How do you do it? When do you pump? how often? for how long? Do you pump at night...even if your LO sleep through the night? And do you occasionally nurse LO from the breast for comfort?
For latch reasons that are seriously unfixable at this point...I am moving on to pumping....I just need to know how to start:/ I only have about a day's worth of feedings in my stash. My son currently takes between 16-19oz a day.
squash / 13764 posts
Oh no! Sorry to hear that you guys are having latch issues...i thought things were going well? Did something happen?
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
oh no :(:( honey I'm sooo sorry 
I know @winniebee pumped exclusively for 4-5 months so she probably would be a good support resource for you.
coconut / 8475 posts
@hilsy85: yes:( I am...having a REALLY hard time coming to terms with this. Basically, LO had the diary intolerance issue, right? Dr. told me to stop BFing him until it leaves my system entirely because he was getting hives and just ...very sick! So, I formula fed from the bottle for 11 days while the diary exited my system and when I went back to BFing, LO was worse than before! I am so, so tired of the cracked nipples and the fact that it takes 10 minutes just to latch on every time...and he gets so frustrated that he doesn't finish and get full....so then he wants to eat again like 30mins later. Needless to say, no one in our house sleeps--despite my seeing 2 different LCs on 3 different occasions.
So, here I am....I feel like this is the best decision?
@Coco Bee: thanks:) Maybe i'll post a Q to her wall
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@TurtleDoves: oh my gosh you already saw two LC's?!?! that is rough... I was going to say my sister had issues for a couple weeks until she saw the La Leche League leader and an LC and then things got better... I'm so sorry
coconut / 8475 posts
@Coco Bee: I have this little bit of hope that LO might respond better to a LC when he is a bit older. I am going to try again at 12w. Right now, he is too frustrated when hungry, cant hold his head up or anything and just refuses to learn 
Please cross your fingers that all he needs is a little maturity!
coconut / 8475 posts
Anyone? I started today & am wondering if I'm on the right track...
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
I am exclusively pumping. I don't have a set pumping schedule, but I do pump round the clock. I was pumping every 3-4 hours until my supply was well-established enough to pump more than she eats each day. Now I pump about 4 times a day, about every 6 hours. Sometimes depending on how the day is going, I'll pump at 4 or 5 hours, or I'll stretch it out to 7 hours. I pump during LMW's one night feeding (while Wagon Sr. feeds her), then I usually try to pump before I leave the house (if it's a work day), and I pump at work. I try to pump right before I leave work so that I'm nice and empty to deal with bedtime before I get engorged again. I also try to pump right before I go to bed so I'm comfortable no matter how long it is until LMW wakes for her night feeding.
cantaloupe / 6630 posts
@TurtleDoves: My LO is only five-days-old but has a terrible latch and lost way too much weight because she couldn't get anything. So now I'm pumping every two hours which is actually producing enough to feed her, then trying to get her to latch afterwards for practice.
I totally feel you on baby being frustrated on not wanting to learn! It broke my heart to hear Ariela crying so much while trying deperately to latch but not being able to. Not worth putting me or her through it when there's another option.
Do you have a good pump? I'm actually finding it really rewarding because I can still give her breastmilk, the only thing is, I'm getting a lot of backache because I have to learn forward so the milk drips properly.
Sorry you're having such a hard time but good luck, it's a fab option when breastfeeding is so difficult!
cherry / 186 posts
When i started, I pumped after every feeding. Then I decided to just exclusively pump, I pumped every time he would've nurse. Once I established my supply (2months) I started manipulating my pump times. Which meant I slowly dropped my middle of the night pumpings. I now pump 3x a day and get about 24 to 30oz a day. I was pumping 30oz consistently for awhile so now Ialways have 2days worth in the fridge. Kellymom.com has great info on this as well!
Good luck!
clementine / 943 posts
My LO had terrible, terrible latching issues as well. I took quite a few 24 hour breaks and would just bottle feed him pumped milk. We finally started to get the hang of things at 6 weeks, and now it's smooth sailing (LO is 13 weeks now). I hope you are able to take a much needed break and try again once your LO is bigger with better success!
nectarine / 2886 posts
@TurtleDoves: My LO is almost 6 months and I'm still exclusively pumping. She had latch issues too, and would get so frustrated when she was hungry that we just couldn't work through it. I met with 3 LCs, but in the end it just didn't work out.
To be honest, in the beginning, it was tough because I was pumping every 3 hours or so to establish my supply. It was exhausting. Eventually I stretched it out little by little so that I was pumping every 4-5 hours. Now I'm pumping every 6 hours, and life is so much better! In fact, last night was the FIRST night in almost 6 months that I slept from 9pm to 5am, and it felt amazing! So things do get better but it takes time. I currently pump about 50 oz a day.
My top 2 tips would be:
- have at least 2 sets of horns/connectors/valves - thanks to Mrs. Bee I learned that I didn't have to wash each part after each pumping session. So I just run warm water through the connected pieces and store them in the fridge in Tupperware, and switch to a new set in the evening. This was HUGE when it came to not feeling like I was washing pump parts all day long.
- Buy extra bottles to pump into. I only do pumping related dishes once or twice a day now because I have ~15 or so bottles I use as pumping receptacles.
My LO started sleeping through the night quite early but I still woke up to pump at around 2am every night. I'd say that was probably the toughest part of pumping, but I was too scared I would get horribly clogged ducts and get mastitis. Let me know if you have questions, and good luck!
nectarine / 2886 posts
@TurtleDoves: Also, I'm not sure how your nipples are holding up now, but if they are really cracked, you might want to see if your OB can write you a prescription for APNO cream. My nipples were destroyed as I struggled through trying to breastfeed in the beginning but once I used APNO, the relief was almost immediate. It is quite expensive but worth it, in my opinion!
coconut / 8475 posts
@mrs. wagon: so helpful-thank u!
@travelgirl1: luckily I splurged on the medela..free style? It's double electric and hands free....so I walk around doing dishes and it does the pumping:)
@purkle: I hope to have a few days worth in the fridge too!
@Pink Champagne: I pray this is us...I plan on giving it time and then going back to a LC to try again. You're so lucky:)
@betsyboop: luckily my nipples are not cracked because I've always been a night pumper so they have always gotten nights off since day 1!
Thank you guys:) currently I pump every 4 hours and I'm taking fenugreek supplements. I hope this goes well until LO & I are ready to try again
squash / 13764 posts
@TurtleDoves: oh man, that stinks! Well, I think your plan to pump for a while and try BFing again when LO is older sounds great! Kudos to you for doing the dairy free thing, that would be so hard for me (I feel like my diet is 80% dairy items). My one piece of advice from my few days of pumping is to definitely have more than one set of the pumping flanges. It is SO annoying to wash them (or at least I thought so) so having extra flanges and bottles/breastmilk storage bags will make your life easier! Good luck 
nectarine / 2504 posts
When LO was a newborn I pumped whenever he took a bottle, roughly every two to three hours (yes, even at night).
When I returned to work at 3 1/2 months my schedule looked like this: wake up at 6 AM pump, 9:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM, 6 PM, 9 PM and 3 AM.
Now at 7 1/2 months I pump 4-5 times a day. 6 AM, 10 AM, 12:30 PM(sometimes), 3:30 PM, 8:30 PM and 3 AM (sometimes)
LO sleeps through the night but I wake up to pump anyways on most nights. There have been a couple of nights where I was deliriously tired and forgot to wake up.
nectarine / 2834 posts
@TurtleDoves: I've seen 2 LCs and have been exclusively pumping until today. I rented a hospital grade pump since it was more efficient and more comfortable than my ameda. I pump every 2 1/2 hours as LO eats at 3 hours like clockwork. I just pump until I get a little more than the amount she eats bc sometimes she is still a bit hungry. I'm a little concerned about blocked ducts because I don't empty my breast but I have a large supply and I feel like it I kept pumping, it would just keep
Coming. Frankly, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Just don't expect to get more than 3 hours of sleep
At a time.
nectarine / 2834 posts
@travelgirl1: try pumping pals. They're angled so you don't have to lean frward. They are so much more comfortable and just over 10 bucks.
squash / 13764 posts
@Tidybee: ditto this! we also rented a hospital grade pump and that thing is awesome. As for the milk continuing to come, apparently it's because you can have multiple letdowns (I didn't know this--I thought it was one letdown and that's it! But there can be like two or three during a nursing/pumping session).
GOLD / papaya / 10166 posts
@TurtleDoves: I pumped exclusively for about 4 months. I pumped about 4-5x/day (once in the morning, 2-3 times during the day and again before bed). I have the Medela Pump In Style and it worked fine. Just hooked it up to my pumping bra and let it go!
It was easier for me to pump when DD was sleeping so that I had time to sit down and pump without having to constantly stop and entertain her or keep her out of trouble.
ETA: The biggest help I can tell you is to make sure to wait for a 2nd letdown. Mine usually happened when I thought I was completely done and there was hardly anything coming out. I would leave the pump on for another 5 min, and then it would let down again.
coconut / 8475 posts
@Tidybee: I want these!!
@BabyBoecksMom: did 2nd letdown allow you to pump for more feedings than just the 1? I want to always have a feeding or 2 in the freezer in case I get behind on pumping and DS gets hungry, ya know?
GOLD / papaya / 10166 posts
@TurtleDoves: Yes. That plus taking More Milk Plus gave me an oversupply and I got more than I ever had when I was nursing.
olive / 67 posts
I've been exclusively pumping since my LO was a week old. I would pump after every feeding to get my milk established. Now at two months I pump 4-5 times a day and am able to get 40-50oz so I am building a stash for daycare next month. I pump at night if he wakes up just so I stay comfortable. I have had mastitis and a clogged duct so the best is to pump as often as you can so you don't get too engorged. I keep track of when and what I pump each session so if there is a noticeable decrease, I can make changes right away. Kellymom.com is very helpful! Good luck!
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