2 Mommies and a Baby
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Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy 2007!
I just realized that I don't have one picture of us together from the entire year.
Suz took this one on New Year's Eve for us in a rare, Lois sitting up moment.
2006 has come and gone and are happy to report that Andrew did not decide to come too early.
Let's hope he doesn't come for a few more weeks and that he is so healthy and happy that we can take him home with the hospital with us!!!
- - -
To break in the new year, I want to start with a breast pumping question for our readers.
This conversation was a little odd, but my mother and I discussed breast feeding and breast pumps yesterday. She suggested that we don't get a breast pump because they hurt. She said you can milk your breast manually, it's much better.
I have found this perplexing and we have asked our friends locally about not using a breast pump and the consensus so far is that my mother is crazy.
I don't want to be harsh towards my mother, but it was 30 years ago that she had to worry about that.
Anyone have any comments on pumping? I am now confused about the entire thing.
Suz took this one on New Year's Eve for us in a rare, Lois sitting up moment.
2006 has come and gone and are happy to report that Andrew did not decide to come too early.
Let's hope he doesn't come for a few more weeks and that he is so healthy and happy that we can take him home with the hospital with us!!!
- - -
To break in the new year, I want to start with a breast pumping question for our readers.
This conversation was a little odd, but my mother and I discussed breast feeding and breast pumps yesterday. She suggested that we don't get a breast pump because they hurt. She said you can milk your breast manually, it's much better.
I have found this perplexing and we have asked our friends locally about not using a breast pump and the consensus so far is that my mother is crazy.
I don't want to be harsh towards my mother, but it was 30 years ago that she had to worry about that.
Anyone have any comments on pumping? I am now confused about the entire thing.
9 Comments:
Wendy nor I have any direct experience to share just yet, but I can tell you that my sister's attachment to her breast pump was approximately equivalent to a heroin addiction! She used the Advanced Pump in Style and swore by it. Manual pumping, according to her, takes ever so much longer, and actually requires your attention. With her pump, she'd hook up and pump while eating lunch or whenever/wherever she felt like it. And, I don't recall her ever having any issues with it hurting her or being a problem.
Yes, you can manually express milk, but it takes alot of practice (I've never been successful) and takes a long time. Breast pumps work easily and quickly. They don't hurt. They suck, and if they suck too hard (which you can control) it can be uncomfortable. But honestly, the first week of a baby on your breast hurts alot more than an electric pump. Just take the time to find the right pump for you and don't worry about your mom who couldn't afford the inferior pumps they had at the time anyway!
I have lots of experience pumping, and I cannot IMAGINE doing it manually. It isn't something any woman typically enjoys anyway, and the pump makes it faster. Does it hurt, well, yeah. BUT, you get used to it and if you use a battery operated pump (I had a medela) you can adjust the strength and once you get used to it (a few seconds) you can increase the suction to hurry things along.
I have to agree.....N.O. to the manual. I learned with my baby at the hospital that harder and stronger suction does not produce more milk, and it may have a slight affect on your let down. Get an electric pump...get a good one (it does matter)start out slowly and on a low level...as your boobs get used to it you can speed things up. Good luck, breast feeding is not for sissys.
I definitely liked my Pump N Style and didn't think it hurt that much, but I think going out and buying one definitely depends on your needs. I went back to work at 3 months with both kids and needed the breast pump then. I also ended up needing one to help pump off extra milk right after my son was born, and at the time, I just used a hospital rental. I had a friend who let me borrow her Pump n Style to see if I liked it and then I bought my own. The nice thing about an electric pump is that you get so used to it that you can just read or do other things while you're pumping. Congratulations on keeping that little guy in there. You are doing so great!
I did pump manually when I was engorged and my pump was too far away to grant me the immediate relief I needed. It did take FOREVER and I never would have been able to pump myself empty. It was fine for taking the edge off in a 'cup runneth over' situation though. I mostly fed directly from the breast. When I did use my pump, it didn't really hurt as long as I was locked and loaded correctly and was using the right cup size so my nipples didn't rub too much.
We have both the manual Advent pump and the electric Medela Pump in Style Advanced. Angele has been using the Medela to induce lactation. It is uncomfortable at first and sometimes when you start up but not afterwards. It's easy, much faster than doing it manually and it mimics the baby's sucking so it seems to work great for most women. It's the one recommended to us by our lactation consultant. There are different brands of Medela for different needs. There is one that is good for pumping once a day, 4 times a day or as much as you want. They have different motors and different costs. We went with the unlimited one because you never know how much pumping we'll need to do with both of us breastfeeding. Also, Angele needs to pump at least 4 times a day right now. It has a double pump to allow you to do 1 or 2 breasts at a time. Comes in a handy backpack or bag to take around with you. I'd recommend it because it has performed very nicely so far, even without us actually getting milk. :-P
I have the one Stacey referenced, the Medela and it is great. Our daughter is 13 months now and I still nurse but stopped pumping a few months ago and it was a god send! Definitely don't do the manual thing, what a nightmare that would be! Good luck!
I pumped with an Avent electric pump, and I was very surprised that it didn't hurt. It hurt me more to breast feed! I would say pump because it is much faster.
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