nursing pads will soakup what leaks,and you can pump the rest later. if you wait too long tho it will really hurt. if i am away from baby i pump about every 4 hours.

iluvandy wrote:

QUOTE:
Thanks "ontherun"! I sure did not know that you could start pumping right away, I swear people lie to me all the time! I have heard that you cant pump until after 5 or 6 weeks, and that breastfeeding made you gain weight, all that kind of stuff. But I do agree that it is better. I can tell the difference in breast feed babies and bottle feed babies. My niece is in 2nd grade and she is the smartest in her class, and I believe that came from breastfeeding. My only problem is I'm a nurse and will be working in the hospital, and what do I do if my breast start to leak and I cant go pump right away? Has anyone ever experienced this?

I don't think people lie to you, there is just a lot of mis information out there.

My friend works at a hospital and my co-workers wife too; and they said it was easier to pump there because they provide the pumps, you just provide the attachements. There are nursing pads for leaks, some times I had to use two on each side.

oh o.k. I will be working in the E.R. and I dont want to be in the middle of something and my breast starts leaking! LOL! I will for sure get me some nursing pads, I will so anything for my baby!

I ALSO BELIEVE THE BREASTFEEDING IS BETTER. JUST ONE WORD OF ADVICE....DON'T BOTTLE FEED UNTIL YOUR BABY IS 3-4 MONTHS OLD.I DID AND REGRET IT DEEPLY.I WOULDN'T EVEN BUY A PUMP OR FORMULA UNTIL THEN. WITH MY OLDEST I ONLY BREASTFED FOR 2 WEEKS(HE WAS PREMIE AND I DRIED UP CAUSE PUMPING WASN'T ENOUGH TO KEEP THE SUPPLY UP)AND WAS BOTTLE FED SO WITH MY SECOND I WAS BREASTFEEDING BUT I HAD A C-SECTION AND WAS IN PAIN AND SLEEP DEPRIVED AND STARTED BOTTLE FEEDING AT NIGHT(WHICH AT THE TIME DIDN'T SEEM TO BE THAT BIG OF A DEAL) TO HELP HIM SLEEP LONGER AND AT ABOUT A MONTH HE QUIT LATCHING ON BECAUSE OF NIPPLE CONFUSION. I TRIED TO PUMP BUT ONCE AGAIN I WAS PUMPING EVERY HOUR TO TRY TO KEEP MY SUPPLY UP BUT IT DIDN'T HELP. I THINK THIS IS WHY SOMEONE TOLD YOU "ILUVANDY" THAT YOU COULDN'T PUMP RIGHT AWAY. IT ISN'T THAT YOU CAN'T PHYSICALLY PUMP BUT THAT THE BABY COULD GET NIPPLE CONFUSION FROM THE BOTTLE. MY MIDWIFE TOLD ME THAT YOU SHOULD BREASTFEED ONLY FOR ABOUT 2-3 MONTHS BEFORE PUMPING AND BOTTLE FEEDING TO PREVENT NIPPLE CONFUSION. SHE SAID BY THE THAT YOU MILK SUPPLY AND THEY SHOULD BE OLD ENOUGH NOT TO GET NIPPLE CONFUSION. I KNOW I RABBLED ON SORRY BUT I HOPE THIS HELPS.

the only thing u can do here iluvandy is stuff some nursing pads in ur bra and grin and bear it.... thats the only draw back with feeding.... those boobs know when its feed time and will start to flow, or even if u hear some 1 elses baby cry they will start ...lol...


good luck

Seaason

All the experts agree that breastmilk is the best thing to give to your baby, but it really comes down to what you want to do and what you are comfortable with.

I tried to breastfeed my daughter and had a lot of difficulty with it. She had trouble latching on and kept pushing away, so feeding time usually consisted of an hour and a half long wrestling match. Usually the result was me breaking down in frustrated tears and asking my husband to make a bottle. Although I agree very much with avoiding the bottle for the first few weeks to avoid nipple confusion, babies still need to eat. I pumped as much as possible, and eventually I made an appointment with a lactation consultant, who was extremely helpful. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of waiting too long, by then I wasn't producing enough and ending up having to stick with the bottle.

I'm really not trying to be discouraging or anything, because breastfeeding is better in many ways. I want to brestfeed my second for at least 3-6 months. Despite the experience I had, I really regret giving up so easily...especially since we had a lot financial trouble back then and bottle-feeding is EXPENSIVE, and the preparation and sterilizing, etc can get to be a pain. Also, with breastfeeding you don't have to worry about realizing you've run out of formula at 3 am or having your pet cat chew through the lid and eat half the can (yes, this HAS happened...more than once!).

Hope this helps, and sorry for such a long post! (I know, I'm long-winded -_-)