Quote:
Originally posted by SEC_Chick
So, Norwegian TITS aside, here's my concern. For those of you who went back to working full time and were BFing, was pumping really feasible? I am a little overwhelmed with the thought of having to pump 4 times a day and managing the whole process. Please tell me it's not impossible. My goal is to BF for one year.
I have been examining my breast pump options and am leaning towards the Ameda Purely Yours. Any recommendations? Should I have it on hand now, or wait until I know if I will be able to BF successfully... or might having it on hand be potentially useful in case I need it to relieve engorgement, help build supply, or be ready to exclusively pump if the Chicklette has some BFing issue?
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Sorry for being so slow to respond, but yes, the pumping at work is feasible, so long as you have a lock on your office door and get access to a fridge. I went back to work after 3 months, full time, and breastfed the trepidation tyke for about 13 months. Just alert your office manager/HR person/ranking female administrative type that you will be breastfeeding and therefore require a lock, and then just do it when you need to. Hell, I even used the thing during conference calls. (I also used the nearby coffee-room freezer, and no one seemed freaked out so that was OK.)
Whatever you get (I had a Pump in Style, it was great), get it now, because it is also going to come in handy while you are still at home. Having it around can actually be helpful with getting the hang of breastfeeding (and keep you lactating if you get so f-ed up that you can't let the little Razormouth near you at all - my kiddo damaged me up so badly that the hospital lactation consultant told me to pump only, so he was on bottled breastmilk more than he was on the teat for the first 3 months). Also, if the little bastard doesn't always eat on schedule, it can be really, REALLY uncomfortable.
And, you will want to stock up - and start early, 'cause you'll dip into it while you're still at home, to manage a dinner out, or an extra-hungry kid, etc. I'd recommend having at least a 3-4 day supply in the freezer by the time you start work again. If you have to travel, or work so late that the kid is asleep before you get home, you will need at least that on hand and probably more. (I was sent suddenly out of town for a week within my first week back, and it sucked but I was prepared. Except for the hotel fridge - check with any hotels that when they say they have an "in room fridge/mini-bar", they don't mean a box with a block of ice it in but a real, actual fridge, 'cause a weeks worth of breast milk in a sub-par fridge is, um, not good.)
Re: breastfeeding generally, don't let nurses sneak in formula when you've told them not to (actually, don't listen to the nurses at all, by my and everyone else's experience, insist on seeing the lactation consultant immediately), and don't let the lactation nazis convince you that one little bottle (of formula or breastmilk) is going to end it all, or cause nipple confusion, or whatever. The whole process is a lot more flexible that anyone would have you believe, so you can make it work around whatever problems (be they sandpapered-off nipples or messengers who don't knock) arise.
If you want it to - don't let yourself get guilt-tripped or whatever into feeling like you HAVE to breastfeed if it is just so unpleasant that you want to jump out the window. In all honesty, the first 3 months for us were sheer constant misery, and, frankly, it wasn't worth it in retrospect, but the last 9 months were nice so there you go. Of course, Trepidation Tyke still tends to reach down the front of my shirt to grab at my nipples, but maybe he's just being a guy. I'm alarmed that he's learned to distract me by pointing over my shoulder and saying "uh oh!" and then grabbing at them when I look. I guess need to teach him to say "Look, Elvis!"
