transition help? My little one is 8 days old and i planned to eventually switch to exclusive…
transition help?
My little one is 8 days old and i planned to eventually switch to exclusive pumping. I would like to start soon cause breast feeding has been extremly stressful for me. I just want to know what best way to transition to pumping and once getting started how do i figure out amount he should eat? And is amount of feeding work diffrent? (I havent been able to see lactaion consular and in general nobody been helping me its been just me. When in hospital only 2 nurses semi helped and consular was on vacation. And when ever i ask people question they dont really anwser or anything...) sorry for this being so long i dont know how else to explain
deleted-user·
I was a surrogate and pumped for surrobabe for about 6wks and I’ll be REALLY honest with you...EPing is a LOT of work. In order to maintain supply you’ll need to pump every 2-3hrs including at night. If you miss a pump or two in the beginning your supply can really take a hit because pumping is never as efficient as nursing. Plus I can’t imagine EPing with a baby to take care of (trying to wash pump and bottles etc etc.)
So it’s definitely doable but I would really try to find a lactation consultant IF your goal is to nurse. I know how hard it can be to breastfeed (I only made it 3-4 days with my first) but if you can push thru then it gets sooooo much easier. Not everyone is successful at nursing (and that’s okay!) but if I had to choose between nursing and pumping then I would choose nursing hands down. Much simpler.
If you do end up switching to pumping then just try and pump every 2-3hrs. Drink lots of water, eat oatmeal etc etc. It’s tough, so best of luck with whatever you decide.
Jesika ·
Мама сына-младенца
Thank you and ill try to find one to see what i can do.
deleted-user·
I EP with daughter and not by choice. She couldn’t nurse (torticolis plus ties). In the beginning, I had to pump every time she ate. My husband would get up feed/change her in the night while I pumped. After my supply got established I was able to pump less often and maintain volume for a while. It eventually dwindled as I cut sessions. It’s pretty time consuming and not necessarily less painful. I plan on getting this baby checked right away for ties if there are any issues nursing.
We feed on demand like you would for nursing. Daughter didn’t take huge volumes but at more frequently than a formula baby. The pediatrician gave us crap but she gained weight normally so I ignored her.
Tip for pumping: You can put the parts in bag and refrigerate for 24 hours to avoid constantly washing. Warm the flanges with your hands before each session. You can use oil olive or coconut oil to lubricate the flanges. Pumpin pals are great if you have fit issues. Hand expression is worth learning too. I would massage my breasts before starting and then hand express to make sure I had everything. You just have to play around with settings and such to find what works best for you. Also, over time, your breast and nipples will change. I was very swollen from preeclampsia so my flange size changed a few weeks after birth when most of the water was off. Things changed again later during weaning.
Good Luck to you. EP is really hard and so is breast feeding. Do the best you can and don’t beat yourself up if things don’t work out like you hoped.
deleted-user·
I EP’d by choice for 11 months... it’s hard, but if you have a support system to help, then it’s doable! After you start feeding your LO on solids and they drop feedings, you can drop pumps. Eventually you can drop pumps to 3 times a day, then 2, then 1.
I followed Baby Wise to gage how much I should be putting in the bottles. Of course if he was still hungry, or needed to be fed in between those amounts/times, I would feed him.
If you want to PM me, I can give you some tips on how to make it easier on you and your SO :) there is also an exclusive pumping group on Facebook that is very active and so so supportive!