Kimberly - posted on 06/20/2009 ( 3 moms have responded )
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I have been strictly breastfeeding my five week old. I would like to start pumping, I have tried a few times and come up short every time. One or twice I got two ounces but that is the best I have gotten. How can I get better results? How often should I be pumping? When should I be pumping? How long can I keep refrigerated milk? Frozen milk? I would appreciate any tips and guidance on the subject. Thanks.
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Kelly - posted on 06/21/2009
5
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Hi Kimberly, I have to tell you that if you are thinking of only pumping then you might regret it. I had to pump since my baby was born because she would never latch on. I pumped for almost 6 months then I dried up. Yes 2 ozs is a lot of milk when you first start out. I didn't start pumping a lot of milk till my baby was about 6 to 8 weeks old. If you want to get more milk then you should pump about every 2 hours and your body will make more milk. If you start to get knots in you're breast then you need to pump right away so you do not end up getting mastitis because that could cause to you get really sick. Pumping can be a hassal sometimes because if you are out in town and not close to home and you get full then you can't pump, so in my opion I would stick to breastfeeding. I wish that I could have breastfeed and not had to pump because you will have to get up in the middle of the night to pump and it could take a while to finish and by the time you get done then it takes forever to get back to sleep. But this is what happened to me so it is up to you. If you just want to pump than good luck with it.
Tara - posted on 06/20/2009
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Don't expect that you will get a lot of milk every time you pump. Your milk is still adjusting to your baby's needs. The more you pump, the more milk you will make, but it does take time. Even pumping with no results will send messages to your brain to produce more milk. Don't pump right before you feed the baby, other than that you can pump whenever you want. Most women produce more milk in the mornings.
You can combine pumped milk to refridgerated milk. Milk in the fridge lasts 4-5 days, freezer for 3 months, and deep freezer (0 degrees) for 6 months. Fresh milk can sit at room temp for about 3 hours.
Martha - posted on 06/20/2009
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Two ounces is a lot! Remember that is in addition to what your baby eats. Once your baby starts sleeping longer stretches at night, pump right after his first feeding in the morning. Here is a link to a website that an IBCLC put together that has lots of info on feeding your baby expressed milk in a bottle, including storage guidelines:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/index...
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