I get to be a SAHM, so I don't have to worry about pumping enough and storing it in the freezer for work. In the beginning, I pumped because I wanted to provide a bottle a day for the baby fed by DH, but eventually, we got kinda lazy. I don't know why it takes me so much effort to clean those pump parts and bottle parts, but it does. It's just so much easier to whip out the boobs! Sometimes though, I do worry/wonder if my supply will all of a sudden dwindle on me, and that maybe it is better I have a stash anyway? Here's another lame excuse....I don't have enough room in my freezer! I've had nights right before the baby's bed time feeding where it almost seemed like I was cutting it close because he seemed to empty out both of my breasts but still seemed fussy. But, anywayz, just wondering if there are any other SAHMs that don't pump/bottle-feed. Do you worry about your supply?
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I'm a SAHM and used to pump every day to try to build up a stash. I got enough in the freezer to feed him for maybe 2 days and then pretty much stopped. If I know I have to be away from him for longer than a few hours then I will pump once and leave it in the fridge for whoever is watching him, but that happens pretty rarely and he's not a fan of bottles anyways. I don't worry about my supply though. I figure my body will make whatever he needs!
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I am a WAHM & I don't have a stash. When I do pump it's specifically for DD to go spend some time at her grandmas , otherwise it's boob 24/7. I hate having to pump so it works!
I used to worry about getting sick or losing my supply but after getting a cold a few weeks ago I realized how important it was to nurse DD fresh "exposure specific" milk since the stash I was building was from before I got sick. She didn't get sick at all which I attribute to her nursing & not getting the bottle,
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I was also a WAHM. I did pump for about two bottles a week worth when i did go in to the office, and also eventually got lazy. Your supply straight from the boob should be fine. I will say the few times I tried pumping after being lazy about it, I wasn't able to get much anymore. But by that point LO was also eating lots of table food.
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Somewhat... I have had every intention of having a nice stash but it takes a lot of time and effort so I only have about a days worth of milk in the freezer. I have become conscious of nursing since DS started solids though and I am still nursing 6+ times in a 24 hour period and that is ideal whether he's eating solids or not.
There are a few situations I love bottle-feeding:
-So DH can take him for an afternoon on the weekends so I can go out with a friend, or run errands without the baby.
-When I know I'll be in public for long periods of time, such as a wedding. It's nice to not have to deal with nursing or wearing something nursing-friendly. This way anyone can feed him.
-Long car rides, he only sleeps in the car if he has a bottle. So I pump and then give it to him.
-When I need a break in general. Sometimes nursing is very taxing on my nipples - I just like to let them breathe haha and pumping isn't as "rough" on them. -
I pump a couple oz a day to give her one bottle a day. She takes it from me, and DH gave her a bottle once. She isn't picky
She is 12 days old, so obviously no stash - although I could because I have such an oversupply. I've poured out over 10 oz of milk by this point actually, that I've pumped in the middle of the night before nursing her (so she doesn't choke from my letdown) and didn't get up to refrigerate.
I got a free pump from my insurance company so I'll have it, but I don't plan to really go back to work. At least I have a pump (both manual from the hospital and a double electric) if I need to pump for a sitter or something, though.
We also don't have room in the freezer! lol.
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@Coco Bee: Yes, I was lamenting that I wouldn't be able to wear dresses for the first year, but then I realized I could just give him a bottle!
For the long car rides, do you give him a bottle while he's in his carseat and the car is in motion? Sometimes my LO gets fussy cuz he's hungry, and I'm wondering if I could feed him while DH drives.
And, I hear ya on the nipples needing a break! How many bottles do you usually give when they are taking a break? I've never given him more than a bottle a day, so I wonder what it would be like to give him a bottle for two or more feedings in a row....Hmmmm.
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@sorrycharlie: 12 days old! So little! Hope you've been getting some rest!
What pump did you get through insurance? Supposedly, I heard my insurance covers one too, but it would have to be through a specific vendor of their choice. I just wonder if the pump I can get will be any good, though "free" is always good! (Although health insurance is already expensive as is!!)
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I'm a SAHM my LO is almost 11 months and I have about 32 oz in the fridge. I used to pump to mix breastmilk with her purées but I stopped awhile ago. It's just so much easier to breastfeed...and now that she's almost a year we are just going to skip bottles and give her milk from a sippy cup when the time comes to introduce cow's milk
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@cranberryapple: Yup that's my solution!! If DH is driving, I just pull the whole dress up and nurse so I don't get engorged during the event.
I do give him the bottle while he's in the carseat. Otherwise he'd wake up being put into the carseat! It's weird because he can fall asleep on his own in his crib, but in the car he just cries. It's so sad.
In EXTREME situations where I haven't had my pump, I unbuckled and lean over the carseat to nurse him. VERY painful and highly uncomfortable but when your baby is screaming you do what you gotta do!If I'm taking a break, sometimes it's just one feeding during the day and I nurse him the rest of the time. Even that one time is just "ahh" lol!! I have only ever pumped and given a bottle for ALL feedings once, it was a weekend and we had thrush. DS wouldn't nurse because of the pain and I didn't know it at the time. So I was pumping every feeding. That is a little too much work for my taste lol
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My LO wouldn't take a bottle after she turned 2ish months old so I stopped pumping and EBF
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@cranberryapple: Oh, just saw your post about insurance. Usually the ones ins covers are hospital grade!! Our insurance covers pumps if you have a prescription. I didn't get a prescription though. Anyhow - my sister did and she got a hospital grade Medela. She loves it! Usually the approved vender would be a hospital or medical clinic.
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Have you thought about emergencies though? I have a friend who's a sahm and she was eating bbq pork at a restaurant and bit into a bullet. She couldn't breastfeed for awhile for fear of lead poison.
You just never know what might happen!
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Your story is my story. I have milk from when he was brand new and I was going back to work--but I haven't pumped in a good while now. That freezer stash is still there but expiring as well speak.
The internet made me think I needed a freezer stash. I don't! -
@artbee: A BULLET!?
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@pastemoo: yes! And when they talked to the manager they said they bought the meat at costco. Scary!
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@pastemoo: I like your reply.
I have maybe 4 bags and I'm so uninspired to pump.
Once a week I go to yoga and leave LO with DH and I usually pump the night before to leave him a bottle. And LO rejects the bottle every time. It is such a waste. It does not inspire me to make a freezer stash and now that LO is almost 6 months old and will be eating solids, I'm not going to be devastated if I bit a bullet (what is that?!) and couldn't BF....he can eat formula alongside food. But it DID feel like a big risk when he was younger and EBF was super important to me.
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Me. I'm a SAHM and I nurse exclusively. It's so much easier and I am comfortable nursing almost anywhere now. I wasn't with my first though so it was harder to get out. Now I don't have a choice b/c my oldest has to go to preschool so I just nurse while we're out now instead of coming home. I wish I had a stash so that my husband can help out with feedings but I hate pumping. Also, I produce just enough for my LO so won't have enough to pump to store anyway. Sucks but at least he gets enough and he's growing and thriving. That's all that matters to me.
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I'm a SAHM. In the beginning, I was planning on being a WOHM so I was very crazy about pumping & saving milk. I had almost 1,000 ounces of milk saved by the end of my maternity leave. I used some of the frozen stash while I was working, but then the amount I pumped during the day I would store, so my stash never really decreased. Once I quit working to be a SAHM, I stopped giving her bottles and always nursed. So now I have a TON of frozen milk in the freezer and no room for anything else. I hate to throw away all this milk, but I don't know what to do with it.
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At the moment I've got one feed worth (about 250mL, I'm not sure what that is in oz!) which is from when I gave up pumping in the morning for his middle of the night bottle. I'm thinking I probably should pump more to have some so I can leave him occasionally, but I REALLY hate pumping. The cleaning, the sterilizing, the sitting still watching milk squirt out... blegh!
@MungBean: have you thought about donating some of it?
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@Penny Lane: I have, but unfortunately, I discovered that I have excess lipase in my milk which gives it a weird metallic-y taste
Would totally love to donate it if it wasn't for that, though!
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I pumped once a day for a few months to build a stash. Then my baby wouldn't take a bottle. At around 11 months she demonstrated the ability to go all day with out breastfeeding, so long as she wasn't with me. So, I donated all 150 ounces and never looked back. I never worried about my supply - even if you lose yours, you're unlikely to be able to pump enough to cope with that kind of problem. And if you're feeding on demand, it isn't likely anyway.
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@MungBean: If you're interested in donating, many banks take milk with excess lipase! There are also some scalding methods you could try if you like.
http://simplyrebekah.com/2010/09/28/excess-lipase-faq-on-becoming-a-milk-donor/
Sorry for the threadjack!
Would totally love to donate it if it wasn't for that, though!
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