Breastfeeding - Cleveland,OH

Here's what I did...
~ birth- 4 months I breastfed
~ 4 1/2 - 9 months I exclusively pumped
~ 9 - 12 months I gave my daughter some pumped milk and some formula
~ At 12 months - I switched her to whole Milk and also gave her one pumped bottle before bed for a few nights (finish up what I had left).

It's a lot of work to pump but it does have advantages over breastfeeding, some of which you mentioned. I didn't really like breastfeeding but I wanted my daughter to be breastfed... pumping was the best alternative!!

Good luck!

S.,

If you want to breastfeed, I wouldn't worry about your other children feeling left out. You can read, do puzzles, snuggle, watch movies, color while breastfeeding your newborn. I had 3 babies in 4 years and actually really liked that I could sit down with the baby and the other kids would snuggle up to see the baby, read a book, or watch a little TV (I say TV can be a good tool for new mom's with toddlers when learning to BF - just monitor content and total exposure for the day).

Your milk will come in if you nurse nurse nurse and try not to give a bottle for the first few weeks (personally - I waited 4-6 but never really ended up using bottles, nursing was so much faster/easier than pumping and bottle feeding). Also, if you can get some skin time and nursing as soon as possible after your delivery, that really can help baby get a good start on nursing.

Don't let them room your baby away from you at the hospital. Every time the baby starts to fuss, try nursing. Don't let them give a bottle of formula just to let you sleep/recover. Bring your boppy with you to help position the baby, it can help you nurse more comfortably with your incision.

Take advantage of the lactation support the hospital offers.

Good luck and congratulations!
Jessica

First, just get a sling. You can nurse the baby in the sling while you do anything else. Involve your toddler in feedings by reading to him while the baby nurses. My first son wasn't quite 17 months old when my second was born. I never once used a bottle. There just isn't any reason, you won't be neglecting the toddler:)
Second, if you're going to use bottles, wait 6-8 weeks so that you avoid nipple confusion and get past the first growth spurt where the baby will be nursing more often and you don't have time to pump!

I know there is a lot of fear of nipple confusion, but here is my experience. I had to have a c-section on June 24th due to complications. I was not able to breast feed my first child (now two) because of many factors and medical problems, but that is beside the point. I told everyone that this child would be a breast baby if it killed me, and he is a breast baby. There were other complications with him at birth, and he spent a day right after birth in the NICU, where I had to pump and he was given a bottle as well as the breast. After bringing him home he had to go back to the hospital due to haveing a seizure where he spent another four days in a NICU where he was also given bottles of pumped breast milk. I was able to nurse him at about day four of the NICU visit, but I had trouble and so did he. I talked with the lactation consultant who gave me a nipple shield to use. Since he was used to a bottle, and I have some mild deformations, it helped him latch and nurse. Most women who use them just have to have them until the baby gets used to latching then they aren't needed. They say that you really shouldn't use a bottle for six weeks if you plan to be a breast feeding momma, but sometimes it can't be helped, and my son is a breast baby, in spite of everything! If you keep at it, bottles and breast can coexsist quite nicely.

I breastfed for 6-7 weeks with both my kids and then just pumped, I did this for a whole year and it worked for me, however, if you just want to pump, you must consider the following:
- You must pump the same amount of times almost every day to keep up with production.
- You kind of have to plan activities around your pump schedule, so it limits a little when to go. You can't just get up and go.
- For day or overnite trips, you must carry your pump and figure out how to store your milk so it doesn't spoil (must have cooler or fridge available).
- You should always have means to warm up the milk when your giving it to the baby, since most babies don't like cold milk.
It is doable because I'm still doing it with my 2nd baby (10 1/2 mos), but its hard.
If you can do both, breasfeed and pump, it will be much better so that if you travel or go out, you can just breasfeed and not carry the pump and milk around. I didn't do it that way and sometimes I regret it.
Good luck!

If you want to pump go ahead but I always found it to be a big pain in the butt. so even if you aren't nursing bc someone else is giving a bottle you still have to take time away from your other children to go pump nursing is much more discrete then pumping is. I have plenty of friends that have multiple children with the youngest being younger then yours that nursed no problem and their children did not feel pushed away they all adjusted fine. I suggest invest in a good carrier I like my slingling and my ergo and nurse hands free allowing you to sit on the floor and play w/ your toddler, take them out, tuck them into bed, prepare meals, etc.

It is great you want to breastfeed! You go, girl!

Pumping is kind of a pain; and having someone else give baby a bottle of breast milk may not cut it once baby learns you are right there--babies like the cuddly aspects of breastfeeding too! Also--no matter how good your pump is, it is never as good as a baby in maintaining your supply.

And when you are pumping you still have to deal with all those bottle-related issues--buying, sterilizing, washing, refrigerating, heating milk, etc, that breastfeeding at the breast just eliminates.

So I guess what I am saying is, think about pumping some, for those times you will need to be away from your baby, but I'm not sure I'd want to do that as the sole way of giving him/her breastmilk. But it's your call, try it and see what works best for you.

There are plenty of ways to involve your toddler while you nurse the baby. He can hand you a glass of water (maybe put it in a sippy if you think he might spill---plus he'll get a kick out of Mommy drinking from a sippy), help tuck blanket around baby's feet, hand you the burp cloth, help burp the baby gently, help keep baby awake during feeding if that 's what you need....

Also it was fun to sit and cuddle my older one while nursing the little one. Once your incision heals and you get comfortable nursing, you'll have a free arm to do this. You can read to him (especially if he holds the book), sing, tell stories, watch a video etc. Or just talk!

Contact La Leche League for more support ---remember they "wrote the book" on breastfeeding, "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". You may find it in your library, or sometimes the local La Leche League group has a library you may borrow from as well.

I think the generally-accepted time frame for avoiding nipple confusion is 6-8 weeks, but LLL can tell you that.

May you have a blessed birth and nursing experience!

K. Z.

due to medical reasons I hat to pump and feed in the bottle after a week since I was in the hospital my little girl even had to take formula a bit, she is now 4 mo and breastfeeding exclusively with a bottle in the middle of the night to give me a break...no issues at all

Good luck and congrats

I had a lot of luck using a syringe...they have some that are an ounce at the hospital and you would give him like 3 syringes full of bm at a feeding. If you ask for one I am sure they would give you one! It takes anywhere from 4-8 weeks to be rid of the risk of nipple confusion. If it takes awhile for your bm to come in it is also a great way to supplement formula in those early days! Some babies have no problem with switching though! I would try not to use a nipple until you feel like his sucking power has reached it's full force. I really wish that I had held of on the pacifier as well (mother in laws...) Good Luck!

I never got to the point of breastfeeding exclusively with either of my two (there were medical issues) but I pumped a lot (exclusively, for months at a time). Pumping is a hassle since you are still stuck sitting attached to the pump and can't get up for at least 15-20 minutes and pumps are much less cuddly that a real baby. It is fine if you can pump when you have some help with the older kids or they are asleep or something. When it gets to be more than 1 or 2 times a day it can be disruptive though. Whatever you decide, I hope it works out well.

I breastfed both of my children and aso introduced the bottle (even a little formula) right away. Neither of them got confused and took to both really well. My reasoning was that if you expose them to different things right away they won't get set in any one thing. I also had C-sections and for the first few weeks especially, it was great having someone else take one of the feedings here and there. My milk did not suffer at all because the bottles were very intermittent, but enough to get them used to the different nipple and the different taste of formula. The formula seemed to help them sleep a little longer sometimes too. I also pumped occasionaly, but only when I had to because it wasn't my favorite thing to do :-). If this is your first time breastfeeding, the first few weeks can be very difficult and painful. But once you get over that "challenging" part, it is so very rewarding! Good luck with everything!

I started pumping within 2-4 weeks after giving birth to each of my 3 kids, mainly because I had to start stocking for when I went back to work. It's different for everyone; some moms have an easy time getting milk established and nice production, other moms struggle more. I was lucky to have produced plenty of milk and pumping, although less efficient, made enough to take us through. I would wait until you see how things are going after the baby is born. Especially if this happens to be your first time breastfeeding. It can be very unpredictable at times. There are other things you can do to make your toddler feel loved and special; try not to give up breastfeeding your newborn for your toddler's sake. Glad you're planning on breastfeeding. Good luck.

I would not assume that your toddler is going to feel pushed away. You can read books, sing and talk to them while nursing, to make it a welcomed event. It's all in the way you feel about it, and what you choose to do while nursing. Try to be creative and make it fun.
Also, I would suggest nursing as long as you can. Some say 6 months, but I would shoot for a year and see how it goes. If you really want to give your baby the best, you'll find a way to make it happen. :) We moms are very resourceful. My 2nd (now 14 weeks old) had a hard time nursing, but we worked through it. I literally had to walk in circles to get him to latch onto my finger, then I'd transfer him over to my breast. It was not easy, but I knew how important it was for him to have breast milk. We'll be here to support you should you need it! :)

T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com