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Yep, more pumping questions
As Kross said, one daunting milestone at a time. Baby Z is 3 weeks and I think this weekend or next week I will try pumping. Mostly to conquer my fear.
My hope is to get back to teaching spin at the ungodly morning hour of 5:45 a.m once my post-partum visit on 12/16 is all good and the gym re-hires me (don't ask). However, I may be wishfully thinking there can be any semblance of a schedule here by mid-December.
Note - while lack of sleep is bad - not having a schedule and getting to the gym in the a.m. is actually worse (for me). So I'm desperate to hear of any way I might be able to get back to my normal and hit the gym before DH leaves for work (around 7:30 a.m.)
1. Should I wake Baby Z before class and try to feed him? My worry here is that some feedlngs are marathon sessions in which we have to feed, change, sleep for 5 minutes, burp, etc. Reality is that I won't be able to get out the door on time. Unless I wake him at like 3 a.m. and if he's sleeping I don't want to mess with him.
2. Should I just get up and pump and leave a bottle for DH to feed him? I read somewhere that you shouldn't skip the first BF session in the morning.
3. I've read some responses that some of you were able to build your stash while on maternity leave. I don't go back to my full-time job until May. How do you manage to build a stash while still feeding and NOT making your boobs think you're having twins? And yes, sometimes he'll only take one boob, so I know I could pump the other. But what if that's NOT the case? Were you pumping regularly to build a stash? When?
Thanks!
Re: Yep, more pumping questions
I'll try my best here though you're way more motivated than me. I didn't want to leave my house for 4 mo after having Max.
1. I wouldn't wake him. I'd nurse him if the time is convenient.
2. This. Pump and leave bottle if necessary to feed him while you're gone.
3. I pumped 1-2 times a week starting at 4 weeks, then moved it to (nearly) once a day after 7 weeks, once the hour-long sessions / every two hours on the dot / cluster feeding / growth spurts subsided. It was too much to even fathom until then. I only pumped after his morning session since this was when I was most full. Once my maternity leave was nearly I added an evening session in.
I'm not sure how often you plan to teach but if a couple days a week, perhaps that's your introduction to pumping. If he doesn't eat it then you have the starts of a stash.
HTH.
My #1 mistake in the early days of parenting was not keeping a schedule and routine. I personally thrive on routine and live in that disorienting "I just woke up from a nap at 8 and Im not sure if its 8am or 8pm" haze unless I have some semblance of a schedule and recognizable lifestyle.
1--Luckily DD put herself on a 3 hour schedule within the first couple weeks so it was easier for me to estimate when a feeding would occur, however, with reflux she was often spitting up so much she needed to be re-fed so it got a little dodgy for awhile there. I personally wouldnt wake the baby. Id play it by ear each day so if baby was awake in the morning, feed him before going but if he's not awake just go to the gym and pump before or after. Until he gets into more of a predictable schedule I would not actually commit to teaching the class but Id just plan to go to the gym and do something every morning around a certain time. Thats just me though. I know I couldnt handle the stress of HAVING to be somewhere at a certain time and some days the baby is up and some days he's not and other days he wakes up halfway through your pumping session and you dont know to feed him or not and its all willy nilly and making me nervous.
2--I avoided relying on bottles as much as possible only because it took me TWO pumping sessions to create ONE bottle and I wanted to avoid the annoyance of pumping if possible. For me it was more stressful fitting in the time to pump than to just stay put and bf. Some people have a larger supply and they can do a 1 for 1 replacement, but most women do require more than one pumping session per bottle.
3-- I think I started pumping around a 4-6 weeks (I cant remember) and I pumped both sides AFTER the morning feeding. Even when DD started nursing on just one side, I still pumped both sides. I only did that one pumping session per day unless I missed a nursing session (then I replaced that feeding with a pumping session as close to the time as possible).
Just remember to cycle your freezer stash--in general, bm is good in the freezer for 5 months which you will reach before you go back to work, so you should use some of the milk you pump in the next couple months for occasional outings, morning workouts etc. before you return to work.
Thanks ladies - as usual, you have saved my sanity (for a few minutes).
I hope to get back to teaching 2 days/week so Katie, could be a good way to introduce pumping/saving if he doesn't eat.
Oy - I hadn't even fathomed the, "what if he wakes up during a pumping session" idea. What does one do then?
And I'm not sure I'd get away with the non-comitting to the class, but it's a good idea!
i would go with your second option. this way he will be used to a bottle and you can get used to pumping to see how much you are able to produce each session.
i started pumping basically round the clock to get my milk to come in since ds was in the nicu. i would go for ~10mins before each feeding and 5-10 mins after. this led to a few over-supply issues but nothing that wasn't managable. i still pump for 10 mins when i first wake up and i am able to feed ds without issue, anywhere between 30-60mins after. if you can pump either before/after the first feeding of the day and pick one or 2 other feedings (or right before bed like ld mentioned) for pumping you will be in business.
Pump once to have a bottle ready to go.
Perhaps instead of teaching you plan to attend class 2X a week to start. I like Kross didn't do well with committing to times in the early months. Too many variables.
I am sorry, I wanted to help but I really cannot get past your desire to teach a 5:45am spin class a few weeks pp!
I will say that I pumped starting around 5 weeks (I had read that was a good time to start - BFing is well established so a bottle will most likely not lead to nipple confusion)
I always pumped first thing in the am, before the morning feeding with no issues. I needed to build a stash for football season and various other non-child-friendly activities. GL!
DS 3.12.08
DD 7.11.09
DD 8.01.13
So, I always pumped after the morning feeding, until about seven months. Also, during maternity leave, I left the pump set up during the day. I know you won't believe this now, but at some point in the not so distant future, he will start pulling this random nonsense like sleeping for four hours one afternoon. When he did that, I would pump for five or ten minutes.
I wouldn't stss about Z waking up mid pumping session. Either just stop pumping and start nursing, or have J give him a bottle then.
i'm with eagles i can't get pass the idea of waking up early and willing doing spin just a few weeks PP.
Before you start teaching, maybe it would be wise to spend a couple of weeks just back at the gym getting acclimated again. see how the baby does without for a couple of hours and you do without the baby.