Breast feeding/pumping questions?

Question

i had my son on tuesday 8/12 by emergency c-section due to preeclampsia. i assumed, that like my first pregnancy, i would not have any milk. well.... i was surprised to say the least when i woke up this morning and i actually have b***s! they're not huge and not sore, but most definitely larger than they were yesterday.

i tried breast feeding with the lactation consultant at the hospital and that went ok, but of course there wasn't much there so i stuck to bottle feeding.(i tried everything in the world with my first to breast feed but did not produce milk at all) i talked to a lactation consultant on the phone today and tried to breast feed, but was only successful in making the baby mad and myself frustrated.

i thought i would just pump that milk and bottle feed the breast milk. i won't be able to get to the store to rent a pump until at least tuesday (i can't drive since i had a c-section, and my husband is off that day). i was told there was a good chance what milk i have will start drying up by then.

i was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what i can do to help my son latch on (by the way i have innie nipples). i really don't want to go buy an electric pump, since i thought it be best to rent one, so is there a good or decent hand pump i can get until i can get the electric pump?

any suggestions/recommendations are appreciated

Answer 1

For now try to get him to latch by holding him on a pillow or boppy on your lap, squeeze your nipple and surrounding area to fit into his mouth.  Bring him to the nipple and wait for him to begin sucking comfortably.  This also works on the bed with the pillows as described above, just be sure to squeeze the breast to fit into his mouth comfortably.  

If that doesn't work, hand express your milk.  Massage the breast and squeeze the whole areola.  It is time consuming, but at least you won't dry up.  

Congratulations, and good luck.  By the way the Madela Pump in style is great!  but if you aren't sure about breastfeeding try the Harmony hand pump by madela first, it is cheap and works well.

Answer 2

i no the feeling i had exactly the same problem with my daughter who is now 3 weeks old....i found that i the end the easyest way for me to feed her was to lie on my bed with her with my head on two pillows and babys head just beloow the pillows and then she was in exactly the right position to latch on. if you put your nipple to the babies nose he should straight away open his mouth wide enough and go towards the nipple with his mouth. before you start feeding wrap your baby in a blanket hands and arms included (saves arms and hands swinging about all over the place) also place a flannel soaked in warm water over your b*****s i fouund that this gets the milk flowing quite quickly...please dont dtress yourself out about it i had exactly the same problem but we got there with persistance good luck and i hope it works out for you....oh and also the dr browns hand pump i found to be fantastic  

Answer 3

The first thing you need to remember is that babys don't nipple feed they breastfeed. Hold your breast like you were holding a large stuffed sandwhich and compress it  - this gives the baby a wide mouthful to latch onto.

You can hand express milk.

You could also try a nipple shield but only use it for 3-5 days.

Call the la leche league they can help you out and they make house visits.

Here are some websites to look at.

Answer 4

ring your midwife hunny she is sure to help you, u will have the midwife for a few weeks after your baby is born so use her/him. gl and congratulation on the safe arrival of your son.

well done and don't worry

Answer 5

So your milk doesn't dry up.. try using your hand to get milk out... i do it when my breast are too full and i want my supply to increase.. i use a breast pump all the time. What you can do is hop in the shower and think of it like how you milk a cow.. just try and get as much milk out as you can.. maybe do this twice a day? But its up to you and if you feel comfortable doing that.