I’m struggling
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The only advice I can offer is make sure you’re pumping to replace feeds. If your baby is drinking a bottle, pump or it can lower your supply. It’s all based on supply and demand so you need to make sure your body knows your baby is drinking and needs to produce more milk. Hope that makes sense 🙂
Hi I’ve been there! My little boy is tongue tied so the first few weeks were hard on us (on my nipples) so I bumped from day three. Like it’s stated before just make sure when you’re little one is feeding from a bottle you’re pumping, I used to pump while feeding my son with expressed milk it also strangely enough helps to have them close when doing it (don’t fully know the science behind that but it was for me). Try not to feel guilty just think your little one will be much happier if you’re feeling healthier and you will too! Also it was a nice break for me as I could fill a bottle put it in the fridge and only pour an ounce at a time into another bottle when needed to use then the milk wasn’t getting contaminated and I wouldn’t have to waste a full 6 ounce on a clutter feed. My little boy is four months now and I actually haven’t pumped in about a month so my milk wasn’t effected too much by pumping alongside for the first three months xx
Just want to say alothough you might not feel like it at the moment, you sre doing an amazing job and you got this. Don't feel guilty, ebf is hard (especially with cluster feeding, my baby was the same). The best thing for baby is being fed, whether it's breast, expressed or formula! After 3 months we finally got LO on a bottle (he refused for a while), not only to give me some respite but to get him used to different methods.
In regards to what online says, as time progresses and you google things, you will find conflicting methods. Yes, sticking it out until the baby is at least 6 weeks will establish supply, and the baby takes easier, but you're mental health is important (especially this early on). You do what is best for you, includkng introducing formula if thats what you feel. As previously mentioned, just try and replace feeds with pumping, to keep up supply. I can only speak for what I did, but if unsure timings due to cluster feedings average it out. I done around 10-15 mins every 2-3 hours. This also includes if you decide to go formula as you want to avoid mastitis.
Using a Haakka milk collector to catch the letdown on the non feeding side whilst feeding is the easiest way to store some milk at the beginning. It’s how I survived the early days as my partner could give a bottle so I could get a couple of hours sleep in. It’s so tough, especially cluster feeding, you are doing amazing 💕
It won’t hurt your supply (waiting is more so for baby not to get nipple confusion) and some women don’t respond to pumps. I highly recommend getting a hand pump ! It is the most efficient and sooo much faster. Just start slow so you don’t cause an oversupply. That could cause mastitis or a clogged milk duct
You are doing so amazing ! Your mental health is important. Also come kind of milk collector was very helpful for me ! Night feeds(emptying during the night is important for keeping your supply up this early on) I’m sorry my messages are all over the place
I started pumping very soon after having my son. I mostly did that so I could actually track how much he was eating. Luckily, he didn’t have one preference over the other. When I started I would pump after he bf, and then store in fridge. And do that until I was a bottle or two ahead in the fridge and then I would alternate bf and bottle depending what my day looked like. That’s how I built my supply. I bf/pumped until a couple weeks ago (he’s 18 months now). Done pumping all together and now we only breastfeed at night (I am trying to hard to wean him 🥲)
Honestly after the first 6 weeks it got so much easier! There is light at the end of the tunnel! If you start pumping too early you could end up with an oversupply, pain and mastitis. Baby could get a preference for the bottle and refuse breastfeeding and you could also risk your supply dropping if your not pumping in line with babies feed requirements. You need to express or breastfeed every 2 hours at least in the early days. My advice would be to ring the support line and ask for a breastfeeding consultation
I breastfed for 2 months and also pumped during that time. I would breastfeed my baby and then when he was done feeding I would pump to make sure I was completely emptied and had no issues! It could just be my body that I produced a lot but I would produce about 10 oz every time I pumped so I don’t think starting this early would hurt your supply. Side note though- and super important- breastfeeding is EXTREMELY hard and tiring!!! Do not feel guilty about pumping or even switching to formula if needed/wanted. There is nothing wrong with that and you are doing an amazing job however you decide to feed your baby. Go easy on yourself and do what’s best for you and baby :)