Breastfeeding:Exclusively Pumping

What do I need to pump exclusively?

Comments: Breastfeeding - Exclusively-Pumping

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brandyq - 912 days ago.
oh the reason i didnt pump was because i had chickenpox all over my breast. it was extremely painful to have the pump pop the chicken pox blisters everytime i pumped...which also increased risk of infection....I also was having to pour out the milk i pumped because of the meds they gave me in the ed for the chicken pox. Even though last night I had a great amount of milk today I have had none...so I did dry up. we will be using our frozen supply until it runs out which I am hoping will last a few months.

Bri - 913 days ago.
I agree, usually when you feed milk while sick it does pass on the immunities. It's a wonderful thing even though breastfeeding while having the chills and throwing up isn't much fun. Neither is getting up 10 times in the night. Although, chicken pox can be dangerous. Unless baby has had all his/her shots they may come down with it themselves by being exposed. I wonder if you can pump and have someone else feed baby while you are sick? I wonder if the milk wouldn't be safe? Definately consult your doctor (if you haven't already) and follow those orders. Or contact your local LLL and see what they think.

campimama - 913 days ago.
brandy- I'm just curious...did Doc tell you not to feed or pump while you were sick? My understanding was that is was better for baby to have that bm because you pass your immunities on that your body is making. I'm glad you had a good pumping session though and was just wondering why you hadn't continued pumping. Hope you are feeling better.

brandyq - 913 days ago.
So I stopped pumping on Wednesday cause I got really bad chicken pox......my baby is going through the frozen milk I have...not fast but too fast for my likings....so I am attempting to pump for the first time since Wednesday morning. (it is Saturday night) and so far so good.....I just got 125ccs in 10 minutes and still going for 10 more minutes so we will see how it goes!! :)

Jamiee - 914 days ago.
Totally got sidetracked, we were talking about letdowns. Anyway my letdowns definitely got less powerful since I pumped way more often than nursed. Then it was frustrating because on the weekends when I didnt even want to LOOK at the pump I would try to nurse but it just wasnt fast enough for him He refused to work at it so on a Saturday afternoon I had to break out the pump again. Or wait like 7 hours to let him nurse, then he would get milk quicker because it had accumulated.

Jamiee - 914 days ago.
The older my son got the less powerfult my letdowns were. I have been back to work fulltime since he was 3 months old and once he started solids he never wanted to nurse the times I was available so after about 6 months he only nursed in the mornings. He is almost 11 1/2 months. Almost to a year and that was my goal!! Pumping I think takes soooo much more dedication than nursing. At least when you are only nursing you have your baby's cues and CONSTANT reminders of why you are doing it and who you are doing it for. When you are at work and have to drag the damn pump into that room and then sit there and force yourself to relax when you are in the middle of a workday... then it takes a little more strength and endurance I think. Congrats to all you mommies who still have their eye on the big picture. My goal hasalways been a year and I am soooo determined to stick to it!! Soooo close! Keep it up new mommies its so worth it in the long run to not have to use formula. I wouldnt even know how to make a bottle since I only have ever dealt with milk.

babyofdeployment08 - 915 days ago.
Natashmc~ I was like that. During the 2 letdowns I would have during each pumping session it would spray but then it would slow down. I got to where I pumped about 25 mins. at a time. Just make sure you are draining each breast every time you pump just to make sure you don't get a blocked duct. :)

NatashaMc - 915 days ago.
I was wondering if any of you ladies who are exclusively pumping have noticed that all of a sudden your milk is coming out much slower? It's strange, it just sprays out at few spots and only drips out of the rest. My milk ducts aren't blocked, I know what that feels like and I have the same amount, it is just taking a lot longer to drain. It's like my let down isn't as strong. I've checked the pump, I did have a tear in the one valve but changed it now and it's still the same. Hmmm...

Heather12 - 916 days ago.
Jess Yes the nurses will help you at the hospital. i always had a hard time making sure my babies were latched on properly. I would suggest nursing your babu for as long as you can. I started around 4 weeks and completly stopped nursing at 6 weeks. You have to make sure that you are pumping every 2 to 3 hrs at the most. I would pump every 2 hrs around the clock. Its alot at first but so worth it.

jessnmike99 - 916 days ago.
So i have acouple questions ladies...someone please help. It says you should start pumping about 6 hours after u give birth and then again every 3-3 hours, so are you suppose to store that milk in the hospitol, if so how? Also, What if I cant get used to breastfeeding, can i just pump and feed my baby that way? when I get to 5 or 6 months or when they start cutting teeth, can i just pump and feed that way and use my milk ive stored for the last couple of months?? one more...do you just start breastfeeding by yourself in the hospitol or do you wait for the nurses to tell you to or how does this whole process work here? i want to do it on my own, i dont want people watching me and stuff, can someone clue me in here?

brandyq - 917 days ago.
I am not sure how long the supply will last...Bailey is only eating 30-45 ccs at a time (1 ounce and a little bit more). I was hoping to do it for a year, but I can not for the life of me get this yeast infection to clear up and lucky me I now have chicken pox. Bailey already gets formula. The NICU put her on it. I basically use my milk as the water ingrediant for the formula. For example I am supposed to mix 4 ounces of water with 2 scoops of forumla so I use 4 ounces of breastmilk with 2 scoops of formula..I'm just not sure if I should keep it up or not.....

Heather12 - 918 days ago.
Brandy there are so many benefits for you and your little baby to continue to pump. I know that it is sooo hard I did it for a year and there were many times that I wanted to quit. I have 4 kids and a full time job. But every time i got frustrated I would think about how I was giving my baby the best thing for her and for myself. It does reduce your and your babies risk for cancer and other health issues. And Formula is so expensive, I can't imagine having to pay for it for a year. My BF has a 5 month old and he is having a hard time with the formula. She has had to switch it several times and ended up using the most expensive can $26. I had a lot of milk stored also. Ended up throwing most of it away. I was lucky had a good milk supply up until the very end. Hope you hang in there but understand if its to much. Good luck and if you need any encouragement or advice we are all here. I don't think that I could have made it the entire year if it weren't for this site.

NatashaMc - 919 days ago.
brandyq - I'm sorry I'm too jealous to comment! Just kidding! Sort of. How far will your freezer stash get you? I have goals for pumping, first it was three months, now six (I'm at five). If I can make it there I'll probably go for eight months. Supplies dipping so I don't know. Anyway, I also heard there are benefits to the mom (decreased risk of certain cancers I think) but only if you go for at least six months

brandyq - 920 days ago.
Hey everyone. I am thinking about stopping the whole pumping thing. Bailey is almost 10 weeks old and we still have milk frozen in the freezer....litterally the 7. cubic feet freezer is packed full of milk. I also have had an infection (yeast) since I started pumping when she was born....I am not 100% I want to stop though...any advice if I do or advice for me in general??

NatashaMc - 924 days ago.
lilli- that is so funny, when I first started pumping, I would pump every two hours with this noisy mini electric. I swear it did sound like it was saying something! I'm glad I can't remember what it sounded like, not something I really want to relive!

Jamiee - 924 days ago.
I tried pumping more often to increase my supply but found myself taking 4 pumps just to get one bottle. Finally I gave up and decided I would just pump as often as he would eat normally (at 10 months every 5-6 hours) and I got the same amount of milk in half the pumps. Been pretty consistent for about a month. He is 11 months in a couple of days so the end is in sight. What a battle though!! PUMP PUMP PUMP. I swear, my pump talks to me I am with it so often.

mamalala - 941 days ago.
natasha-- my lactacian consultant told me the best thing you can do for your supply is stick to a schedule.. whether you pump every 2 hours or 4, always pump that far apart.. and always for 20 minute even if you only getmilk for the first 10.. the repeated stimulation even after youve emptied your breasts is supposed to stimulate production.. The herbal suppliment Fenugreek has helped me alot too.. I have tried just about everything with the help of my consultant so if you need some advice on boosting supply just ask!

NatashaMc - 942 days ago.
heather - I pump every three to four hours and not at all at night. The last couple days I've been pumping more hoping to bring it up but I don't think it's helping. I'm definitely going to try a different shield though. campimama - It's funny that you say that about a 'phantom period' 'cause I've been so moody the past few days and last month as well I was wondering if my hormones were going back to normal but just no AF yet. I haven't really been eating properly lately either. Thanks so much for the support it's exactly what I needed!

campimama - 942 days ago.
Natasha- If you are noticing a dip once a month it could be a 'phantom period'....unless you have your AF back already. Expect dips in supply around that time of month, even if AF hasn't come back. Up your water and calorie intake and try eating oatmeal for breakfast. Also, drinking a beer can give a nice boost (non-alcoholic or regular, either works). Anything with malt in it. Brewer's Yeast is good too. There are lots of things you can do to give yourself a boost. You are doing such a great job. Keep up the good work!

heather12 - 942 days ago.
NatashaMc how often are you pumping and how long? If you are exclusively pumping keeping a regular schedule is key. After Aliyah was 12 weeks old I pumped every 4 hrs for 20 minutes and none at night. Before that though I was pumping every 3 hrs for 20 minutes even through th night. You want to make sure your milk is well established. I went through several breast shields before I found the right size. Even one that was to big and I wasn't able to pump as much breastmilk with the bigger shield. So maybe you should try the smaller size. It wouldn't hurt. It is so easy to get discourged when you are an e pumper. But just remember that you are giving your little baby the best and it is so worth it. Stay positive and good luck!

NatashaMc - 943 days ago.
I must have the wrong size shield as well 'cause this happens to me too. It doesn't really hurt me to pump though so I just ignored it. I wonder if I got a size, would it be down, if I would get more milk then? I started fenugreek and thought I saw an increase but than it went back down. Just pumped and got three ounces total. I'm getting really discouraged again! I think about quitting once a month, maybe I need some encouragement. I asked my husband for some encouragement and he was like 'good job', not quite what I meant!! :D

heather12 - 943 days ago.
Yes you have the wrong size nipple shield. I started out with the wrong size too. Even after I did get the right size my nipples still hurt right at first then the pain would go away about 5 minutes into it. Also it is very normal to get more milk out of one breast than the other. I could pump 3 to 4 oz more out of my right breast.

mamalala - 943 days ago.
thanks so much.. im going to call them in the morning i think-- its starting to be painful when i nurse aswell, so i need to take care of this.. Thanks for the help!

luvbeingamom - 943 days ago.
mama - it def sounds like the wrong size nipple shield. If you have medela, they can help you figure out the correct size for you if you just call the 800 help line. Also, for the 4 months i pumped at work, i would always get a LOT more from one breast vs the other. good luck to you.

mamalala - 943 days ago.
When I pump my nipples are very very sore and after they have a circular indentation around them from where my breast attatched to the pump.. I dont know if maybe im usin the wrong size plastic things?? (sorry i dont know the correct terminology) Anyone have any ideas?? Also, one of my breast produces significantly less milk than the other-- Right now I am producing about and ounce and a half from my left, and about a half of an ounce from the right-- normal?? this significant of a difference??