Drink enough water, it will help your supply
Eat Oatmeal - a lot of moms live by this rule when pumping
Start pumping early on, when you are still at home and get your supply up and start freezing early. This way you can keep feeding the good milk even after you stop pumping. I know moms that had 2+ months left after they were producing and never used formula
Rules come in 3's. 3 hours out, 3 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer
Feeding hints -
Yes, it hurts a little at first, but use the lanolin every day for at least the first two weeks if not longer
yes, you are going to want and drink a lot of water
get a table near where you pump, on it you should have 2 baskets, one for you and one for baby
You basket: breast cream, lotion, vitamins (in case you forgot them earlier), a magazine or book, Tylenol(at first you need it sometimes), extra breast shields, extra membranes for your pump (if pumping in that area too),
For Baby: finger nail clippers (best time to clip is after they eat when they are sleeping), lotion, burp cloths, small Ziploc bags for trash, small container of wet wipes (for anything), q-tips, gas drops, Tylenol (after the 2 month visit and first set of shots), a small flashlight for those mid night feedings.
on the table keep your water, a tap light (not to sell that product but it's the perfect amount of light and easy to shut off)
Pumping hints-
Freeze on Fridays to save for Monday back at the sitter...
Pump for 2 to minutes after feedings to increase supplies and get the "good milk"
Pump for 2 minutes before to let down, mark this milk to save for cereal as it's mostly foremilk and watery
Save on bags and get 20 to 32 oz Rubbermaid or Tupperware containers to store milk during the day, trade these out with the sitter ( I have 3 that I switch out) they wash easy with a bottle brush too!
Get a good sterilizer if you are going to get one, not a microwave one, the plastic parts and microwaves don't go together well
Check your pump parts, Madela won't replace parts that you have microwave sterilized or tubes that have been in the dishwasher
Get extra pump parts, it's always best to have at least 2 sets if not more
After Pumping, leave your tubes on the pump and start it up again, the air movement will get any moisture out of the tubes and help them dry
**Also, after cleaning your tubes, rinse them with a little alcohol to help them stay dry better**
(Simple tip for this, keep an old medicine dropper and use that to flush the solution in the tubes, roll back and forth and then let the rest drip out and dry)
Always boil or sterilize everything once a week!
After Sterilizing and or cleaning tubes, run a little alcohol in them to keep them dry longer
get a small mesh bag to keep all your supplies in and keep them dry
Great sites:
http://www.kellymom.com/
http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/pumps101.html
http://www.pumpinpal.com/index.htm
Any additional hints, tips or tricks please let me know and I will add here...
5 comments:
WOW TRICIA!! This was very thorough. Personally, for the first few months I would pump immediately after feedings until I was bone dry. In the beginning, the very thought of having to hook up that mechanical device to my sore nips would bring tears to my eyes. Sometimes, you just got to man up ( or in this case, woman up). It truly gets better after time. I hated breastfeeding in the beginning. I absolutely loved it after about the 2nd month. To be honest, I still miss it at times. It is a very special time that only you and your baby have together. I was one of Tricia's friends who had 2+ months of milk left after I quit nursing. I stored mine in Lansinoh bags (5 oz each)in a deep freeze. You must be very gentle with these bags if you freeze them. Thaw in luke warm water, else they will break.
My saving grace was having friends who were nursing mothers at the same time as me. They kept me motivated and proud to be a nursing mother. (Thanks Karla, Sarah and Melinda!!) That is a bond that will never be broken.
ooh true, true about the bags.. I save mine in a the bf bags then in a ziplock if I have more than one for that day so I can keep them all together and know when to use what. I did have one bust so when I have a bigger amount I do put it in a ziplock too!
You are a very thorough feeder! I was a big pumper in the beginning, because I was planning on going back to work and because I couldn't sleep if she left me partly full. I'll have to remember these tips for next time.
I forgot how thirsty I was when I was breastfeeding! It was ridiculous. I hate to think of what my flavored water bill was then...
This is an excellent post. It warms my heart to see all this wonderful support and promotion of breastfeeding. I LOVE the idea of having mommy and baby baskets. Brilliant!
This is a great post....wish I had thought of some of these things.
Unfortunately breastfeeding became too much of a chore for me personally...and I felt guilty about quitting when Z was 4 months. I don't think mom's should feel so guilty about feeding their kid formula. Z and I were both just as happy after he went to formula...so the guilt was totally unnecessary. So, my tip is....No guilt!....ok, that's not really a tip....but dang, you said everything else!
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