Breastfeeding vs Pumping

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Jun 27 2006, 11:15 am

Babies in generally do get more out of you than a pump. I would increase the ounces in his bottle to 4 if you can. To get more out of pumping, try pumping while nursing (takes a bit of practice). Pumping in the morning helps too. Others swear that pumping in the middle of the night is great, especially if you're up already to nurse, but I could never wake myself up enough to do that Smile

If you're trying to increase your supply to pump, pump for 2 minutes after all the milk stops dripping. Many times another letdown will happen. The more you pump, the more you'll get.

There was a time my son was taking 3 5 ounce bottles at the sitter, but I don't think he was nursing that much from me each time. I think it was more that he got comfort from the bottle. At 2 months, I don't think your son will need more than 4 ounces a bottle (3.5 might be plenty as well), but he likes to suck. Does he use a pacifier?

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Jun 28 2006, 10:43 am

amoma wrote:

yes he likes to suck and uses a pacifier. somehow I also think he gets more comfort out of eating, 5oz as my sitter says, then he actually needs it.
besides I have a feeling that my sitter doesnt wanna deal with his kvetching so she shuts him up with the bottle.
on monday I could hardly pump two ozs at a feeding and somehow yesterday I pumped 5oz. I wish I knew what the secret is.

I actually many times find pumping monday is the hardest because my body isn't used to pumping as much as it is nursing since I nurse on the weekends more...but drinking a lot of water helps -- dehydration can cause a drop in milk production.

I do think sitters like to comfort babies with bottles, but it can lead to stomach aches and it's not good for the baby. How big is your baby? I can't understand a 2 month old needing 5 ounces a feeding. How many bottles do you give the sitter? How do you bring the milk?
I bring one bottle per feeding with the exact amount of milk I think he needs, and have a freezer supply in case he needs more, but the sitter is reluctant to use it unless she really thinks he needs it, since I did suually give her plenty per day...she would tell me to give more per bottle but didn't necessarily tap into the freezer supply.
There are times a baby will need more milk than usual...for instance, in hot weather they can get thirsty easily, and do better with more foremilk. Is it hot by you? Is that a possibility?

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Jun 28 2006, 11:43 am

amoma wrote:

I give the sitter 3.5 to 4 ozs but she gives him formula to which I toled her she shouldnt. but she said that hes hungry and she wont deal with his crying. I'm up to my fourth babysitter and going crazy. it is hot here so that migh be it too.
thanks hashem-yazer!

It is absolutely wrong for babysitters to give food to children without parental permission!!!!! Oy, I told my sitter straight out not to after she gave him Cheerios and now she asks me every time.
What happens if he was allergic to the formula? What if he became constipated? What if she got so used to giving him she didn't bother giving your milk anymore since she could be in control of this?
This is so wrong I can't even get over it!
(Deep breath in, deep breath out.)
Ok, does she have a freezer supply? See if you can start coming up with one to use instead of formula. When your baby is 2 months old, it's much easier to add on to a supply than later on. I know it's hard. There are times I only had a couple ounces in the freezer, and there are times I had over 15 ounces (which is a lot for me!).
Can you add a pumping a day to get more? I am not positive your baby needs, but if he's getting it else how, it's worth it to have a backup.
But you can expect a 2 month old to cry. That's what babies do. And he might be crying from overeating for all we know...how often are his bottles? The pacifier doesn't soothe him enough? And I don't think the sitter should think that 3.5-4 ounces aren't enough so jump all the way up to 5. That's a big jump for a little tummy. I wish I could be of more help, but I can't -- I DO know what you're going through though. I've been there, done that.
Please do make it clear to your sitter that in no way shape or form should she give a food or drink to your child without your permission. The sitter should work with you, not against you.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Jun 29 2006, 1:31 pm

amoma wrote:

but since this is my first baby she thinks I know nothing of parenting and doesnt stop saying how she took care of her babies. I dont give her extra milk cause then she'll give it to him I give her as much as I think he'll need. oy this is so hard!! argh!!

((hugs))
Is he gaining well? Then you're doing just fine and he's eating plenty.
I hear you about not giving extra. I always made sure to give my freezer supply on a day when I had plenty of milk for him (like a half-day on Fridays) so then it wasn't as tempting for her Smile

But I never gave more than an extra 4 ounces at a time. I pretended that was all I had, and I gave her only every couple months.
But if she is already giving formula, and she won't listen to you and stop, and you can't switch, I still say it's better he drinks your milk than the fake stuff. If you have what to give. And hopefully within a month or two he'll grow out of the crying stage and be more able to play. Does he keep his pacifier in his mouth or spit it out?

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Jul 04 2006, 10:25 am

abc123 wrote:

Just slightly off topic..
My baby is on solids already and I feed her about 4 times during the day (one side each time). I am starting to send her to a babysitter soon. Is it worth pumping at this point (I'd be leaving her for 5 hours a day) or should I just let her go the 5 hours with solids only... Would the pump even work now when I'm hardly feeding anymore....???

How old is she? She will need what to drink, and I think it is worth it to pump. If you can pump at work, you will increase your supply, assuming you still nurse her the same amount at home -- it would be like adding a feeding. I think you should send a bottle with her, especially since it's the summer and it's hot outside. You can double pump to get more milk, since it is hard to start pumping, and if you send about 4 ounces I think that should be a good amount. Please make sure she's keeping hydrated -- I don't know how much she's nursing total, and babies need fluid just like adults. Breastmilk is not only for food, it's for drink!

raizy

Tue, Jul 04 2006, 11:19 pm

well u mother who nurse think u know it all. when u nurse u nurse on demand. the nurses milk quickly get absorbed bye your baby . that is why a nursing baby is more hungry all the time.

and no I dont think 5 onces is too much for a 2 months old baby.

and why are u up to a forth babysitter may I ask. is it somehting that u are doing wrong. most of my "customers stayon for at least 2 yrs. so I would be very wary to take on someone who had 4 babysitter and didnt click with any.!!

also u have to tell me in advance what the kids is allrgic to . and no I am not going to starve your kid even if u like me to.. to have a skinny kid. why u are undernurshing your kid.??? are u perhaps afraid that she will grow and thrive. I am sick and tired of hearing horror stories about certain mother who will not even give a bread for a child because then the child will grow fat. when are u planning to feed your child. ?when she is dead of mallnurishment? I have heard and seen everythign from dilluting a formmalla bottle. to not feeding a nursing child any food so the mother can stay clean. so go on sacrifice your childs health for your cleaniness.I am so mad at some mothers.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Jul 05 2006, 10:27 am

raizy wrote:

Raizy dear, I don't go attacking you about using formula, so why are you constantly attacking mothers for nursing which is the most natural thing to do? We know you are anti-nursing, but if someone wants to feed their baby breastmilk, please do NOT discourage them.
Not all mothers nurse on demand, but that is totally irrelevant to this discussion.
A 2 month old baby's stomach is extremely small. A newborn can only hold about 2 ounces in his stomach, and at 12 months only about 8. A 2 month old cannot hold 5 ounces! If the baby eats quickly, you probably can force more food into it, but it's a lot more likely the milk will jsut come back up, and it's 1) a terrible waste of precious pumped milk 2) it bothers the baby (and 3 -- more laundry Wink

). I'm glad you don't think 5 ounces is too much, but facts prove you otherwise.
I understand being wary about having 4 babysitters -- that does sound like a lot, but many times it doesn't click when the sitter doesn't listen to the mother, and the mother is in charge of what the baby needs and should be given. It is never easy switching sitters, and for a mother to have the courage and energy to do so, means she's trying to do what's best for her baby. If you were wary taking on a new child who has been through a lot of sitters, one option I can give you, as a sitter, would do a 2 week trial period charging a bit extra since you can't count on a commitment. But you don't have to accept any children you don't want...
I don't think anyone is intentionally malnoursishing their child in this thread. The mother wants best for her baby, and I don't believe anyone is worried about their 2 month old being fat! Most mothers kvell in their child's chubbiness at this age. I think you are talking about very extreme cases, and once again that is not relevant to this thread.

raizy

Wed, Jul 05 2006, 11:07 pm

I wasnt ranting about the original mother of this thread I was ranting about some mothers I met. or some other babysitters told me about what happens to them in their babysitting jobs.

you are dead wrong . a 2 month old baby can and will drink up to 5 onces. my sister drank 8 onces in the hosipital she was hungry all the time. she was 2 days old!!!

my newborn baby who was premie started off with 7.5 ml at every feed and worked his way up to 5 onces at the age of 2 months. so why do u say that it is not possiable. he never threw up and he never spit up eighter. now he drinks up to 6 onces every 3 to 4 hrs. I feed on demand. but I dont let him go bye day more then 4 hrs. bye night I only feed him once. I do wake him up to feed though because otherwise he would sleep right through it. and I need him to grow ,thrive and be nourished.

and I am not anti nurser. I nursed my child for 10 weeks !!! I just find that some nursing mothers are a bit irrational!!!

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Jul 06 2006, 11:09 am

raizy wrote:

And I feel like some bottle feeding mothers are irrational Rolling Eyes

Well, whatever the case is, I am not "dead wrong". I know what I am saying, and I have medical facts backing me up. My mother in law has a great visual aid when trying to show this to people -- you'd be amazed how tiny babies tummies are. I'm glad your children didn't spit up, but that doesn't mean it's healthy to be that full, and 8 ounces at 2 days is impossible and no nurse would feed that much to a baby. A 2 day old will start switching from the little colostrum she gets to the regular milk the mother starts getting in. And that much formula is just ridiculous. Either you aren't remembering correctly what happened or the 8 ounces was over a timespan.

shalhevet

Thu, Jul 06 2006, 11:21 am

Also babies eat much more quantity of formula than breastmilk. So if a mother is used to bottles of formula she may not realise that a baby needs far fewer cc of mothers' milk.

And Raizy, you are probably a loving, responsible babysitter but I would never send my baby to you. A nursing mother needs a babysitter who is working with her and encouraging her to keep nursing. Especially with her first, when she hasn't yet acquired the confidence that she's doing the right thing.

Incidentally, I always had back up food at the metapelet. This would almost always be frozen milk, but if I really didn't have any spare (this was usually with an older baby anyway) I would leave a sachet of formula with instructions that it was for emergency use only. (Maybe it was used twice over 6 kids) It's not fair to leave a babysitter with a hungry baby. (and it's not fair to the baby either)

raizy

Mon, Jul 10 2006, 12:04 am

gr u sound great to me. do u have any kids that need babysitting.
I dont understand u . I have lots of women who nursed their babies and left their kids bye me. eighter they brought in formalla or they brought in pumped milk. as long as they sucked on a bottle I didnt mind. the kids were happy. I was happy. in fact most of my clients nursed their babies for 2 yrs or more. I support your nursing . but my cleints have to support my peace and tranquilty.

I cant stand crying and hungry babies. so if u want to leave a baby bye me . u better make sure that the baby can take . or can be taught to take a bottle.

also gr it is not immpossiable . for my sister. if u look at her. she was always a hungry baby. and always had /has a battle with her weight. she was hungry since day one. she is 30 yrs old. and if my mom said the same tune for 30 yrs beleive me it is true.

now I did not say that I fed/feed a newborn that amount .my newborn ate around 7.5 ml at each feed. in fact the nurse thought that I was underfeeding my baby. and wanted me to feed more ofthen. like every 2 hrs vs every 3 or 4 . the most my kids ever ate was 6 onces at one shot.and that was at 3-4 months. so my kids are not overfed . I feed on demand. but not more then 4 hrs bye day. and at night I am still trying to give one bottle. he drinks as much as he wants. when he doesnt want anymore I put him back to bed and I throw out hte rest of the bottle. some nights he drinks more some nights he drinks less. I feed on demand. and he is gaing very nicely.