Anyone have/had a nicu or preemie baby? My twins are still in the hospital and I'm 'supposed' to be pumping every 3 hours. I do feel bad that I'm not better at pumping on schedule but maybe it's because the babies aren't home and I'm not hearing them cry. I do feel like a part time parent because we leave them at hospital. Oh, my insurance has covered us for an hospital grade breast pump rental which is supposed to be stronger. Just wondering if anyone has any advice in pumping with a baby in the nicu. Oh, I have tried BFing them once but given they are preemies, taking a bottle or BFing takes a lot of energy for them. Right now, I want them to get stronger in learning to 'suck, swallow and breathe' and to gain weight so they can be released. (Plus, the babies are being evaluated by a feeding specialist and they are trying different nipples to make sure the act of feeding isn't overwhelming them.) I have been told by the nurse and the LC that there are other preemie moms who have been successful in BFing after being released. Maybe that's why I'm not all that concerned about BFing at this time... I' m more worried about keeping up with my supply. But right now, I do still see the appeal of EPing. Plus, my DH will be a SAHD so I do plan on trying BF and pumping at the same time.
Oh, my babies are a week old today.
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I pumped every 2-3 hours around the clock while E was in the hospital. (The NICU had to tell me to stop bringing milk in for him and sent us home with lots too). Once we got home E never took another bottle. He has been nursing ever since (he is 19 months now).
When I EPed with N, I pumped every 3 hours round the clock for 3-4 months. Once he started sleeping thru the night I would pump when. He would get bottles and before bed to build up a freezer stash. I pumped for 8 months ish. He had breast milk mixed with formula until a year.
To be honest I HATED pumping. I had decided if nursing didn't work with E that I would pump for 6 months and be done.
Whatever you choose make sure you have a lot of support. -
@MrsRcCar: Oh, wow! Good job on pumping around the clock. Can I ask you if you had a c-section? I think a lot of it is the pain I feel when I wake up. Also, I think I might have to use other methods to get me up in the middle of the night. Plus, my pump is located in the living room and not in the bedroom. So I have to get up to pump. I do have to get up to get my pump parts from the fridge so maybe it's just me being lazy.
I did ask a BF FB group that my friend invited me to and the one advice I got was nice but they did say that since their nicu baby was trying so hard that I should be working just as hard to pump on schedule. Which does make sense. I did ask DH to help me get up for pumps, eat better, drink more and get me pain meds and to stay on top of taking them.
I don't think I hate pumping. I was very surprised to get some milk the day they were born but then I stopped getting milk for two days and around the same time my labs came back that I had some surgery induced anemia. So I was happy to see my supply come back after getting a transfusion and now taking iron pills. After that, I was getting very little amounts like barely a ml or two. Then around the time I was released from the hospital I noticed my supply has gone up a lot... But hearing how much the twins need each day think that I'm behind and need to be better with pumping every 3 hours. I think I might be making enough for one baby... Although, some sessions are productive and some not so much (maybe a nutrition or hydration issue?) I'm fine with formula because they are already supplementing with it. -
I would assume that the women who successfully breastfed after EP'ing during a NICU stay were very strict about their schedule. I think especially with twins... It's really important that you do everything you can to build up a supply so you're ready when the babies are ready to start nursing more/come home. Plus, it will help you get in to a routine that will align with what the twins will need when they come home. Good luck!
ETA I would definitely move your pump into the bed room and maybe even buy a mini fridge to keep in there. Anything you can do to make it an easier process will help.
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Check out my blog around October 2012. I Ep'd for 11 not he because Dylan was never really able to bf. I was really strict about the 3 hours from start to start because I knew how hard supply issues could be later since my sister had just gone through it. But it was really hard to wake up in the middle of the night. I forced myself as much as possible but I did sleep through my alarm a few times. It's definitely different not having the baby(ies) with you, but you can do it! (If you want to...)
Can you pump in their room? Daytime I pumped in D's room and then I had a set up at home where I just brought my basket to bed with me at bedtime, otherwise it was next to the couch.
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I was religious about pumping when my son was in the nicu. I think it's important in order to keep your supply up.
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@bluestriped bee: I was fortunate enough to not have a c-section. I found that staying properly hydrated and keeping my food up really helped my supply. I made a pump nest each time I was pumping. It was nice to just relax. I chose to make my nest in bed. That way I was super comfy. I would also recommend getting a hands free bra, they are life savers!
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We are still nursing every 3-4 hours at 19 months, but he does sleep over night now.
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@bluestriped bee: I had a C-section and my first daughter was in the NICU for 10 days b/c she came 5 weeks early. Her only issue was that she didn't have the sucking reflex down, so I pumped every 2-3 hours. I stayed 5 days in the hospital after she was born b/c thankfully my insurance covered it, so I often pumped in her NICU room. I froze my milk in the NICU fridge and they would mix half breast milk/half formula and feed her through a feeding tube. A couple of days later, DH and I were bottle feeding her. I breastfed her on day 7 and she latched like a pro. They gave me instructions to continue bottle feeding her when they released us to go home to keep her weight up, and while I did try for 2 days, I stopped and just exclusively breastfed. She did great and she gained weight perfectly.
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I did not have a premie (he was born at 39 weeks) but he was in the NICU for a few days with jaundice and I had extremely low supply that didn't even start coming in for a week. I nursed for 30 mins then pumped after every 2.5 hours around the clock when he was a newborn for the first month or so and it was so, so exhausting. We started supplementing with a little formula once a day and by 12 weeks I was EPing and only nursing for comfort. We combo fed with about 80-90% BM and 10-20% formula until 9.5 months when I ditched the pump.
I will say my supply really established at around 11-12 weeks, so if you want to give them BM keep at it until then. But if you are okay with combo feeding, I would say try to pump as much as you can comfortably do without wearing yourself out too much bc once they are home it will be chaos and you will be so tired. And eat and drink as much as you can now to heal as fast as you can.
For pumping, have multiple sets of parts and lots of storage bottles and keep them in a gallon ziploc bag. Keep the pump and all your supplies next to your bed. When it's time to pump, grab a clean set, pump, then put the pump parts and milk into a mini fridge (get a mini fridge and use it as a nightstand) and go back to sleep. In the morning have your husband take the parts and wash them.
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@Truth Bombs: Thanks. Good advice. I'm also getting my DH involved. He said he'll ask me if I'm on top of taking my meds and staying hydrated. He said that he can get up to get my pump parts from the fridge if I'm in pain. If it doesn't work out, I'll definitely look into getting a mini fridge.
@Mrs Green Grass: Thanks! I'll check out your blog post. As for sleeping through my alarm, yeah, I think I need to set up more alarms to get me up or to change the ring tone. Oh and yes, I can pump in their nicu room since its private. I did start doing that this week when my pump time was in the middle of when they do rounds and change diapers and feed. I think it will help to hold their hand while I pump.
@MrsRcCar: yeah, my pumping station in the living room has my nursing chair, foot stool, space to layout all of my pumping supplies. It's a nice station during the day but harder for night time pumping.
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@bluestriped bee: also find something to do. And if you don't have a really good cover, get one! I cross-stitched a birth announcement while pumping. It made it to so much faster! And after awhile it gets so much easier. (You do have a pumping bra, right?)
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@bluestriped bee: I had a basket with lanolin (later olive oil), bra, etc. for night, I would have two clean sets in the basket and would just take it to the fridge when I was finished.
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@Mrs Green Grass: oh, yes, I have a hands free pumping bra. I should find something to keep me busy during my sessions. Sometimes it hard to keep my eyes open during day or night time sessions.
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http://babymakingmerrygoround.blogspot.com/2012/12/exclusive-pumping-supply.html?m=0
That's a link to the main pumping post by there are a few others.
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@bluestriped bee: A good friend of my gave birth at 29w due to HELLP syndrome and had a cesarean. Her son was in the hospital for 10 weeks and she is now able to breastfeed him. I know she worked on it as much as possible in the hospital too, but it was slow going in the beginning. Another friend had a baby at 34.5 weeks and by the time she was discharged two weeks later she was mostly breastfed with one pumped bottle a day. I hope you can have the same success. I do think you need to be really diligent about pumping in the beginning if you want to have an adequate supply. Good luck!
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@Mrs Green Grass: great blog post! Thank you! Very helpful!
@ChelseaRose: Thank you for sharing your friend's experiences. I've turned over a new leaf and DH knows how it important it is to help me keep on track.
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My son was in NICU 11 days, born at 34 weeks. I used hospital grade pump and pumped religiously every 3 hours. I felt it was the best thing I could do since I couldn't be with him all the time. The NICU had pumping room so I would carry all my parts and pump there when I was at the hospital. I also carried a water bottle to stay hydrated. Hang in there momma!!
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I definitely pumped religiously early on. 8 times per day, no more than 4 hours at night, with shorter times during the day to make up for it. I have a very good supply now, even though we're still struggling with nursing. I still don't go more than 6 hours generally, but she's waking up every 3 or so, so I pump when I feed her. It's definitely easier now that she's home, but it's SO important early on.
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Can you make pumping more enjoyable for you in some way? Like pick a show you want to watch on Netflix or a trashy novel and save it for pumping times?
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Pumping can definitely be a pain in the butt but it has to be a priority if that's how you want to feed your babies - and nicu babies benefit greatly from mama's milk. I'd try to get more on a schedule while they're in the nicu so you're in a routine once they come home.
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@BandDmommy: @Torchwood: @Ash: thanks guys! I'm definitely going to work super hard at pumping every 3-4 hours. Doing well so far today.
@mamabolt: pumping doesn't bother me. I think it was where my pump was located and since I'm still in pain from my c-section... It was easier for me to lay in bed and delay a pumping session because I was in pain. Now that my pump is bedside, I can still get up to pump and take pain meds and have them kick in while I pump. No more having to get up out of bed, take meds and wait 30 min for it to kick in so I can get out to the living room to pump. So I think I'm fully dedicated now. I have a hospital rental pump that isn't exactly portable so I'll need to order a more portable pump soon. Definitely need something I can use to pump if I can't get home in time.
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In a few days you should start to feel much less pain when you get up. I know it's hard to get up to pump, that's pretty much my idea of torture! But it's so important to do now if you have any hope of BF-ing later. It's ok if you can't or don't want to. But the only way you will be able to do it later us if you establish supply now.
Either way I think you are such a rockstar with everything you've gone through.
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@Torchwood: @BandDmommy: @Mrs Green Grass: @MarieJ: @LAZB: @MrsRcCar:
If you guys used a hospital breast pump, what did you end up buying/getting after you stopped renting the hospital pump? I need something more portable than the Medela Symphony. I can get the Medela PISA, Ameda Purely Yours Ultra, Spectra S2 or the Hygeia Q.
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@bluestriped bee: since LO was a preemie, my insurance covered the rental of the hospital grade pump for a year. They also sent me a PISA, since it was difficult to transport the hospital pump to and from work everyday. I didn't have any issues with supply once I switched to the PISA.
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@bluestriped bee: I use the Medela PIS, but I do think the hospital one is better
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@bluestriped bee: I used hospital pump for 6 months. That was as long as I pumped.
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@bluestriped bee: I used my Medela pump in style after the Medela hospital pump. I could have kept the rental pump for a year through insurance but chose not to because it was too much to lug around.
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My first was a 30 weeker and in the NICU for 57 days and I pumped every three hours around the clock. Sadly, I'm not super compatible with the pump and my supply never got established/I had low supply in general. I HATED pumping. I did it but I truly hated it. When she came home I tried to EBF but by that time I already couldn't keep up with her needs and had to start supplementing with formula (which was a relief quite frankly).
Do what you need to do to be happy and healthy and feel good about yourself. It will be different for everyone!
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ETA I used the Medela Symphony (rental). Best pump ever.
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@MarieJ: yeah, I'm not sure how long my insurance will cover the rental for but I do want something lighter and more portable.
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I pumped but could never get a good supply going just off the pump (I still have issues when I pump...) and could never get E to BF after her nicu stay. A hospital near me has an OT based infant suck therapy program that would've been helpful in hindsight
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@bluestriped bee: firs the hospital pump that was free for me was the Lactina and I hated it! So I rented the Stmohony myself from a different hospital. Then used the Medela PISA.
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I pumped every four hours at night so I could get more sleep and every 2 to 3 hours during the day. It was so important to have a cozy place for night pumping so it didn't feel wretched. I tried to think of pumping as me time and would plug headphones into my ipad and watch stupid shows on Netflix and eat chocolate. By the time my 30 weeker was nursing I had pumped myself into a bit of an oversupply! After the hospital pump I switched to a PISA.
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@bluestriped bee: I have a PISA, but I still rent a hospital pump. It's so much nicer. But I'm a SAHM, so portability isn't an issue. The PISA was very handy when we traveled recently.
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