a pump as I knew I would want to pump later on and was really handy when I became engorged when my milk came in but a basic manual pump or hand expressing would work fine.

Theres no need to unless your going to be away from your baby. When my eldest was born premmie I had to whilst I wasn't with him to ensure my supply was good when I was. With my second I did when I returned to work when he was 6 months but he wouldn't take a bottle (we tried them all!) So I stopped expressing as he was starting to wean then anyway and my supply was fine. I worked 2 full days pretty much 6-6 and a half day and there was always enough milk when he needed it, my body just adjusted. He breastfed until he was 3.

You don't need to pump at all unless you want to pump and give baby breast milk in a bottle, or store breast milk to be given in a bottle on some future occasion (for example if you were going out for the night and baby needed milk while you were away). Certainly nothing you need to worry about straightaway (unless you're wanting to give breast milk in a bottle all the time). Yes your breasts may feel a little full if you've not fed for a while, but this goes away quickly once you've fed and there's absolutely no need to pump between feeds (unless you're planning to store some of your milk as I mentioned previously). You can get shields if you want, but maybe see how you go without them. I'd recommend getting some nipple cream to help with discomfort in the first couple of weeks 👍 good luck with breastfeeding!

You don’t need any of those things ready in advance except the lanolin cream. If breastfeeding goes well and you don’t want to give occasional bottles then you really don’t need any equipment whatsoever (just comfy bras).

I just demand fed, no pump. On the rare occasions I left dd (when she was a bit older) her dad gave her formula or water to appease her (she fed often!) I hand expressed the only time I left her overnight

It's hard to know when baby isn't here. One of mine just wouldn't/couldn't latch in hospital and I got so engorged I ended up with mastitis. What turned the tide for us was renting a hospital grade double medela pump. It got delivered next day and was £40 a month rolling contract. It was the difference between us giving up completely and managing the gap between baby learning to latch properly. No one could have predicted it it just was the way it was!! Hopefully your baby will latch straight away but just to know this is an option and not have to spend crazy money on a pump could be useful if you need it. Good luck with everything!

I pumped regularly in the beginning because we used an SnS for the first few weeks.

After that I didn’t really pump again until we were trying to introduce a sippy cup.

I've bf 3 babies and never pumped. I've never used nipple shields either. My dc never had bottles as I just demand fed from the breast - it's definitely possible. I'd get in some nipple cream though - hopefully your baby will latch well and you'll be fine but chances are you'll feel a bit sore /raw in the early days and better to have some to hand than be uncomfortable (and you can guarantee you'll need it for the first time in the middle of the night when you're already overwhelmed / exhausted and can't just nip out and buy some!). Good luck!

Thank you all so much! Thats why i asked in first place as really clueless , as my first really refused boob after being fed bottles in hospital ..i was there a week after emergency c section and milk didnt start until i got home in calm environment... and had to use pump and bottles and formula and ugh... was so complicated until i just gave up on breastfeeding...

And bought beforehand so many useless things that never even used back then 🙈

I wont buy from now then, see what happens xx

I've never been able to produce milk for a pump, it's such a frustrating experience I stopped bothering. I make really fat babies so I must have enough milk for them but can't make excess.

Anyway it's completely unnecessary to pump provided bf is going well, you won't get engorged, in fact you can mess with the supply and demand balance if you pump too early or too often.

Well nobody bothered to explain to me all these things with first baby and yea it all turned to such frustrating experience as u say, and tied to cables / plug with that pump and all the noise from it.. and then guilt forever that i couldnt express or bf !
(And all the money...)

I'll give it time this time and wont rush. Nobody told me even that milk doesnt come the first day either and from panic not to starve the baby gave formula
now i know...

@BertieBotts

I've never been able to produce milk for a pump, it's such a frustrating experience I stopped bothering. I make really fat babies so I must have enough milk for them but can't make excess.

Anyway it's completely unnecessary to pump provided bf is going well, you won't get engorged, in fact you can mess with the supply and demand balance if you pump too early or too often.

Urgh same, especially with DS1. In fact, I had an oversupply and leaked like buggery for months on end but I practically had to just wave a breast pump near my boobs and they'd cease to produce anything. And of course once I decided I fancied a few hours away from baby he refused a bottle...

Nobody told me even that milk doesnt come the first day either and from panic not to starve the baby gave formula

This appears to happen loads. Remember also that babies cluster feed in order to build your supply, and will do this on and off for a number of weeks. Poor mums don't realise it's normal and think their baby is starving so give formula, supply doesnt establish properly and they end up in a horrible top up cycle until they pack it in.

I'd echo others. I didn't use a pump until I went back to work. I would just buy a tube of Lansinoh, a few pairs of reusable breast pads and a couple of nursing bras.

The best thing you can do right now is go along to a local breastfeeding support group. Ask any questions, and meet mums who are feeding newborns. By going along now, you will already have the contacts in place for if you do have any concerns or difficulties once little one is here.

@Orarewedancer yes I'm complete example x

Is there anything else i should know, i have no idea... i will not rush this time...feed on demand...(of course if all ok with baby, lets hope!)
I've bought some nursing teas, reviews say they help lol
Do i need to massage or anything that will help get things going?
And specially if end up with section again?

@ItWasARayGun thank you! I just feel so stupid when i ask in person haha xx like I'm meant to know everything just like that xx

Three for the first year, none ever had bottles went straight onto sippy cups for water/juice as they got older. I tried a secondhand manual pump once when I started to wean the first as I wanted to use breast milk for his baby cereal but couldn't get hardly any out so gave up and mixed it with a little hand expressed milk and fruit puree. If you ever get uncomfortably engorged a warm shower is the best solution and it naturally expresses.

Have a look on you tube as you will be able to see lots of different positions for breast feeding. Lots of skin on skin. Baby doesn't need a lot to start with so don't worry initially if it seems like no milk is there. Just keep putting baby back on and that will stimulate your milk to come in. You can try hand expressing if you need to. Definitely join a breastfeeding group if you can. La leche and Kelly mom are good online sites. Get lansinoh in advance and a bf pillow is good and saves your back!

Don't buy one until afterwards, I ended up with an emcs & my milk never came in, I sold mine all still sealed in the box for a fraction of what it cost.

You've Got it in You: A Positive Guide to Breast Feeding
www.amazon.co.uk/Youve-Got-You-Positive-Feeding/dp/1784624918?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

99p kindle version and covers everything - best of luck x