Breastfeeding Question?

Question

When it is best to start expressing milk with the pump?

Answer 1

If you are anything like me, you will probably want to start as soon as your milk comes in. When my milk came in (and this has happened to all my friends who have had babies) I became pretty engorged. It usually takes a while for your body to level off and produce the "right" amount of milk. Being engorged is miserable! I was so glad that I had the pump so that I could get rid of the extra and relieve the pressure. Besides that, if you are wanting to introduce your baby to a bottle you will want to do that sooner rather than later or you may have troubles getting him/her to take it.

Answer 2

I was told to wait. Your body takes a while to figure out how much milk to produce. The best way to do that is to nurse exclusively for the first 2 weeks. After that you can start with the pump. It also depends on what you want to do. If you are headed back to work you might want to start pumping earlier on.

The best way to decide might be to talk to a certified lactation consultant. Most hospitals have one. You can call the hospital were you delivered (or plan to deliver) and ask to talk to one.

Answer 3

As soon as possible. You want to start introducing a bottle nipple while they are still breast feeding from you. My friend has a 9 month old she is trying to ween and he will not take a bottle at all, and it is very difficult. My daughters 6 months and she did both for the last 6 months. I introduced a bottle when she was 2 weeks old, and then added formula when she was 4 months old just as an in case weight gainer.

Answer 4

Right away, I didn't get past the colosrtum until I did, It just blocked up, because baby's sucking wasn't hard enough. Plus pumping helps with supply and demand. the more you make the more you can freeze store and eventually maybe you can get a babysitter and go out, right?