problems pumping!! HELP!!

[@llli*sleepyeyes]

I cant pump at work...I work as stylist and our salon is tiny!! there is no place for any PRIVACY in that place...and if I am having trouble pumping right now..pumping in a place where I have no privacy would not bode well for me! The only place..would be in the bathroom...which A-is our public bathroom for our customers...so I cant hole up in there for half an hour and B-YUUUUUUUUUUUCKY!! I could not imagine a more unsanitary place to pump....

I try pumping an hour after she eats...after she eats first thing in the morning...I have tried pumping while she is eating...which FREAKS her out!! and totally distracts her from the task at hand...

I know I sound completely crazed and whiney...but I am so worried that I wont be able to keep doing this and I LOVE IT...I love knowing that its the best thing for her..and I love knowing it will keep her healthier during the cold and flu season...so I really want to keep it up...

My breast pump is the EvenFlo...single...electric pump...I have that darn thing cranked all the way up...and still not doing anything...I am massaging my breasts before hand..I have tried moist heat 15 before...still nothing...I have noticed tho that if I do not sit perfectly still and hold my breast and pump in a certain way...my nipple will come out of the pump...any suggestions on what to do for that...

This is all new to me...and I want to keep doing it...thanks for putting up with me girls and all the help!! You guys are the best!

[@llli*sleepyeyes]

I dont think its an issue with my Bmilk that she doesnt like...its just takes alot of convincing to get her take the bottle..today was my first day back and it took gma 15 minutes to get her to take the bottle...but then she did fine and ate four ounces...she however will not eat a bottle if I am anywhere near her...I seriously have to be outta the house for her to eat a bottle little frustrating at night...when im exhausted and daddy is snoozing away.....

I think maybe she might just need to get used to these bottles or we may have to try some diff ones...so she doesn't put up so much of a fight to eat...has anyone tried the breastflow bottles?

[@llli*mommy2lilah]

Can you pump in your car? How far is your commute?

I think you need a better pump. Can you rent a hospital grade pump? You are going to need a dual electric pump. How long is your work day? Will you be able to set aside 15 minute breaks?

I know that you're having trouble pumping right now - I think you can fix that by getting a better pump. 2 ounces is really good output when you are nursing all day long.

When you go back to work if you can pump in your car, I would take a cooler and just put all of your pump parts in there. That way you don't have to worry about cleaning them in between, so your time out of the salon will be less, if that will cause a problem for you.

If you're worried about the cost of a good pump - you'll end up spending $100 a month or more on formula if you stop breastfeeding - which I know you don't want to do. I'm just giving you a talking point if you need to convince your husband that you need a better pump.

I haven't used the Medela Freestyle, but people around here like it. It's portable and you could hook it up and cook, etc at the same time.

Have you looked at www.kellymom.com yet? There is a ton of great info on there.

[@llli*mommy2lilah]

Originally Posted by @llli*sleepyeyes

I dont think its an issue with my Bmilk that she doesnt like...its just takes alot of convincing to get her take the bottle..today was my first day back and it took gma 15 minutes to get her to take the bottle...but then she did fine and ate four ounces...she however will not eat a bottle if I am anywhere near her...I seriously have to be outta the house for her to eat a bottle little frustrating at night...when im exhausted and daddy is snoozing away.....

I think maybe she might just need to get used to these bottles or we may have to try some diff ones...so she doesn't put up so much of a fight to eat...has anyone tried the breastflow bottles?

I'm so glad she took the bottle. What a relief.

[@llli*sleepyeyes]

my work day is only four hours...and I commute a half an hour each way to work...

[@llli*mommy2lilah]

You should be fine then if you can get a pumping session going in the morning. If not, you can pump in your car on your way to and from work. You should only need about 5 ounces while you are away from your baby.

[@llli*sleepyeyes]

I know that I atleast need to be able to get eight ounces out for her while I am at work...problem is I can't even get an ounce out between both of my breasts....I'm getting so fed up it makes me cry...

Although had a ray of hope...I was thinking maybe my breast pump was crappy...which it is...and everyone was talking about renting one..well right now we dont really have the money...bought a new house and such...

But I read some where on this forum that if you are on WIC they help with that...does anyone know if that is right??? I am on WIC and never thought about that!! I hope so..that would be a HUGE HELP....

Thank you all for listening/reading me complain...Its nice to have a HUGE community of support

[@llli*mommy2lilah]

I have read that too about WIC. You should check with them.

You will be away from your baby for 5 hours, so if you go by the 1 to 1.5 ounces per hour while you are away rule, you would need between 5 and 8 ounces... so 8 is on the high end.

Do you nurse her right before you go and right when you get home? Can her grandma bring her to you in the middle of your shift for you to nurse her so you don't have to worry about pumping at all?

I know how frustrating it is when you need to pump a certain amount for the day and it's not working out. I hope you can get a better pump at WIC.

If you can't get one from WIC, look on craigslist. Try to find a Medela Pump In Style or there is also a Lansinoh pump that some people like and I think that Ameda makes the same one as the Lansinoh, but more expensive? I'm not sure. Anyway, these pumps are supposed to be single user items because there is a very small risk of someone else's milk getting into the motor and you can't sterilize the motor. But, if you see how they work you would see that it is highly unlikely that milk could get into the motor. The only problem with buying a pump from craigslist is that if it's an older pump you might not get a very long useful life out of it and you wouldn't have a warranty.

You are doing a great job for your daughter and I want to commend you for sticking to breastfeeding even though you didn't originally intend to do it. It is such a gift for your child and for you - as you have already discovered. It has been a wonderful way for me to reconnect with my daughter when I get home from work. If you aren't able to pump the milk you need and she has to have one bottle of formula while you are away from her during the day, that is ok. You can still nurse her on demand when you are with her, and since you'll only be away from her for 5 hours at a time - most of her intake will be from your milk and your milk supply should be ok.

Here is a link to a thread about best pumps to get in case you are able to see some on craigslist or ebay that you can afford:

http://forums.llli.org/showthread.php?t=78594

[@llli*sleepyeyes]

I dont work long enough to get a break sufficent enough to breastfeed while I am at work...plus there is no place with enough privacy to do that...

I feed her right before I leave to go to work and then when I get home...and nurse exclusively all night long...

She may have to be formula fed during the day...I really don't like that...but I am not getting anything from pumping...makes me sad...but when we went to DR the other day...she said that she could now start to be supplemented with formula....which made me feel a little better..

I guess that formula may have to do while I am at work...Is it a horrible thing that she will have to have formula while I am away?? Do you think that, that will cause any problems going back and forth? As long as I am nursing while I am with her and such??

Another question...has anyone else had to supplement with formula while they were at work? Did there babies have problems with taking formula?? My LO doesnt like formula at all...I can get her to eat some EVENTUALLY but it takes ALOT of convincing to get her to do...

Any advice is appreciated!!

[@llli*mommy2lilah]

I know women who supplemented with formula while they were away from their babies and just nursed while they were at home.

If you can find a way to pump that would be great. But if you can't, it's not an all or nothing deal. In fact, I have a friend who needed 16 ounces a day for her son but couldn't pump that much. So she pumped what she could and he had the rest as formula.

The way she got him to be ok with the formula was by mixing a little formula into a bottle of milk one day - like one ounce formula, three ounces breast milk, then shifted the mix the next day to half and half, etc. until it was an entire bottle of formula.

If you do go to formula, I would ask whoever has her not to feed her for at least an hour before you come home so that she still nurses when you get home.

Hopefully someone with experience supplementing with formula will come along.

Have you called WIC to find out about the pump yet?