Avent Isis, Pumping, Bottle Feeding Questions

Hi--

I have a few questions about pumping with my Avent Isis and occasionally
feeding by bottle...

My daughter is 23 days old today. I am a stay at home Mom and am
exclusively breastfeeding, which is going well.

I would like to be able to pump and freeze a small stash of breastmilk,
which would be given by bottle. The bottles would be given while one of
the grandmas babysits, maybe once a week (so Dh and I can get out for a
quick dinner together). Dh would like to give a bottle now and then as
well (no more than a couple a week). I'd also like to have some milk
available in the freezer in case of emergency and I am not available
(for some odd reason).

I am interested in giving dd maybe 3 or 4 bottles a week.

My questions:

-What is the best way for me to go about building a small stash? Should
I pump every day? Every other day? At a certain time?

-I've pumped a few times and now have a collection of four 2oz freezer
bags in my freezer. Any advice on how much milk I should actually store
(based on what I've said above about how often it would be used)?

-Concerning the Avent Isis...I have been washing it in hot soapy water
(no dishwasher) and then using the microwave sterilizer on it. When
washing the pump, do I need to completely disassemble it (remove the
handle, white star valve, silicone diaphragm and stem)? I have only
been taking the pump cover and massage cushion off before washing...but
now I'm thinking that I should disassemble everything. Is this right?

-Any advice on when we should try dd on her first bottle? I'm aware
that I should not be the one to give it.

Does anyone have an opinion on how many bottles a week are "okay" to
give? I'm guessing that we might give 3-4 bottles a week...I know that
no one can predict whether there will be a problem in my particular
situation...but any guesses on whether 3-4 bottles a week is too much to
give? (I'm concerned about bottle preference, etc.)

Thanks everyone for your help. First and foremost I don't want to do
anything the jeopardize bfing my daughter. It's been going well so far
and I want that to continue. I would also like to go out to dinner with
dh now and then, but we're both willing to give that up if need be.

Thanks in advance,
Kathy

Kathy wrote:

Hi--

I have a few questions about pumping with my Avent Isis and occasionally
feeding by bottle...

My daughter is 23 days old today. I am a stay at home Mom and am
exclusively breastfeeding, which is going well.

-What is the best way for me to go about building a small stash? Should
I pump every day? Every other day? At a certain time?

Pumping early morning will probably give you your best yield. Pumping
while baby nurses the other side would be best (in terms of yield), but
the logistics of that can be hard. Since you are talking about limited
bottles and you will probably have an idea in advance of when you'd
need them you could wait until a couple of days before and then pump
for 2 mornings to get enough for 1-2 bottles - depends on your output.
I'd just pump when the opportunity presented itself. Pumping in the
evening may not be a great idea, since supply is lowest then.

-I've pumped a few times and now have a collection of four 2oz freezer
bags in my freezer. Any advice on how much milk I should actually store
(based on what I've said above about how often it would be used)?

I can't remember the rules for freezer storage but its only good for
3-6 months in the freezer. It really depends on how much you are
actually going to use. Again, if you know ahead of time when you'll
need one, just pump a couple days before for that day (and you
could store that milk in the fridge for 5-7 days I think).

-Concerning the Avent Isis...I have been washing it in hot soapy water
(no dishwasher) and then using the microwave sterilizer on it. When
washing the pump, do I need to completely disassemble it (remove the
handle, white star valve, silicone diaphragm and stem)? I have only
been taking the pump cover and massage cushion off before washing...but
now I'm thinking that I should disassemble everything. Is this right?

I always took mine completely apart. I never sterilized it, just hot
soapy water or the dishwasher.

-Any advice on when we should try dd on her first bottle? I'm aware
that I should not be the one to give it.

I think 4-6 weeks is the recommended age. If nursing is going great
with no latch problems, 4 - if you are having trouble, wait. We introduced
bottles at 8 weeks, which did not go well, DD hated the bottle. If nursing
had been going better we would have introduced them earlier. Also, you
might want to make sure you give a bottle 1-2 times a week to keep
baby in practice.

Does anyone have an opinion on how many bottles a week are "okay" to
give? I'm guessing that we might give 3-4 bottles a week...I know that
no one can predict whether there will be a problem in my particular
situation...but any guesses on whether 3-4 bottles a week is too much to
give? (I'm concerned about bottle preference, etc.)

I work out of the home. DD got several bottles a day, every day and
did fine with nursing. In fact she really fought the bottles - wanted it
from the source. I would think 3-4 a week would be no problem,
but if it is, you can cut them out.

Mary

My daughter is 23 days old today. I am a stay at home Mom and am
exclusively breastfeeding, which is going well.

Yeah! That is a great start

I'd also like to have some milk
available in the freezer in case of emergency and I am not available
(for some odd reason).

Good idea! I never imagined that this would happen to us but sure enough at
6 weeks I was in the ER (i'm fine!) and I had to bottle feed DS due to meds
I was given. Luckily I had a small frozen stash (mostly because I had so
much milk in the beginning I needed to pump some off).


-What is the best way for me to go about building a small stash? Should
I pump every day? Every other day? At a certain time?

I'm curious about the answer to this as well. I would like to have a good
stash going because DS can go through 4-5 oz from the bottle and I usually
can only pump about 2 oz at a time.

-I've pumped a few times and now have a collection of four 2oz freezer
bags in my freezer. Any advice on how much milk I should actually store
(based on what I've said above about how often it would be used)?

See above. That is just for my DS... yours may not take as much or may take
more. You'll have to gauge that when you start giving bottles.

-Concerning the Avent Isis...I have been washing it in hot soapy water
(no dishwasher) and then using the microwave sterilizer on it.

I don't have the same pump but we just was the washable parts with hot water
and soap.


-Any advice on when we should try dd on her first bottle? I'm aware
that I should not be the one to give it.

I always heard 6 weeks.... oddly enough DS was exactly 6 weeks when I went
into the ER. He did fine with the bottle... didn't even phase him.
However, he is a great nurser and takes a pacifier also.... so I guess you
can say he is good a sucking!


Good Luck!

~molly

I am interested in giving dd maybe 3 or 4 bottles a week.

My questions:

-What is the best way for me to go about building a small stash? Should
I pump every day? Every other day? At a certain time?


Since you anticipate giving pretty frequent bottles, you may find it easiest to
get into a routine of pumping every day, or nearly every day, at about the same
time. Early morning will give you the highest yield for the least effort, but
you can try it at any time that is reasonably convenient for you.

Once your stash is built up to whatever point you feel comfortable with, you
can cut back on pumping to an "as needed" basis. In general, you should try to
pump at about the same time a bottle is given, or as close as practical, so if
you're going out to dinner, you'd want to pump immediately before you leave or
as soon as you come home. If you're only talking about once a week or less,
and you're not getting uncomfortably engorged, it won't matter if you skip it,
but that way you would be replenishing your stash as it's used, and wouldn't
need to make pumping a regular part of your schedule.

-I've pumped a few times and now have a collection of four 2oz freezer
bags in my freezer. Any advice on how much milk I should actually store
(based on what I've said above about how often it would be used)?

You won't really know until your baby has had a few bottles and you know how
much to expect her to take at a feeding. Once you know that, you just have to
decide how many feedings "ahead" of her you want to try to stay. Just one or
two, since it's not likely to be really *necessary* for her to have a bottle?
A couple of weeks' worth, just in case of an emergency? Up to you.

-Concerning the Avent Isis...I have been washing it in hot soapy water
(no dishwasher) and then using the microwave sterilizer on it. When
washing the pump, do I need to completely disassemble it (remove the
handle, white star valve, silicone diaphragm and stem)? I have only
been taking the pump cover and massage cushion off before washing...but
now I'm thinking that I should disassemble everything. Is this right?

Yes, take it completely apart.


-Any advice on when we should try dd on her first bottle? I'm aware
that I should not be the one to give it.

At 4 to 6 weeks old. IOW, if you want to try now, go ahead. Just pay
attention to her nursing behavior afterwards and hold off on any more bottles
if you notice any problems.

Does anyone have an opinion on how many bottles a week are "okay" to
give? I'm guessing that we might give 3-4 bottles a week...I know that
no one can predict whether there will be a problem in my particular
situation...but any guesses on whether 3-4 bottles a week is too much to
give? (I'm concerned about bottle preference, etc.)

IMO, it's too much simply because all that pumping and washing and worrying and
so on is waaaaaay too much work! (Until I went back to FT WOH, my DS only got
something like 1 or 2 bottles a month. It wasn't worth the hassle any more
often.)

If you want to do it, whatever. Bottle preference might be a concern, but in
your situation you have the flexibility to just stop offering bottles if she
starts to fuss at the breast, so that's what you should do. Chances are she'll
be fine and you won't have to worry about it.

Holly
Mom to Camden, 2.5 yrs