[name]Hi[/name] Guys! I’m due in oct and I’m making a list of things to buy. This is my first baby and I’ve never been so confused in my whole life as I am about breastfeeding! It seems everyone has a different story/opinion/advice on the subject. A lot of people tell me its fine to try but it won’t work so don’t be disappointed when it fails and be sure to buy formula. I don’t like that response lol so I’m trying to do as much research as possible before baby arrive so I’m ahead of the game and hopefully not as overwhelmed. So my question is do I really need a pump? Is the super expensive one really worth it or can I do the small hand held just as effectively? I do plan on returning to work part time after 10-12 weeks. Any tips on freezing or how to make this whole process more efficient? Thanks in advance to ANY advice!!!
I wouldn’t discount breastfeeding until you try it. It is a lot of work, especially when you return back to working. Breastfeeding can be painful at first, usually if the baby isn’t latching on correctly and this is going to be a learning experience. I know you can rent the more expensive breast pumps from a local hospital, or if you have money troubles you can get help from your local WIC (in the states) and they can help you get a good breast pump. Some people don’t like to get help from the government though.
I used the Advent Breast pumps and they worked great for me, but everyone is different. It was a simple, manual pump that you had to get the rhythm right to be able to get the milk out. I liked it a lot, but that may not work for you.
I would say breastfeed and pump for those weeks, so when you go back to work you will have a good amount of storage. I know that during work you can take breaks to pump. It will get exhausting of course but don’t feel discourage when you try.
Now I don’t have anything against formula feeding. Formula is improved now and it will give your baby good vitamins and minerals that they need, but of course breast feeding is better. My son was given formula until my milk came in, and he is a healthy, active, rambunctious little boy. If you can’t breast feed for a long time, don’t feel discouraged or feel like you are a bad mother. It is always wonderful when a new mother at least tries to breast feed. 
I don’t have much advice on storage since I am a stay at home mom and never had to store the breast milk. [name]Hope[/name] some of this helped.
A pump’s useful if want to keep your milk supply plentiful while working. if there’s a demand (baby or pump) the supply will continue to be steady, but if you miss a feeding and don’t pump, your production will decrease.
There are great supportive resources for mums who want to breast-feed, and they’re extremely helpful if those around you are not. These guys do some really great work, and it’s a chance to meet mums in a similar boat, who can offer advice if needed : http://www.llli.org/
Many cities also have breastfeeding clinics, and even breast milk banks for those having trouble
Wow! Those were quick responses, thank you!!! I read in the “what to expect in the first year book” that babies eat every 2 hours at first. So is this how often I should be pumping? Or even more since shell be eatting every 2 hrs and I’ll need to stock my freezer for work?
I only used a manual hand-held pump (Medela – I liked it), but I’m a stay-at-home-mom so I nursed and didn’t need to use the pump often. If I was planning to return to work, I’d want an electric pump to make pumping faster and hands-free at work. For me, a hand-held pump would be annoying to use several times a day.
Hopefully some full-time pumpers have advice for you, but I think how often you pump would depend on how much you produce and how much your baby eats. My body overproduced for the first 6 months, so my baby only ate on one side every two hours, not both. If I pumped both sides every 2 hours, I would have been pumping twice what he ate. You’ll probably have to wait and see what your milk production is like to know how often you’ll have to pump to meet your baby’s milk needs.
No, you don’t need a pump unless you plan to go back to work soon after delivery. In that case, yes, I would recommend one, unless of course you work from home or are very close by and can come home often to breastfeed.
I used a manual pump with my first and would pump one breast while he was on the other. Otherwise, you will leak and need a breast pad. [name]May[/name] as well put that extra milk to good use.
I have done the manual pump thing and it is no fun. I suggest if you can get an electric pump, or perhaps rent one from a hospital or drs office in your area, do that. I also recommend seeing if your local library has any breast feeding videos you can check out. This really helped me to get prepared and be successful after the baby was born. I practiced acc to the video with a baby doll, lol. Btw, a pump brand that’s supposed to be good is Medela. Thats what I have and I like it.
In regards to your latter question, at first, you will prob have a lot of milk as your body tries to figure out how much it needs to make for baby. Go ahead and pump the extra and freeze. If you continue to pump a couple times a day, your body will keep making milk at those times, and you can stock up your frozen milk for when you return to work. I have a friend who kept getting up in the middle of the night even after her baby started sleeping thru the night, and she would pump then. Thats another option. Generally you have more milk in the am, so you may want to do it then. Good luck!
Find a breastfeeding support group or [name]Le[/name] Leche League group and start attending now. A good support system is way more valuable than a good pump. You’ll have a lot more questions once that baby is in your arms. And you need to surround yourself with other breastfeeding moms. Breastfeeding is worth every hurdle. I had many, and I fought through each one because it’s just so valuable for your baby. Also, take a breastfeeding class and have the hospital lactation consultant stop by before you go home just to make sure you’re off to a good start. You CAN do it!
THANK YOU for all the quick responses! This is all great info. I’ve heard of le leche but never looked into it, I’ll do that asap! I’m hoping this is one of those things that once you get the hang of it it gets easier… I never would have thought to look in the library either, so thank you for that as well
I don’t think that pumps are necessary but I do think they are very handy to keep your supply up and/or relieve fullness when you are unable to feed or simply have too much milk (common in early weeks and can be painful). I’ve used a manual pump (Avent) very succesfully with both my babies. The main times I have used expressed milk for my bubs were: when I was sleep deprived, so hubby would do a feed for me while I caught up on sleep (lovely bonding for them too), when I needed to be away from bub (haircut, work, party etc) or when I wanted to have a glass (or more) of wine. As I started the bubs on solids I also used the milk in their meals, rather than using cow’s milk at an early age or bothering with formula just for cooking.
I keep a backup supply in the freezer. I just put it in ziplock bags and write the date & quantity on the bag. To defrost I either leave it in the fridge, or if I need it quickly I put the bag in a bowl of hot water and it defrosts in a couple of minutes (I lie them flat to freeze, which makes them thin & therefore quick to defrost).
You will find that your supply varies a lot throughout the day, so best to find when you have the most milk (probably morning) and try to pump then for easier & faster results. I have had friends who have been unable to get a satisfactory amount of milk from pumping at any time though.
Not sure if it has been mentioned, but I think you can hire electric pumps (probably from hospital). Also consider buying second hand or borrowing? Everything can be sterilised. Oh, & you will need a steriliser for the pump & bottles - I’ve used a microwave one, which is easy and compact.
Good luck! Breast feeding can be tricky to start but if you persevere and are succesful I think it is easier than formula & if you add in the option of bottles of expressed milk you get the best of both worlds. Oh, 1 last thing; if you plan to combine breast & bottle then introduce the bottle early (maybe 2 weeks old) so the baby gets used to switching between both otherwise they may decide that they only want one or the other.
It’s really sad that you’ve already got people telling you to expect to fail. Use all of the advice everyone here has given you. It’s all great advice. I had a pump, but got it after [name]Bella[/name] was born b/c she ended up staying in the NICU. If you’re going back to work, I think it will totally be worth it. There are lots of women who are successful at pumping and working.
I think though, your greatest asset will be the lactation consultant at the hospital or birthing center you’ll be at. If you can talk to that person before hand, go for it! I would have fallen flat on my face without those ladies helping me. I didn’t do LLL, but I think I would have been even more successful if I did. Good luck and prove all of those naysayers wrong!
Irmum- that’s such a good idea to use your own milk to cook babys food with! Maybe that’s common knowledge but I never even thought of that! I thought about finding a second hand pump just to save on money but everyone I’ve talked to said not to. That said you can’t sterilize some of the inner parts so it could be harmful to baby? The hand pumps are a lot cheaper than electric so maybe I’ll try that first and then move up to the electric?
Klcalder2- it has been disappointing to hear everyones negative comments. I’ve even had people (who know I want to exclusively breastfeed) buy me bottles and containers for formula storage. They said I’ll need them when I finally realize breastfeeding isn’t going to work so I might as well have them on hand! The bottles I can still use for my own milk and the containers will be handy for snacks when she’s older so not a total loss but still, not what I was wanting to hear. I’ve gotten a ton of good advice here! I’m so glad I posted! I’m starting to feel way more excited now! And your so right, I can’t wait to rub my positive results in these negative peoples faces LOL!! ps, [name]Arabella[/name] is in my top 2 right now, and [name]Ezra[/name] was set if it was a boy!! It was so cool to see both names in your post. Such beautiful names!!
Thanks again everyone, it’s so appreciated!!
I already commented, but you mentioned not using second-hand pumps because of sterilization problems. I’ve heard this too, but I’ve also heard that hospital rental pumps are made differently (higher quality?) so that milk can’t back up into the pump contaminating it.
And like many people have said, if you have a lactation consultant at your hospital, they’re really helpful. My son (first kid) would only nurse for a few minutes at a time and I was so worried I was doing something wrong. When he was 7 days old I went back to the hospital to talk to the consultant and she weighed him, watched him eat, and weighed him again. It turned out that he drank 2 ounces of milk in 2 minutes. He was just a really fast eater and there was nothing wrong with either of us! Lactation consultants are a really awesome source of help!
I have to ditto with attending a local LLL meeting while you are still pregnant. I did use a pump with my first and then only “on tap” with the others. With returning to work, I am thinking a double electric would be your best bet.
[name]Just[/name] a quickie regarding sterilizing: I don’t know about electric pumps, but manual pumps come apart completely so they can be washed & sterilized. If you think about it, it wouldn’t make sense (or be legal, I am guessing) to design or sell a product for this purpose that could not be thoroughly cleaned.
Good on you for getting your research about breastfeeding started well before baby is due to arrive! I second the advice to find a La Leche League group near you, they are lovely, wonderful women with a lot of knowledge and experience.
A website I always find helpful is http://www.kellymom.com i used it alot in the first 6 months, and still reference it every once in a while (my son is now 1).
You’ll need to pump if you are going back to work, I am lucky enough that I have been able to stay home with my baby, I have a manual one but it hasn’t seen much use. Here in NZ it is a workplace requirement (I think) that breastfeeding mumma’s needing to express during work hours have a place to do so, and aren’t discriminated against for this either.
I have a hand held pump, because I’m pregnant but still want to be able to supplement my dd with breast milk. I had a friend who had a mechanical pump and it was loud. Like audible in the bathroom from the other side of the room. My hand held one, makes little noise, and is light. I like to pump and send it with her to daycare.
Try breastfeeding before you knock it. I had originally decided not to when my dd was born, but with guidance and support, I stuck with it and now its like second nature to me.
I strongly recommend going with a double electric breast pump if you are planning on going back to work. Medela is a great brand, and yes, they are expensive, but you can add them to your registry and if you make it known that that’s an important item to you, people will buy it. Manual pumps will not cut it for the amount of time you will need to pump. [name]Even[/name] a single electric may not be good enough - simply reading the side of a box on the different brands will tell you if that pump will fit your lifestyle or not.