|
|
|
|
|
|
i was wondering if anyone has experience with this. my ds is 11.5 months old and nurses 3-5 times a day. the only problem is that i am trying to work up a freezer stash because my dh and i are taking my dad up on his offer to take our ds for one night next month. when i pump, i barely get an ounce of milk out. i have a medela pump in style advanced. i have been working on filling a single 5 ounce collection bottle for about a day now. i have it filled almost to the 4 oz mark judging by the tactile markings inside the bottle. i cannot afford fenugreek or anything like that. please help!
oh and also, dad refuses to do cloth. are there any nonirritating ugh, disposables that i can use for my ds for the night that he is away from us?. i asked my dad if he just can throw the cloth in a bag and let me deal with them myself and he said we will see. i just do not want my ds in a disposable. |
|
|
|
If you don't pump on a regular basis then 4oz in a day is actually pretty good! Especially if your little one is down to nursing a few times a day (which means your production isn't as high as it was when he was nursing more frequently).
The pump you have is a great one, so that's definetly not the problem. I don't think anything like fenugreek is what you need, your milk production isn't the problem, it's probably more about responding to the pump. It's totally normal for it to take a while to build up a real 'stash' if you don't pump regularly. Take your time and you'll get there. Worse comes to worse your son is old enough that your dad could always supplement with whole milk or even a little diluted juice if necessary, no need for expensive formula or anything, especially if it's just for one night. And babies used to nursing will often not drink that much while mom is away, they'll often just save it up for a marathon nursing session when you get back!
Here are a few tips:
-you produce more milk in the morning than you do in the evenings, so try pumping then.
-try pumping immediatly after nursing or maybe even on the second breast while you're nursing (assuming your son doesn't take both breasts every time)
-try relaxing and thinking about your son while pumping, a warm compress can also help get things going
-freeze your milk in small 2-4oz portions and have your dad give it to him that way. He can always thaw more if he needs it but this way if he doesn't take it all then it won't be wasted
-along the same lines of avoiding waste, don't mix breastmilk directly with cow's milk or formula. This way if it's not finished your breastmilk won't be waste. Better to give just a couple oz first in one bottle/cup and then if necessary give the cow's milk/formula seperatly. Much better to throw out formula or cow's milk than precious breastmilk!
-if you're pumping and the outing is less than 7-8 days away you don't need to freeze at all, fresh breastmilk can safely be stored in the fridge for up to 8 days.
-last but not least, go out and have fun! Try not to worry about your little one and just enjoy yourselves as grown-ups!!
Don't have much advice about the disposables. It would kinda suck to have to buy a whole bag of disposables just for one night (unless you think you'll need some later on I guess). You can tell your dad that he wouldn't even have to deal with the poopy diapers, he can just fold it and put it in a seperate bag (to not dirty other diapers). Dealing with a more 'settled' poopy diaper isn't so bad, many even say it's easier to clean after it's dried a little...
Karen. |
|
|
|
Personally, with an eleven month old I'd probably give them whole milk or water while I was away.
You probably aren't getting much milk cuz you are probably producing exactly what he needs and he's "emptying" you. The thing is to pump while you're away from him (at which point you'll probably get a good amount) to stay comfy and maintain your supply for when you are reunited. |
|
|
|
Although eventually I could pump quite a lot with my hand pump, when I was starting out and had trouble getting much I would freeze it in ice cubes (and bag it as soon as it's frozen). That way you can thaw only as much as is needed, and you don't have the despair of that bag or container with such a small amount pumped.
At this point, you probably are long done with getting engorged and all of that, but I found that breast compressions often helped get things going. As Karen noted, pumping right after or during a feed can also work well. I had a hand pump, so during didn't work, but I'd feed and then put my guy on the floor to play so I could watch him and pump a bit. That way I was already relaxed and could think about baby still. Visualzing things like a waterfall, river, etc. also seemed to help, whether because it was fluid or because it was beautiful and relaxing, I'm not sure.
I also would probably say that for me, rather than pumping several times a day, just trying to get a little extra in once a day, probably after morning feed, would work best. After a few days your body may produce a little extra to respond to this demand.
|
|
|
|
| Re. dad using cloth vs. disposables: On the rare occasion someone else would watch my boys, I gave them the choice. I don't like disposables, but figured that one night (or whatever) wasn't too bad. For those who are willing to use cloth, I just ask them to roll up the diaper, whether wet or dirty, and put it into a bread bag, knot, and then into a larger bag or pail. Then I deal with the diapers later (which is probably much easier to do when fully sighted, rather than have to do more work to figure out which are dirty). |
|
|
|
well the reason that i do not want dad to use disposables is because it has been prooven that disposables can raise the temp of a baby boy's testicles at least 4 degrees or so, thus, lowering his furtility chances later on in life. i had him in those things for 5 months of his life and for that 5 months, he was always miserable. at that time i did not know about the study. oh yes, i can definitely tell the wet vs the dirties but putting them in seperat bags would be better. i will just have to convince my dad to use cloth for my son's health, future furtility, and comfort.
my mother and sister change his diapers just fine because they respect my wishes that my son is in cloth. i wish my father did the same.
and as far as the pumping, it took me 2 days to reach 8 ounces and of that 8 ounces, 1 precious ounce got spilled because of a defective storage bag. but the 7 ounces left now is safely in the freezer. |
|
|
|
|
