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Pumpers unite!

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
24,300
Oh Kunzite!!! I so know the guilt but I did a lot of reading and getting 2 months of breast milk is awesome; you got your boys through the toughest most crucial time in their life. You are an amazing mom! Do not feel bad; there are things out of our control sometimes and the best thing for a mom is to be happy and healthy so you can take care of your kids. ditto what LC said about being done. Huge huge hugs!!! Hugs to you and your beautiful family.
 

tiffanytwisted

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
792
Kunzite-do you have an LC or can you ask your OB for Nu-Gel? They are square and its a type of dressing they use on burn patients, my LC gave them to me when I had mangled nipples and it really helps them heal, and they have a soothing effect that helps with the pain.
 

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
2,357
Hello fellow pumpers!

Does anyone have experience with Lansinoh bags? I pump using my medela harmony pump and store what the medela bottle says is 30ml, but the Lansinoh bag says it's 50. What gives?
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
Mayerling, Unfortunately, a lot of the supplies related to pumping are just inaccurate. If you google "lansinoh medela inaccurate measurements," you will find lots of complaints about the measurements for these products from all makers. I had this issue with the playtex drop-ins bottles. I had to use a glass measuring cup (which I also tested for accuracy) to measure 6 oz (of water for this measuring purpose) and then marked each bottle at the appropriate level. I found all of the medela bottles to be slightly off too. It is really quite maddening when you first discover it! I mean how could the measurements be so far off, and yet, no one cares. I emailed Playtex, and they were like "Really?" People have been complaining about their bottles for years! It's really unfortunate too, because people use those bottles to measure water for preparing formula, so baby could wind up with too concentrated or too diluted formula!!
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
24,300
Loves Vintage|1342371364|3234336 said:
Mayerling, Unfortunately, a lot of the supplies related to pumping are just inaccurate. If you google "lansinoh medela inaccurate measurements," you will find lots of complaints about the measurements for these products from all makers. I had this issue with the playtex drop-ins bottles. I had to use a glass measuring cup (which I also tested for accuracy) to measure 6 oz (of water for this measuring purpose) and then marked each bottle at the appropriate level. I found all of the medela bottles to be slightly off too. It is really quite maddening when you first discover it! I mean how could the measurements be so far off, and yet, no one cares. I emailed Playtex, and they were like "Really?" People have been complaining about their bottles for years! It's really unfortunate too, because people use those bottles to measure water for preparing formula, so baby could wind up with too concentrated or too diluted formula!!

Ditto, that use to drive me nuts because I use to keep track of what I pumped and the NICU would note what they gave the babies and the amts varied from bottle to bag, etc. :knockout:
 

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
2,357
Thanks for the replies, LV and Skippy. Well, that's annoying! The good thing is that so far I seem to have a good supply so now that I know that it's not that accurate, I'm trying to do 35ml in the medela bottle in hopes that it'll amount to actual 30ml...
 

pavelover

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 6, 2007
Messages
731
Kunzite I'm a little late but just wanted to send you big hugs! It sounds quite painful what you are going through! I struggled with bf and had to pump for a while but the worst problem I had was a yeast infection and that my kiddo just would not latch. All around people were telling me it's ok to stop. It was such a hard decision! I too felt really guilty. For us it got sorted out just when I was giving up. I guess I just wanted to tell you I understand and hope you can feel good about your decision whatever it is. You have done an amazing job providing for your l.o. Hope the mastitis has cleared up by now.
 

Kunzite

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
1,183
Thank you ladies so much, you're truly the best. I'm still having a really tough time with my decision, but I'm trying to come to terms with it. I think being with my babies (and being able to hold them!!) is far more important than just being a food source, you know? I've been trying to kill my supply for the past two weeks and it's taking forever. I'm down to around 40oz/day from over 60oz, so I know it's progress but it feels like I'm never going to be done at this rate. I think my body is having a laugh at my expense. The entire point of deciding to be done was, well, to be done! Not to take over a month to wean. Then I find myself telling DH that maybe after everything heals I can try again, a fresh start. What is wrong with me?! I'm not even done weaning and I'm talking about seeing if I can bring my supply back. Ugh, this guilt is so strong.
 

Kunzite

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
1,183
tiffanytwisted|1342280515|3233826 said:
Kunzite-do you have an LC or can you ask your OB for Nu-Gel? They are square and its a type of dressing they use on burn patients, my LC gave them to me when I had mangled nipples and it really helps them heal, and they have a soothing effect that helps with the pain.

Thank you TT! I forgot all about these (I used them with O and they were awesome!), I'll try to hunt some down.
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
24,300
kunzite, it is so hard, the guilt! huge hugs. I heard cold cabbage leaves help. hugs to you and your boys
 

monarch64

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
19,224
Hi pumpers! Can't remember when I last posted but here is a not so quick rundown of the past few weeks:

I saw a wonderful LC who helped me tremendously, and she helped me get a hospital grade pp rented. I got my dr to prescribe me Domperidone, and in addition to trying to have baby on breast as much as possible, I began pumping every two hours around the clock. I am happy to report that my supply did increase slightly and I was able to feed my girl about fifty percent and supplement the other fifty for two weeks. I have returned to work though as of this past Monday and I am nursing her twice a day and getting about 7 ounces of expressed milk to feed her at night. Not great, but she is healthy and happy and her latch miraculously corrected itself while we were in the pediatrician's office two days ago right after her two month vax! I feel like this is a turning point for us; I will continue to BF when possible and pump every four hours now, plus supplement obviously. It has been a difficult road but I am so so so glad I stick with it.

My boss is super understanding and patient, and I have been able to pump twice a day at work all week! I probably will keep taking it one day at a time, but for right now I feel supported and encouraged and will continue.

K, I can't imagine being able to pump that much in one day! You are amazing! Well you ALL are amazing...hard work but so rewarding!
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Nov 24, 2006
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24,300
Great job Monnie!!!!
 

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 4, 2010
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2,357
Monnie, I'm so happy that things are better!

Question for the experienced pumpers: how do you know how much pumped milk to give the baby? :confused:
I pump occasionally for DH to do a feeding, and store my milk in bags of one ounce, but I don't know how much to give the baby when the time comes. Last night DH gave him 3 ounces and he drank the whole thing and didn't fuss, but the night before he only gave him 2.5 ounces and again he didn't fuss. Should I just pump until the breast is completely empty and then give him the entire volume of what I've pumped? :confused:
 

lliang_chi

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 13, 2008
Messages
3,740
Mayer how old & how much does your baby weigh? When Ethan was 2 months we were giving him around 90ml (3oz). When he got to about 4M we bumped it up to 120. Now he's consistently 150-180ml.
 

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
2,357
LC, thanks for getting back to me. N is 3 weeks old and weighs just over 8 pounds (3640 g). So far I've given him bottles of 70ml, 90 ml, and 85ml and he's gulped them down no problem.

On another note, I have mastitis... ;(
 

lliang_chi

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 13, 2008
Messages
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Mayer, hm... Ethan was a bigger baby at birth than N was, but by the time he was 4 wks old we were filling 90-100ml pretty consistently. He'd eat it all for the most part. TBH, if he happily at 90mls no problem then I'd fill a few bottles with that 90-100ml for a day or two. See how much of them he finishes. If he finishes ALL of the bottles each time, then bump to 100ml. If he finishes only 70-80, then I'd keep it at 90 until he's done.

I guess I should also ask if you have any supply issues? I didn't, so tossing 10ml here and there wasn't too painful. But if you do have supply issues, then maybe fill 80ml, and keep a "back up" bottle of 20-30ml formula at the ready. If N tanks the whole 80ml, you can pop a little bit in his mouth until he's full. Keep track of how much he's drinking for the day, then fill that amount the next day.

Also from Kunzite, I would fill the most he drank from the day before. E.g. If Ethan had a 110ml feeding the day before, even of the rest was 80ml, I'd still fill 110. He did go through bouts where I ended up tossing 3-4 oz, but like I said, I didn't have much of a supply issue so I was able to stomach it.
 

Kunzite

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
1,183
mayerling - The general "rule" is 30mL per hour. So 90 sounds about right. My boys get between 90-100mL per feed. When they were first born the hospital guidelines were 140 - 160 mL/kg per day. So that would be 510-580 mL per day, but at 3.6kg my boys were eating closer to 600-620. Hope that helps!
 

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
2,357
Thanks, LC and Kunzite.

I'm beginning to think that N can't regulate how much he eats as I've given him different quantities and he always gulps it down. :confused:
 

pancake

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 7, 2010
Messages
1,509
Mayer, at this age the requirement is roughly 150ml/kg/day. HOWEVER, babies may drink much more than that - some exclusively bottle-fed babies will feed up to 180 or even 200ml/kg/day. I don't think you need to stress about it; it does depend on how frequently you're feeding him, but somewhere between 65 and 100ml per feed (3-4 hourly) would be about right. But you're not going to do him any harm if he gets more than that or a little under that for feeds here and there. The worst that can happen is that he possits a bit more (too much volume for his little tummy) or that he wakes earlier for his next feed (not quite enough to sate him).
 

lliang_chi

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 13, 2008
Messages
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Mayer, I agree with Pancake. If I were you, I'd top up N's bottles more rather than less. For a few reasons: 1) the worse that happens is he takes more milk at each feeding, but less feedings total per day. E.g. 100ml 8x's a day vs 80ml 10x's a day. That'll give him (and you) more sleep, as he should be able to sleep longer when he's got a full belly. However if you have a supply issue then I'd fill 80ml and keep a 30-50ml reserve bottle of formula. If he gulps down the 80ml of milk, try topping him off with formula.
 

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
2,357
Thanks for the input LC and Pancake.

Well, last night I did something I had not done since his first week. I gave him formula. I was feeling rotten all day from the mastitis and needed to get some sleep (was having terrible chills) so I wanted DH to do one of the night feedings. But I had only been able to pump 50ml of milk so I thought I'd also give him 60ml of formula (he went 4 hours between feedings so I thought he might need a bit more than 90ml total). He gulped everything down. The weird thing is he woke up less than 3 hours later. I would have thought that with 110ml of milk, more than half of which was formula which is harder to digest, would have kept him going for longer. So now I'm baffled as to how much pumped milk to give him :confused: . I feel much better today so I'll just nurse him for all the feeds - besides, when I tried to pump today he kept waking up from his nap so I was only able to pump 20ml before having to spend time settling him down again.
 

Kunzite

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
1,183
mayerling - Honestly, don't worry about how much he's eating. O actually took around 130 per kg/day, M takes around 140, and E takes around 170!! My point is that all babies are different. If he's not spitting up more than an ounce you're fine (and trust me an ounce is a HUGE amount, you would have no doubt if he was doing that!!). As for giving more food and expecting more sleep... I'm afraid it doesn't always work that way. At this age they sleep when they want to sleep.
 

pancake

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 7, 2010
Messages
1,509
Mayer, Kunzite is right - babies don't follow the rules! There are so many factors (most unknown to us, haha) that affect how long a baby sleeps, it's not just a feeding thing. I think that as long as N is taking enough tongrow, the rest is just tinkering to see if you can make a difference to his sleeping and settling...but there is no reliable formula to calculate that X amount of feed equals X amount of sleep or X time spent settling.

I wonder if you might be over thinking things and if that might be making you worry even more? As new mothers we need to be better at cutting ourselves slack, I think. I know I certainly need to!
 

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
2,357
I'm going away for 24 hours tomorrow and have only managed to pump half of what my baby will take while I'm away, so I'm thinking of having my mother give him bottles of half breastmilk and half formula. Is that okay? I can't seem to find a decent site online that will tell me whether that would be bad for my baby (other than the usual breast is best issue).
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
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4,568
They usually suggest NOT mixing breast milk and formula for the sole reason that if baby does not finish bottle, then breast milk will be lost. In your situation, I would feed breast milk first (for each feeding), then follow with formula, so if formula has to be tossed, then no breast milk is lost. I actually do not recall how long mixed formula can be kept for, but it's a relatively short period of time compared to breast milk.
 

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
Joined
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Messages
2,357
To be honest, I'm not really worried about wasting breast milk as we're going to the UK in a few days and I won't be able to take what little stash I have with me. I'm more concerned about whether it might be detrimental to the baby's health to do this.
 

Skippy123

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
24,300
mayerling|1347203278|3264679 said:
To be honest, I'm not really worried about wasting breast milk as we're going to the UK in a few days and I won't be able to take what little stash I have with me. I'm more concerned about whether it might be detrimental to the baby's health to do this.

it is fine. I think some babies might have some have issues with formula but you won't know till you try though. eta: the issues I know of are more spit up and some babies have a milk allergy. Maybe try it at home and see how it goes before the trip or ask you Ped what they think?
 

megumic

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
1,647
mayer, I've had to supplement since my supply isn't up due to breast surgery, however I wanted to share that C has had serious constipation with some formulas. If it's just temporary, I wouldn't worry, but if you intend to use it longer term then it's worth asking your pedi for a less constipating formula option. Good luck!
 

mayerling

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
2,357
Meg, this won't be a long-term thing. It was a 24-hour thing which I do not intend to repeat as it has led to severe engorgement. Ouch!
 
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