Breast Pump Question

[mom-from-missouri]

I worked 8, 10 and 12 hr shifts, so it varied weekly. I breastfed while home and pumped while at work, and pumped on my days off between feedings. When I worked 8 hrs it was dayshift and they were at daycare. I pumped for bottles to go with them. When I worked nights 10 & 12 hrs), they slept straight through, but I still pumped to keep up my supply AND I also was a milk donor for a children's hospital. On the average I probably used it 3 times a day.
How do I say this, I was a heavy producer?? (did I hear a Moo?) I had a 1 year old when my twins were born and I was able to keep up with all 3 and still donate. I actually donated till they were 4, although they had all quit nursing before their 3rd birthday. (Acutally for the most part they were done at age 2, except for at bedtime-and since 2 had health issues, it was best for them to still have that bedtime nursing)

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Wow, someone told me not to pump it decreases your supply in the beginning. Later it's okay.

Stupid question, how many bottles and stuff do you need to store breast milk? If you pump and store for later?

And how long does it last?

[cptacek]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

Wincrasher, it seems as if you want your sensibilities to be taken into consideration when people are deciding how they will feed their babies. You do it in a way that makes you seem nervous, what with your one-word, nearly non-committal joke. Yet it is only nearly non-committal. You have committed yourself to a position of saying a breastfeeding woman is cow-like, haven't you? We all understand that to imply someone is a cow is an insult.

You said it, sister!

[fruitbowlk]

Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge

Did you mostly breastfeed mom? And only pump occasionally or did you pump all the time?

Is it worth renting the hospital grade for a few months then deciding on a pump?

I breastfeed while I was at home and pumped while I was at work. I also pumped to save milk for my dd to have at the sitters house.

[fruitbowlk]

Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge

Wow, someone told me not to pump it decreases your supply in the beginning. Later it's okay.

Stupid question, how many bottles and stuff do you need to store breast milk? If you pump and store for later?

And how long does it last?

There are no stupid questions. Just question you don't know.

Bottles come in oz. I started with 2oz bottles then increased the oz as my dd appeitate increased. You freeze the unused milk until you are ready to use it. I pumped every three hours while I was at work I pumped up to 10 oz of the 2 oz bottles. I try to keep frozen milk in the freeze due to my dd going to the sitter. The milk lasts for a year or so if I'm not mistake.

[mom-from-missouri]

Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge

Wow, someone told me not to pump it decreases your supply in the beginning. Later it's okay.

Stupid question, how many bottles and stuff do you need to store breast milk? If you pump and store for later?

And how long does it last?

It never decreased mine. In fact after mine were done nursing I still pumped to donate for another 18 or so months.

[MonkeyMama]

Originally Posted by mom-from-missouri

It never decreased mine. In fact after mine were done nursing I still pumped to donate for another 18 or so months.

Agreed. More nursing and pumping increases your supply.

You can buy freezer storage bags for milk. We didn't freeze bottles.

I was a fairly big producer (nothing like missouri though!!) and my eldest weaned himself at 9 months, very unexpectedly. Yeesh! I had quite a freezer stash so he really had breastmilk closer to a year.

I have heard mixed things about using stored breastmilk though. Some say that your body produces certain antibodies and nutrients at different stages of development, etc., etc. I don't know how true all that is.

But I definitely say go for the bags. Bottles are for feeding! Bags are fine for storage. We just heated them up in hot water.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Cool. Thanks. Gallon storage bags or quart size bags? And you just warm it in water?

I thought you were supposed to nurse only in the beginning to produce more than you can pump.

[fruitbowlk]

Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge

Cool. Thanks. Gallon storage bags or quart size bags? And you just warm it in water?

I thought you were supposed to nurse only in the beginning to produce more than you can pump.

They have breastmilk bags. I didn't like them myself. But go to Babies R us and look around at there breastfeeding section to see the different options you have.

[MonkeyMama]

Yeah, just breastmilk bags. You can write the date on them, etc. To buy all those bottles would cost a fortune, it would seem to me. I stored a lot of milk! But they seem to take up less room, etc. I used bottles for fridge, bags for freezer. (Most people probably use bottle warmers and microwaves, but my dh was very old fashioned with milk warming!)

I am not sure what you heard LAL. You may not *want* to pump in the beginning. (Because baby will want to eat every waking minute). BUT, I am not aware of any reason you shouldn't. In fact, if you need to increase milk supply, you would nurse and pump to do so.

[zakity]

I was a moo cow. I breastfed my twins and was producing an extra quart a day when they were 9 months old. I really only used the pump to get some milk out so they could latch on. I would be too full and they couldn't latch on sometimes.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Very cool tips and I think this should help me save money. I am still debating buying or renting. If I should splurge and spend $300 on the pump or just rent the hospital grade Medela Lactina. It's only $1/day, which is really cheap.