Breastfeeding and being a SAHM

[penguin129]

Hi ladies! I wasn't able to make breastfeeding work with DD and am really hoping to make it work the second time around. I confirmed today that my insurance will provide a pump for me (even though in the past they told me they wouldn't). My question is how often did you use your pump? Is it necessary? Also do you have any tips or tricks to help with BF'ing when there is another lo in the house.Thanks ladies!

[cam]

How often one uses a pump is highly variable, depending on lifestyle, baby's willingness to accept a bottle, etc. I used mine a ton. I had a major oversupply, so I nursed then pumped while slowly tapering the amount back so as to lessen the oversupply without torturing myself. I also pumped on other occasions when I was away from LO. I am so glad I had one. One of my close friends on the other hand never used one or wished she had one at any point. People will be all over the board on their level of use.

[ashiscute]

It really depends. I did not use mine much. I had an okay double electric one and I really did not respond well to it. I ended up buying a hand pump on Amazon (the medela one that is $25ish) and I responded much better to that. I only pumped usually if I knew I was going to be away (haircuts, a wedding, etc). I also didn't mind nursing in public so a bottle wasn't necessary very often.

As far as keeping your older DD occupied it can be tough the first month or so. Your new LO could easily nurse 12x a day for 30 minutes at a time. Remember to be easy on yourself. Tv, tablet time, play doh, sticker pads, books, coloring, are all good activities. Always set your older one up with a snack and activity before you start nursing the baby.

[penguin129]

ashiscute Was the $25 one manual? I would probably only pump for the same reasons you did. I'd also like to give H a chance to feed her every now and then.

[teraiin]

I pump once a day, after his morning nursing session. I have a small freezer stash going mostly in case I need to go somewhere unexpectedly. But also with the idea that if something happens we can use it in addition to formula so that he will get at least some breast milk.

My insurance covered the full cost of a an electric pump but I did end up buying a manual one just in case.

[brachysira]

Both my kids were in the NICU, so with DD, I pumped and got tons of milk during that time, and with DS I pumped but could barely keep up because he was a giant baby rather than a preemie like DD, although eventually I got a stash. But once home, I never really pumped with DS since I had some frozen milk and wasn't working at all. The pump was useful when he totally quit nursing abruptly once, but pretty much I did not need it. I had a Medela and it worked great, and I could even plug it in in the car when I was driving to work when I worked.

I do not recall nursing with another child to be difficult. Possibly this was because DS nursed all night instead of all day. But DD was content to watch TV or take a bath (this was a really good activity for us when I wasn't up to going out) or otherwise hang out at home.

[ashiscute]

Sept 12, 2016 20:58:44 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

ashiscute Was the $25 one manual? I would probably only pump for the same reasons you did. I'd also like to give H a chance to feed her every now and then.

Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump a.co/2qtS23R

Way better for me than the pump n style elector. But again I did not pump regularly. Just here and there.

[penguin129]

Sept 13, 2016 7:07:33 GMT -5 ashiscute said:

Sept 12, 2016 20:58:44 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

ashiscute Was the $25 one manual? I would probably only pump for the same reasons you did. I'd also like to give H a chance to feed her every now and then.

Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump a.co/2qtS23R

Way better for me than the pump n style elector. But again I did not pump regularly. Just here and there.

Thank you. I imagine I will just use it occasionally as well.

[Deleted]

If your insurance is covering it, I would definetly get a pump. I had a pump with DD. I couldn't breastfeed either, but I was able to pump for 4 months.

[Deleted]

I was unable to breastfeed DD1 for very long due to a lot of things, primarily her prematurity and medical issues for both of us. I successfully breastfed DD2 for almost 19 months, so it can happen!

Yeah I'd definitely get the pump if your insurance is going to cover it. Just in case you need it.

I returned to work at 12 weeks with DD2, so my experience is different because I had to pump for daycare bottles. If I was going to stay home, I'd probably have never pumped, because I really disliked it and it was so much more hassle. Outside of daycare, she didn't receive a bottle. It just wasn't worth it to me to go out and stuff, because I'd had to have pumped to replace the feeding and I didn't want to do that. So for the first year, other than daycare, if I went anywhere for more than an hour, she was with me. I rarely had DH give DD2 a bottle because it was just so much more hassle to warm up a bottle and I would have had to pump to replace the feeding etc., so I didn't see the point. He did give her a bottle a few times, and DD1 did too, when we were trying to get her used to taking a bottle. He was still very included and sometimes would get her changed and stuff and then bring her to me to nurse, overnight and whatnot. His role was more to take over on some of the house things, like dinner, cleanup, etc., so that I could nurse.

All of that said, there are many reasons why someone would and some were mentioned above, such as oversupply, baby that won't/can't latch, etc. and if the pump is free, absolutely, get one!

As far as entertaining DD1 while I nursed- we talked about it some ahead of time and how mommy would be busy feeding baby a lot of the time and that helped some. But she was 4 years, 11 months when DD2 was born. While I was on maternity leave, we watched a lot of tv, tablet time, coloring books, reading, puzzles. Things I could sort of help with, with one hand.

[westiemom]

I also pump once a day (after the morning feed) for extra bottles in case I want to go somewhere without DD. I usually get 4-7 oz from that pump so I have a decent stash going.

I like mom time once a week so she usually gets a bottle or two weekly.

I would definitely just get the pump to have on hand.

[penguin129]

Thanks everyone. I sent the prescription for the double electric pump to my insurance company and am waiting to hear back. I know for sure they will give me a manual pump.

[mrsmuq]

I'm late to this thread, but will say this: I hate pumping. I did it with DS1 because I needed to up my supply (he couldn't have formula), but I despise pumping. With DS2, we combo feed. He nurses 4-5x a day, plus gets 1-2 bottles of formula. It's a little more expensive, but much less stressful and taxing on me, and leaves me more time with DS1.

Best advice:
1. See a lactation consultant ASAP after you deliver LO to help with positions (certain positions will be more comfortable depending on your delivery) and proper latch. Have a follow up session before you leave the hospital.

2. Babywear, babywear, babywear. It helps your body up it's supply to have baby nearby, and once you figure out what works for you, you can babywear whilst nursing.

3. A pump is not necessary, but can be useful if you want to store milk for date nights or for when you go out. I also found the pump helpful to increase supply when I was having a supply issue with DS1 (used for power pumping session).

4. Take a gander at the kellymom.com website... they have some really good tips for breastfeeding.

5. Drink lots of water, like 100 ounces minimum, and try to get lactogenic foods into your diet to help naturally boost supply (carrots, apricots, oatmeal, asparagus, salmon).