So on wednesday of this week I gave birth to my second baby. She was a whopping 8 1/2 lbs and a week early too. Anyways, Im breastfeeding her right now and she is already doing so well. With my 1st, I think I waited to pump, so when i did start pumping I made way to much milk. I havent started pumping yet but I have a large supply of milk right now that my DD gets full off of 5 mins of eating. Im not engorged though, just really full. I went from a 38c to way past a double d , not that im complaining, neither is DH. I also want to start a storage supply of milk up, but I dont want to wreck my milk supply. When is a good time to start pumping milk without making too much or too little?
I pumped the day I came home because I wanted that to be part of my routine. I've always had plenty of milk but never had problems with too much.
If you start pumping now, you can start saving up on frozen breastmilk now! You never now when that will come in handy... Your supply becomes STRICTLY as needed by around 5-6 months, so an extras (enough to store) by that time are really hard to get.
contact a local or nearby la leche league - www.llli.org
OR get the book "the womanly art of breastfeeding" - that book will tell you everything you need to know. but a la leche league leader or group will be able to give you hands on mom tested advice to help you out!
congrats on your new baby, and thank you for breastfeedign!!
I started in the hospital. (Once was preemie and couldn't nurse for 5 weeks the other just needed to get the supply going so she would get something because she was losing too much) When I went home I continued to pump after daytime feedings. Pumping will keep your supply up. If you think you're starting to get too much, then decrease a pump session or two. But really as long as you freeze it you can never have too much! Some ppl feed on one side while pumping the other.
If you don't pump soon, it will be hard to get your body making extra so you can pump...... I only pumped for 2 weeks after our 3rd was born (now 3 months old), skipped a few days and my supply regulated. So now I don't have any "extra" to even pump...... But with our last I ended up throwing out a FULL freezer of milk so I really didn't want to have a big storage this time anyway.
Congratulations on your new baby! I had my daughter a week early too and she was 9 1/2 lbs, and let me tell you pumping really helped. I actually started pumping and saving while I was still in the hospital, I had a c-section so I had alot of free time. After a few months I didn't have alot of extra to pump so the frozen stuff came in real handy when she started eating more, being that big of a baby she had a huge appetite.
I would pump after feedings or in between feedings it you only want to have extra to store. I had to pump since my daughter was early and could not suckle for about 3 weeks. So after that, any amount of suckling was not a lot and my milk just squirted out of me at all times, until a few weeks later the supply and demand matched better. I don't think pumping can wreck your supply, if anything it will increase it. Just make sure to drink lots of water so you do not get dehydrated while making all that milk. If you end up with way too much milk, I have even heard of moms offering milk to others who do not have enough, but I do not know the details of that. Congrats on your new daughter.
I started pumping almost immediately with both kids, mostly because I always had trouble breastfeeding when out and about (stage fright! LOL), and wanted to have a bottle or two ready all the time. I guess I never really thought about it, just pumped after I was done feeding the baby (on the opposite side the baby ate off of first, if that makes sense). I never had any problems with supply.
Congrats on your healthy baby!
I think it would be fine to pump now if you are full. Just do it after baby eats and pump a little to get your freezer stock going. Little here, little there, dont think will do any harm.
Congrats on your new baby!
I say start after about 6 weeks, like another suggested. Usually, they start to drop a feeding around that age, and you can pump that dropped feeding without affecting your supply. I made the mistake of pumping all the time, and I had a pretty bad oversupply problem.
I started pumping while still in the hospital, I always have so much milk in the beginning that it was a relief and it built up a nice supply in the freezer. I never noticed that it caused me to make so much more milk than I would have made anyways, eventually my babies started regulating my supply, I only pumped maybe the first month then never again (didn't really enjoy it)
The first 6 weeks or so is when your daughter will be regulating your supply so that you make what she needs.
If you start pumping now this tells your body to keep making lots of milk-more milk than your daughter needs. You want her to be able to get to the fatty satisfying hind milk.
With my second I had more milk than she needed in the beginning too. Sometimes she would barely nurse and other times eat like a little fool lol. But I quickly realized that she was just regulating my supply.
Wait a minimum of 4 weeks at least, 6 would be even better. Let DD do her thing and get your supply to a level that she needs.
