Advice on pumping?

Question

My little one is 2 weeks old. She is a chomper when she first latches on to my nipple and causes a lot of pain. I have already had problems with engorgement and nothing has relieved the pain. She is EBF and nurses for an average of 25min every 2-3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night. She’s been having some issues with weight gain, she’s still over a pound under her birth weight and we haven’t seen her gain any weight yet, just slowly continued to lose weight. Her pediatrician isn’t too concerned about the weight loss yet since it’s not rapid, but if she doesn’t start gaining soon then he may want us to look into supplementing. I know the risks of nipple confusion, but is there any other concerns about pumping and bottle feeding this early on? I have a manual pump as my electric pump is stuck in the mail, and I want to relieve the engorgement and make sure I know how much she’s eating. Also, when should I pump? Immediately after nursing or wait 30-60m after? I know I will have to pump when I give her a bottle. Thanks in advance, my pediatrician is closed until Tuesday.

Answer

I would try to get into see a Lactation consultant. They will be able to tell you how much your baby is taking in while breast feeding and could help with the other issues you are having. I have twins and it’s been really challenging to feed them. They were both losing a lot of weight in the beginning and we ended up supplementing with pumped milk and formula. They are able to take a bottle and still nurse. I’ve found the visits with the lactation nurses at the hospital to be SO helpful. Good luck!

Answer

Have you had her latch checked? “Chomping” isn’t good for you or her - she may well joy be getting enough and you’ll continue to experience massive discomfort.  If you can’t get a lactation consultant then consider watching latching videos on YouTube.  Your timing sounds great... she is probably not on quite right. It really should do the trick and you won’t have to worry about pumping.

Answer

Pumping doesn’t give an accurate idea of how much baby is getting. Weighing a baby before and after a feed is the best way to tell how many ounces they’re drinking. A pump is not as efficient as a baby at getting the milk so while baby may nurse and get 4oz, you may pump and only get an ounce or two. 
Since your baby is only two weeks old, I’d really be leery of pumping and feeding because you’re body is learning how much baby needs and you’ll be messing with the biology of what your body is doing. Yes, plenty of people do it, but if your goal is a long term nursing relationship, you risk damaging it early on.

Answer

Pump immediately after. You can cup feed a baby this young and they will still want to latch after. It takes away the suck reflex (which is a need for them). I did it with mine at 1 week old. We did 24 hours cup only and then a further 24 hours cup every other feed. It gave my nipples a bit of a chance to heal.
I’d seek an IBCLC if you can. They are worth their weight in gold and will help you discover your options.
Does your pediatrician have on call? Feeding your child is a REALLY important thing and you shouldntwait if you really need them.

Answer

I would pump immediately after if you’re experiencing engorgement.

Advice on pumping?

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