I have a really nice Medela pump that was given to me. My 3m old is exclusively breast fed. The thing is I can't seem to figure out how to pump. I don't need to often as I am home with her all day, but ocassionally I have needed to. Like when my mom had surgery and I had to drive her around or when my granny passed away and I had to be the wheels for my mom.
I don't know when to pump. During the day my baby eats every 3-4 hours. From about 5 p.m. to 10 p.m she eats every 1-2 hours. Then she sleeps til around 7 or 8 a.m. When should I pump so that I still have enough milk when she wants to eat?
Does that make sense? LOL
Pump immediately after she eats. That way, your body will have the time to produce more for her next feeding. Another option is to feed her on one side, and pump (at the same time or immediately following her feeding) on the other side. Both ways worked for me when I was trying to 'stock up' on milk for a vacation, have on hand, or to mix with cereal, etc.
good luck!
You have the most milk first thing in the morning. I would pump after you feed your baby,but try to pump after the first feeding of the day.
My baby eats about the same except she only sleeps until 5am or 6am but she only eats on one side then so I pump after and have a nice frozen supply. If you can satisfy her with one side first thing I would try that, or if you are up later than her try then. Good luck!
Yes, after she eats. You will only get an ounce or two, but if you do this a few times a day you can stock up what you need. Also, if you stay up later than your baby, pump right before you go to bed--she seems to be sleeping a long time (jealous!) and that will give you plenty of time to produce more milk for her. Also, if you ever wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, that is a time when I always get a lot of milk. You also want to pump anytime she takes a bottle. For example, if you leave her with her daddy or a sitter, and she eats a bottle of expressed milk, you need to pump around that same time to "make up" for the feeding so that your supply isn't affected.
Your body will make up for the extra you are pumping. When my son was eating every 3-4 hours I would just pump about 30-60 minutes after he finished. The best time to do it is early in the day, as your supply is highest in the morning. If I pumped about 30 minutes after his first feeding in the morning I usually got 3-4 ounces and then there is plenty of time for your supply to come back up before she is ready to eat again.
At least you have a good pump. Medela is the best.
First of all remember to drink alot of water in order for your body to produce more milk. We always forget to do that. When you sit down to nurse or pump don't sit down utnil you have a large class of water with you. Try to drink it all by the time you baby has finished nursing.
You should pump right after your baby finishes nursing - you'll get a couple few ounces. The only draw back to this is that the initial let down of milk includes the "creamy" higher fat portion of the milk that you'll produce so your pumped milk, if only pumped after nursing will tend to be more like "skim" or lowfat milk. Sorry to make it sound like you're a cow - but we're all mammals and our milk production works similarly. ;o) It wouldn't hurt to try to pump a couple of ounces from one breast before she starts nursing from that breast.
it does feel really un-natural and weird when you first begin pumping - but just like nursing seems odd when you first started it. You'll get used to it. My first child had ONLY breat milk for the first year of her life. It would not have killed her to also have had formula - but I was a little crazy. My second child had formula from time to time when I couldn't produce enought breast milk while at work, or whatever. Both are equally healthy now at 11 and 14. Do what you can - don't stress or make yourself crazy. You can be an excellent mamma and still give formula once in a while. Think of the advantages you're providing by breast feeding nearly all the time. YAY Mamma!
