I'm sure I'm anxious for no reason...but I'm going to have to start pumping earlier than I planned. I go back to work in 5 weeks but due to some things I have going on I have to pump prob starting middle of next week...I've heard your supply goes down once you start pumping. True? False? What other tips can you give me?
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False, I don't think your supply decreases when you pump! Drink lots of water, eat enough, rest when you can and look at pictures or video of your baby when you pump!
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Your supply actually INCREASES when you pump because your body thinks your baby is eating more so it will adjust to accommodate the extra "feedings". Don't worry if you don't think you're getting a lot in the beginning, your body will adjust. My tip is to pump maybe an hour and a half after you've already fed your baby so your body will have time to recharge. Also, do you feed your LO on one side at a time or do you switch so you get both sides? What I've done is simultaneously feed him on one side and single pump on the other. Try not to stress out about it - breastfeeding is the hard part, pumping will be fine.
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The only reason why people say your supply goes down when you pump is if you are exclusively pumping and not nursing, and this isonly based on the fact that the baby is able to empty your breast much more efficiently than a pump But if you are pumping AND nursing than like @Lisa1783 said you will actually be boosting your supply
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Just keep nursing your LO whenever you're with him/her and pump every three hours, max, when you're not (more often if LO nurses more frequently - basically pump every time LO was nurse.) Drink lots of water and relax. I definitely get more milk when I'm relaxed.
The pump is less efficient at getting milk out than a baby, but if you pick up an extra pumping session after LO goes to bed or pump one side while they nurse on the other in the AM then it should all balance out. GL!
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I had supply problems until I started pumping. About a month after I started pumping I had an oversupply. I only nursed on one side at a time, which really helped when it came time to pump because I would feed her on my good side and then pump on the other side right afterward. That way, when it came time to feed her again, my good side would already have some milk for her.
That worked for me, but it may or may not work for you - you just have to find your groove.
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Just keep up lots of pumping sessions and make sure you are emptying as much as possible!
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I'm planning on pumping & nursing if all goes well. I'm considering buying a manual pump before renting one in a few weeks until I get the hang of things. Recently I've just had to feed whichever side is more full and I offer the other side as "dessert."
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@lydg Me too! Can't figure out when to do it, etc. My baby is 8 weeks old—how old is yours?
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@lydg: have you talked to your insurance company to see if they will cover the pump? I only had to pay about $30 for a $300 pump after insurance covered the rest.
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@knittingmama only 20 days! Didnt want to start until he was closer to six weeks but I don't have a choice.
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