I am maid of honor in a wedding and I will need only one bottle for my EBF 4 month old on the night of the rehearsal. I have no need for a full freezer stash So I'm not sure how to go about doing this. I have not pumped at all because I have been trying and have finally gotten my oversupply and forceful let down under control. I'm stressed A out how she will do taking the bottle but it seemed unnecessary to pump and practice bottles when there is really only a singular night she needs to. Any suggestions for me?
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I used to overthink this stuff like crazy! So my recommendation is don't overthink it. Pump once on days you feel like it and give her the bottle that evening. Once you have some idea about how much you pump per session, you will know how many pumping sessions you need for the evening, so then pump those no more than once a day.
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You really will never be apart from her otherwise? I liked having a few bottles worth in the freezer for just in case- anything, say I needed a medication, say I get stuck in traffic in my way home when I thought I'd be home for her next feeding, or I want a few hours out. For those reasons I did make sure she would take a bottle on occasion anyway.
As for pumping I don't think pumping once every few days would cause an oversupply. I never dealt with an oversupply, but I would just pump when she went down for her morning nap (her longest) when I felt like it, until I had enough milk in the freezer for me to be comfortable with it.
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You might want to leave more than just one bottle with whomever is going to watch your LO. Also, it can be nice to have some extra milk on hand for emergencies or to mix with puréed foods when LO starts solids.
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Has she ever taken a bottle? I'd prep a little extra, just in case. She may not take it at all, or if she may down it since some babies eat more when bottle feeding? If it's just 1 feeding, she might just hold out for the real thing.. Maybe try pumping in the morning time since that's supposed to be when you're the "fullest"
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Like the first comment above, I too stressed over BFing. Which I think is why I hated it so much! I went back to work at 8 weeks and was forced to pump at that point. So prior to that time, we started letting DH bottle feed the baby in the middle of the night and I would pump while they did this. That got DS used to taking the bottle.
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I pump after her big morning feed. And sometimes after a big feed in the afternoon/evenings I agree that you should practice with the bottle a few times before the event. Get some milk freezer bags- I use Nuk. Like others have said, if you have the time/supply it may be worth it to set up a little stash just in case.
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Can you just give her some formula for one night? It seems like if you have oversupply and forceful letdown issues to the point pumping stresses you out, maybe you can just have a little bit of ready to feed formula on hand and give that to her. But if EBF is really that important, then I would suggest trying a hand pump (I liked Avent's) and just pump a few minutes after each feeding for a day and collect a little bit slowly. I'd also pump a little before I go to sleep and then repeat 2-3 days later.
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The trick they gave us at the hospital for building a supply is to feed really well on one breast (say, a morning feeding), then pump the opposite. I'd just do that a few days in a row and bottle it up.
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8 comments