September 2008 Weddings
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Question for BFing Moms
As a lot of you probably read, Eli and I started this whole nursing thing a little backwards: I started exclusively pumping until this week when we began nursing as often as possible (aka when he would allow it). Because I was pumping so much to start, I now still end up pumping after a nursing session to avoid being engorged. I looked at kellymom to see how my supply is, and I'm pumping enough to be exclusively pumping (even though I am nursing on top of it). I probably pump about 25 ounces a day, not counting what Eli nurses. My question is how do you balance keeping up your supply with actual nursing? Although I don't need the extra supply now, I obviously want to keep it high so I can start storing for when I go back to work, but in the meantime, even if Eli sleeps for 6 hours straight through the night (which for the record, hasn't happened yet haha), I still have to wake up after 3 hours to pump. Do you ladies have any suggestions? I don't know if I should wean myself off from pumping overnight and just nurse as needed, or be grateful for a good supply and just store it all.
Re: Question for BFing Moms
Nurse as needed just at night or all the time? What is the downside of an oversupply? (I'm still learning!)
2012 Reading Challenge
Amber I was the same way and I exclusively bf for the first couple of weeks. I have always had an over supply. So from the beginning I just started freezing 2oz or 4oz bags after bfing. I have a very nice freezer full of frozen milk that I have been slowly pulling and replensihing now at 4 months. And the only reason I pull some is so that I don't have really old milk hanging around.
Lucas is 4 months old and I still can't make it through the night without leaking. Last night for example he stirred a few times, but not enough to get up. Well at 5:30 I woke up to him stirring and found I had filled my breast pads and started leaking through so I got him up and fed him. At my last Dr appt they told me that he is old enough to sleep through the night without eating, but for me I find it easier to get up for 10-15 min and nurse him rather then getting up longer to pump. He barely opens his eyes and falls back asleep when I burp him. Personal preference, but I find it easier.
If possible all the time. Most Drs say not to pump to build a supply until about 6 weeks. (I know things were a little different for you guys in the begining) but I'm talking about to build a supply not just to feed him.
I'm not 100% sure about oversupply since I never had that issue I would assume you would get more engorgement between feeding times. Your body produces the milk that Eli needs based on his nursing/feeding schedule. If you are pumping more frequently that he is eating you will build up more and then need to pump more. (Does that make sense?)
If I were you I would nurse as you need to, don't pump except for 1x a day (if you need to freeze milk) let HIM regulate your supply. If you have an over supply a few things can happen
1. you can cause him to spit up a lot becuase the forcefulness of your letdown will be so high that it can cause him to gulp and have a lot of air in his tummy, then causing him to spit up/vomit
2. he can get too much foremilk and not enough hind milk (his poop will change colors if this is the case) the hind milk is where most of the fat/calories are and the foremilk is what we call thirsty milk (it is bluish in color if you are pumping, hind milk is creamier and whiter/yellower)
25 oz is a ton to pump on top of him nursing.
Let him nurse every 2.5 or so hours during the day and you will feel engorged and that is totally normal , it happened to me as well but it won't get any better unless you let him regulate it. It will be painful for a few days (I hope not for you though)
GL and you are doing great mama!
also remember that milk is only good in the freezer (regular one ) for 3-4 mo , in our case Lucy doesn't like the taste of it much past 2.5 mo , so I try to use it up at the 2 mo mark.
Also the nutrients they need change the longer you breastfeed so you want him to be getting most of the milk you have now because in 2-3 mo his needs will be different KWIM?
How many oz do you think you have in the freezer now?
Figure 35ish oz a day (I think, ladies correct me if I'm wrong) for Eli and I'm not sure how much of that would be sent to daycare, it is good to have a backup in the freezer but don't worry about going too crazy because if you are anything like me you won't want to throw out any liquid gold and you'll want to use everything that is in the freezer!
I definitely agree to let him regulate your supply and nursing/pumping more often will increase it as well. But I just want to add (in case this happens too) I tried going longer times and not pumping as much and I couldn't. It didn't hurt me at all, but I would leak through. I had to do something or be all wet.
Part of that might be that when he was first born I had to nurse him regularly every couple of hours due to his jaundice, but when that went away he didn't need to be nursed as often but I was still making the milk like he was.
But, I was also leaking for the couple of months before giving birth. My milk supply came early and just kept growing!
Ditto everything Christina said. If you keep pumping that much extra milk you are going to be so uncomfortable when he spaces his feedings out more. You can drop the pumpings you want to eliminate (except the one to build your freezer stash) one at a time to help with the leaking/engorgement. I leaked pretty much until my supply regulated around the 4 1/2 mo mark and then it was like magic. I lost my oversupply, only pumped what DD needed when I was away from her, and I didn't have that over full feeling. I also never pumped at night, but like Liz said some moms have to. You can try not pumping at night for a few days and if you feel like your not producing enough, always add at least one session back in.
FWIW, I only pumped once a day from the time M turned 3 weeks old until I went back to work at 9 1/2 weeks old from one boob only (single pumping) and I managed to get just over 300 oz in my deep freezer (in a deep freezer the milk can keep for up to a year). If I just had the regular freezer, I would've lost a lot of that milk from spoilage. I've rotated my milk stash from the beginning (freeze what I pump fridays, use frozen milk on mondays) and I STILL have 300 oz in my freezer at 1 year old. I did have a few supply dips when AF came back at 7 mo and through a couple illnesses, but I really didn't need the huge stash I built (it got up to 450oz when I returned to work and still had my oversupply). I know that may not be the norm, but it's something to consider since you are producing so much right now. I'm now debating whether to donate 200oz or just keep it and let M stay on BM for another couple of months and holding off on cow's milk.
You're doing great Mama!
ditto everything heather said as well.
Heather Both of those options are GREAT , plus think of the money savings of her not being on cow's milk....that is part of why we haven't switched yet (And because BFing is going so well)
They are supposed to drink up to 30 oz a day of milk, EEP!
Thank you so much ladies! I knew you would be able to help.
Hopefully, the engorgement won't be too bad. Heather, I'll cut back on pumpings slowly to help with it.
Christina - I have about 20 ounces in the fridge/freezer right now, even though I'm not even trying to build up my supply.
2012 Reading Challenge
That is good, I'd just kee pumping 1x a day like I said so that you don't struggle too much with oversupply ( I had it and it was tough on Lucy) and doesn't feel very good.
G'luck!