Breast pumping dilemma advice needed!

[blueberrymuffin88]

No idea where to post this but I'm on maternity leave and will be a SAHP in the future. I need help and some advice please from someone who might have gone through something similar.
I have a 2 week old baby girl and from the moment she was born we've had trouble breastfeeding (traumatic delivery for her and me). Midwives at hospital really struggled to get her to latch and I struggled as well. I've got better at it and she will latch now but she'll only suckle for about 5-10mins then she just seems to fall off and fall asleep. I know she's not getting enough because she lost so much weight in hospital and we had to stay in for ages plus she always cries for more food after been on the breast. Midwives practically force fed her formula to get get weight up whilst my milk came in and I started pumping. Anyway we are home now and she's fed exclusively on expressed breastmilk. My supply is good, if anything we have too much milk but my dilemma is DH is going back to work on Wednesday and I Just don't know how I'll find time to pump. Currently it works fine as DH can settle her to sleep or bottle feed whilst I do a pump and I'm having to pump 5-8 times a day including once in the night to keep my supply up and to stop my breasts hurting. She only seems to settle/sleep if someone is holding her and is really really tricky to put in her bed. After about 5mins on her back in her crib she just starts squirming and crying again. Of course I would just love to be able to hold her and cuddle her all day and if we could BF then obvs this wouldn't be a problem.
But how do I find the time between feeding her a bottle, nappy changes, comforting her to sleep, feeding and washing myself and getting out the house for appointments etc to pump my milk! I really don't want to loose my supply. I'm waiting for a referral to a tongue tie clinic but that could take weeks! I'm absolutely terrified about how I will cope, I've got no one nearby to help me and the thought of it brings me to tears.
Any advice will be much appreciated.

I’ve never been much of a pumper but didn’t want to leave this unanswered. Are you on instagram? I would recommend looking at LittlePeachLondon who is a lovely lady that has a wealth of information about pumping and breastfeeding. She may have or be able to give you some practical advice

Could you put her on one breast while you pump from the other OP? Obviously it’s something that might not come easily but with a bit of practice, you might be able to do it. I used an Ameda Lactaline which can be used as a single or double point.

Are you working with a Lactation Consultant regarding the weight loss and feeding? If not, you might consider doing this as they are there to help you with and BFing difficulties

If you’d like to get this thread moved the best place is probably the “Infant feeding” section where lots of knowledgable people can advise.

If I were you I’d focus on fixing the latch issue. See if there are any breastfeeding drop-ins near you, there will usually be some. Ideally you need to see a lactation consultant. I would suggest you get someone trained and qualified to do a proper tongue tie assessment, in case it’s that. (Midwives and HVs are not trained in tongue tie and often miss it or say it’s not causing issues when it is.)

As for pumping, which one are you using atm? I found my Ardo Calypso double electric pump pretty efficient. You could also use a Haakaa to get milk from one boob while feeding from the other, but of course it only works if you’re breastfeeding.

Oh crap I’m sorry I completely missed the bit when you said you’re waiting for an appointment at the tongue tie clinic
Could you afford to go private? We got DS’s tongue tie divided privately and it was worth the money to get it done straight away rather than having to wait.

After about 5mins on her back in her crib she just starts squirming and crying again. It sounds like she might have colic or reflux issues. If so things like infacol, raising her head with a wedge pillow, holding her upright for 20 mins after feeding, winding her really well and using a sling will help give her more sleep and give you more time.

I had the same issues with my twins who were preemies and couldn’t latch well - they’d exhaust themselves trying, leak milk all over me and wake up starving. I felt so guilty that I kept pumping for 7 months, every 2 hours because my supply sucked, and I still had to supplement with a lot of formula.

They were constantly in swings and I was pumping.

If I could go back I would cut down pumping significantly after the first month or so and cuddle them more. If you have a TT appointment then keep pumping until then so your supply doesn’t crash. Pop baby next to you on the sofa in a breastfeeding pillow while you pump.

Thanks for all your advice everyone. I'm currently using the Medela swing which I'm finding quite good but I only have a single pump so catching the drips with a milk haakaa thing.
Wow Sinkgirl every credit to you for managing 7 months pumping with twins that's incredible!
She has a bouncer and a breastfeeding pillow but she seems to want to be held constantly and will only stay happy for a few minutes. So far I've not yet managed to pump and feed her at the same time just because her latch is so bad I have to keep putting her back on and then the pump falls off.
I am working with a private lactation consultant and the first time she came to my house my DD latched absolutely fine and stayed like that for 10minutes or so! So typical as she rarely ever manages it and never usually stays on that long. It just seems to distress her every time I try to breastfeed her. Even just putting her into position makes her cry and I really have to persevere to get her on. If it turns out she doesn't have a tongue tie then I guess we will just have to try harder but I worry she has got too used to the bottle now.
Definitely going to try and make it to the BF support clinic this week and see what they have to say.
How do I go about getting a post moved? I had no idea there was an infant feeding section.
Thanks again for all advice - really appreciated!

I used to bf and pump at the same time lol. Have you tried using a nipple sheild btw? Saved my arse when DS was born. He was so tiny he couldn't latch but took to the sheild no problem and I used this exclusively for 4 months before weaning him onto bare breast. Never hindered my supply as I pumped too and actually had an oversupply (which isn't great).
The sooner you get him onto the boob the easier your life will be.

I had similar problems, DD needed to be on me or my boob 100% to sleep. I Used a Muslim in between me and her to get that mummy milky smell and placed it with her in the basket/cot. It worked but she still likes a "Mussie" now she's 10! She also liked white noise while sleeping. I also like others used to express on one side while feeding on the other.

How long do you spend expressing each time? You may find hiring a medela hospital grade pump means you spend less time needing to pump.

Also, are you using a pumping bra? (available on eBay or Amazon) Great for double pumping or pumping and breastfeeding.

This Facebook group will help you:

m.facebook.com/groups/520814081451322?tsid=0.28526732561859314&source=result

There's 30,000 mums who are ready to give you the support you need, which includes videos of pumping.

I did this! It's hard but if you want to keep going.

I hired the Medela symphony. £47 a month but honestly best money spent as completely saved time and it's a much better pump than the swing so the pump can be shorter.

Buy a simple wishes pumping bra. Buy more than one set of 'pumping gear'.

You can use the same pumping set for 24 hours if you store in a zip lock baggie in the fridge. Hugely helped with the washing and steaming.

Get freezer storage bags for your over supply.

Look for 'exclusively pumping mamas' group on Facebook. I've got loads of help there about pumping and how many times a day you should do. Mostly American as it doesn't really seem to be a thing in the uk.

Lastly, at 2 weeks old you really don't need to be thinking about housework or the future or the bugger picture. It's too overwhelming. Just take each day as it comes. You're doing wonderfully!