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Breastfeeding & working
Hi
I am due to return to work part time (3 days per week) in 3 weeks time but would like to continue to breastfeed my 6.5 month old baby daughter. She is just starting on solid foods now and takes 3 meals a day plus her milk. I have a job that means I am sometimes office based and other times out and about (using public transport). Has anyone got any tips for me on: - Best type of breastpump to use - I have tried a Medela mini electric but its very noise - Is a double electric one much quicker - Any recommended makes/types - How often I should express while at work - Any other general guidance/tips for a nursing Mum Look forward to hearing from you soon Thanks Janette |
#2
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Breastfeeding & working
Janette & Tony wrote: Hi I am due to return to work part time (3 days per week) in 3 weeks time but would like to continue to breastfeed my 6.5 month old baby daughter. She is just starting on solid foods now and takes 3 meals a day plus her milk. I have a job that means I am sometimes office based and other times out and about (using public transport). Has anyone got any tips for me on: - Best type of breastpump to use - I have tried a Medela mini electric but its very noise - Is a double electric one much quicker - Any recommended makes/types - How often I should express while at work - Any other general guidance/tips for a nursing Mum Look forward to hearing from you soon I work full time, so I don't know how much this will apply. By 6.5 months, I was pumping with a double electric twice a day (around 10 AM and around 2 PM). Shortly after that my daughter started rejecting her bottles, so I I wend down to pumping once a day. Working part time, you might find that you need to pump twice a day for comfort, since your baby will probably nurse during the day more than 2 times when you are with her, thus your body may not get used to the once a day schedule. You'll have to see. It also depends on how much milk you need to pump to give your baby. For out and about, you might want to get a manual pump - The avent Isis is good, and I think the Medela Harmony is similar, but I've never used it. They are very quiet but take some practice and would take longer. I use the Medela pump in style - it is a great pump, quick, efficient and durable. (its a double electric). Mary W. |
#3
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Breastfeeding & working
Mary W. wrote:
Janette & Tony wrote: Hi I am due to return to work part time (3 days per week) in 3 weeks time but would like to continue to breastfeed my 6.5 month old baby daughter. She is just starting on solid foods now and takes 3 meals a day plus her milk. I have a job that means I am sometimes office based and other times out and about (using public transport). Has anyone got any tips for me on: - Best type of breastpump to use - I have tried a Medela mini electric but its very noise - Is a double electric one much quicker - Any recommended makes/types - How often I should express while at work - Any other general guidance/tips for a nursing Mum Look forward to hearing from you soon I work full time, so I don't know how much this will apply. By 6.5 months, I was pumping with a double electric twice a day (around 10 AM and around 2 PM). Shortly after that my daughter started rejecting her bottles, so I I wend down to pumping once a day. Working part time, you might find that you need to pump twice a day for comfort, since your baby will probably nurse during the day more than 2 times when you are with her, thus your body may not get used to the once a day schedule. You'll have to see. It also depends on how much milk you need to pump to give your baby. For out and about, you might want to get a manual pump - The avent Isis is good, and I think the Medela Harmony is similar, but I've never used it. They are very quiet but take some practice and would take longer. I use the Medela pump in style - it is a great pump, quick, efficient and durable. (its a double electric). Mary W. Mary Thanks for the tips. I do have an Avent Isis which is quiet and good but probably takes a bit too long for use at work. I think I am going to go down the double electric route. Cheers Janette |
#4
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Breastfeeding & working
Janette & Tony writes:
: - Best type of breastpump to use : - I have tried a Medela mini electric but its very noise You got that right! : - Is a double electric one much quicker Yes. : - Any recommended makes/types Medela Pump-In-Style or Ameda Purely Yours (slightly cheaper) : - How often I should express while at work At least once every 4 hours. : - Any other general guidance/tips for a nursing Mum You should start to pump before you go back to work to build up a freezer stash. : Thanks Good luck, : Janette Larry |
#5
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Breastfeeding & working
Janette & Tony wrote:
- Any recommended makes/types The only pump I've ever used is the Medela Pump-In-Style. I've been very satisfied with it. - How often I should express while at work I pumped for about 20 minutes three times a day. I tried to pump at regular times (better output that way) but if I was out and about I just pumped when I could. - Any other general guidance/tips for a nursing Mum Wear nursing pads (and bring extra's) until you are sure you won't leak - especially if you think you might miss a pump session. If you haven't been pumping regularly up to this point you might not have much output at first. That has nothing to do with supply. If you want to increase output pump at the same time of day every single day - don't worry about when the baby has or will nurse. I wasn't able to pump enough for my second after 6 months and I personally wasn't willing to spend time on my few days off pumping, or wake up 20 minutes earlier every day to add in another pump session, so I just worked around the shortfall. Good luck! I thought pumping was a bit of a PITA but I found nursing and working to be very manageable actually. -- Nikki Hunter 4/99 Luke 4/01 EDD 4/06 |
#6
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Breastfeeding & working
"Janette & Tony" wrote in message ... Thanks for the tips. I do have an Avent Isis which is quiet and good but probably takes a bit too long for use at work. I think I am going to go down the double electric route. Depending on how long your commute is, I'd suggest a WhisperWear for use on the trip. Jess |
#7
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Breastfeeding & working
In message , Janette & Tony
writes Hi I am due to return to work part time (3 days per week) in 3 weeks time but would like to continue to breastfeed my 6.5 month old baby daughter. Excellent! Good for you. She is just starting on solid foods now and takes 3 meals a day plus her milk. I have a job that means I am sometimes office based and other times out and about (using public transport). Has anyone got any tips for me on: - Best type of breastpump to use - I have tried a Medela mini electric but its very noise - Is a double electric one much quicker - Any recommended makes/types I use the Ameda Lactaline, which I think is called the Ameda Purely Yours in the US. This is certainly one I'd recommend. Medela Pump-In-Styles are just as good but a lot more expensive, and can't be bought/sold second-hand due to a design flaw that means the milk can back into the machine so that the pump can't be completely sterilised between users (the Ameda doesn't have this problem). However, if you're often out and about for several hours at a time to the point where it's going to interfere with your pumping schedule, you may well want to get the Whisperwear instead. This is more expensive and some women find it doesn't suit them as well, but it can be worn inside your bra so that you can pump while doing other things (including talking to other people!) - How often I should express while at work Aim for half an hour of double pumping for every feed you're going to be missing. Short frequent sessions are likely to be more productive than long infrequent sessions. - Any other general guidance/tips for a nursing Mum In no particular order: You will need some way of carrying the milk back and forth. Ameda do a pump bag with a freezer compartment for milk bags, but this has to be ordered separately as it doesn't come with the pump. Medela sell their pump bag along with their pump, and I presume that has a freezer compartment too, although I haven't actually checked. You'll also need bags to put the milk in - I use the Lansinoh brand and would recommend these highly. I wouldn't touch Medela bags with a ten-foot pole - when I tried them the fastenings were far too fiddly and they leaked everywhere. No idea about Ameda bags - never tried them. Is there a fridge at work? You don't have to wash the pump parts between sessions if you can stick them in the fridge - this saves me huge amounts of hassle. However, if you're out and about you probably will have to wash them. Hot soapy water & rinsing well is fine - you don't have to bother sterilising them between each use. Does your baby take a bottle? If she's never had one I would start introducing one straight away, as it can be a battle to get them to take a bottle at this stage and you don't want that to mar your first day back. Alternatively, you could try her with a sippy cup, which some babies take to a lot better. At this age, your baby is unlikely to develop the opposite problem and end up preferring the bottle to the breast - but, to be on the safe side, I would use slow-flow nipples so that she doesn't get the idea that bottle feeding is an easy option. Breast milk has a longer storage time than formula - it's good for up to eight days in the fridge, ten hours at normal room temperature, or four - six hours in a warmer room. (However, don't forget that if milk has already been in the fridge for a few days, it will have much less than ten hours lifespan at room temperature - I've made that mistake before!) It's good for much longer in a freezer, the precise time depending on the make of freezer - details are available on La Leche League's FAQ list. However, do note that if you need the milk within a few days, putting it in a freezer is going to _reduce_ its life expectancy - freezing destroys the antibodies that give breastmilk its long life, so defrosted milk will only be good for 24 hours in a fridge. You can warm the milk in a bottle warmer or just in a bowl of hot water. Best not to use a microwave as this can heat the milk unevenly and leave hot spots in it that can burn the baby's mouth. Your baby may not need it warmed at all - babies are often perfectly happy to have it straight from the fridge once they're used to it. If she has fairly regular feeding times, just taking the bottle out of the fridge an hour before the feed is due may be the best way of getting it to the right temperature. There is a good, but very time-consuming, mailing list on Yahoo for women who pump for whatever reason. It's at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pumpmoms, I think. Their webpage is something like http://www.pumpmoms.org (can't check either of those, I'm afraid, as my connection is dodgy at the moment). They can be good for all sorts of queries. That's all I can think of for now. Bound to be something else that will hit me after I've posted. All the best, Sarah -- http://www.goodenoughmummy.blogspot.com But how do we _know_ that nobody ever said on their deathbed that they wished they’d spent more time at the office? |
#9
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Breastfeeding & working
Sarah Vaughan wrote:
In message , Janette & Tony writes Hi I am due to return to work part time (3 days per week) in 3 weeks time but would like to continue to breastfeed my 6.5 month old baby daughter. Excellent! Good for you. She is just starting on solid foods now and takes 3 meals a day plus her milk. I have a job that means I am sometimes office based and other times out and about (using public transport). Has anyone got any tips for me on: - Best type of breastpump to use - I have tried a Medela mini electric but its very noise - Is a double electric one much quicker - Any recommended makes/types I use the Ameda Lactaline, which I think is called the Ameda Purely Yours in the US. This is certainly one I'd recommend. Medela Pump-In-Styles are just as good but a lot more expensive, and can't be bought/sold second-hand due to a design flaw that means the milk can back into the machine so that the pump can't be completely sterilised between users (the Ameda doesn't have this problem). However, if you're often out and about for several hours at a time to the point where it's going to interfere with your pumping schedule, you may well want to get the Whisperwear instead. This is more expensive and some women find it doesn't suit them as well, but it can be worn inside your bra so that you can pump while doing other things (including talking to other people!) - How often I should express while at work Aim for half an hour of double pumping for every feed you're going to be missing. Short frequent sessions are likely to be more productive than long infrequent sessions. - Any other general guidance/tips for a nursing Mum In no particular order: You will need some way of carrying the milk back and forth. Ameda do a pump bag with a freezer compartment for milk bags, but this has to be ordered separately as it doesn't come with the pump. Medela sell their pump bag along with their pump, and I presume that has a freezer compartment too, although I haven't actually checked. You'll also need bags to put the milk in - I use the Lansinoh brand and would recommend these highly. I wouldn't touch Medela bags with a ten-foot pole - when I tried them the fastenings were far too fiddly and they leaked everywhere. No idea about Ameda bags - never tried them. Is there a fridge at work? You don't have to wash the pump parts between sessions if you can stick them in the fridge - this saves me huge amounts of hassle. However, if you're out and about you probably will have to wash them. Hot soapy water & rinsing well is fine - you don't have to bother sterilising them between each use. Does your baby take a bottle? If she's never had one I would start introducing one straight away, as it can be a battle to get them to take a bottle at this stage and you don't want that to mar your first day back. Alternatively, you could try her with a sippy cup, which some babies take to a lot better. At this age, your baby is unlikely to develop the opposite problem and end up preferring the bottle to the breast - but, to be on the safe side, I would use slow-flow nipples so that she doesn't get the idea that bottle feeding is an easy option. Breast milk has a longer storage time than formula - it's good for up to eight days in the fridge, ten hours at normal room temperature, or four - six hours in a warmer room. (However, don't forget that if milk has already been in the fridge for a few days, it will have much less than ten hours lifespan at room temperature - I've made that mistake before!) It's good for much longer in a freezer, the precise time depending on the make of freezer - details are available on La Leche League's FAQ list. However, do note that if you need the milk within a few days, putting it in a freezer is going to _reduce_ its life expectancy - freezing destroys the antibodies that give breastmilk its long life, so defrosted milk will only be good for 24 hours in a fridge. You can warm the milk in a bottle warmer or just in a bowl of hot water. Best not to use a microwave as this can heat the milk unevenly and leave hot spots in it that can burn the baby's mouth. Your baby may not need it warmed at all - babies are often perfectly happy to have it straight from the fridge once they're used to it. If she has fairly regular feeding times, just taking the bottle out of the fridge an hour before the feed is due may be the best way of getting it to the right temperature. There is a good, but very time-consuming, mailing list on Yahoo for women who pump for whatever reason. It's at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pumpmoms, I think. Their webpage is something like http://www.pumpmoms.org (can't check either of those, I'm afraid, as my connection is dodgy at the moment). They can be good for all sorts of queries. That's all I can think of for now. Bound to be something else that will hit me after I've posted. All the best, Sarah Sarah Thanks for your very comprehensive tips they are really helpful. I have now purchased an Ameda Lactaline 2nd hand and am trying that this week to see how it compares with the noisy (but efficient) Medela mini electric. My daughter has been taking the bottle okay now for about 6 weeks although fortunately she does still prefer the boob!!! Janette |
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