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Pumping breast milk when in-laws are there!

Discussion in 'Breast Feeding' started by Nila, Oct 30, 2006.

  1. Nila

    Nila New IL'ite

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    Dear Friends,

    I saw some of you discuss in this forum about pumping breast milk for stimulating production as well as for storing excess milk.

    I want to know how comfortable you gals are in pumping breast milk when your in-laws are there with you. I had my in-laws visit us to help with my baby after delivery and while they were there I wasn't so comfortable pumping. But whenever I had the need to pump, I used to get into the restroom, switch on the exhaust there (to make pumping sound not audible) and pump inside the restroom. Since my MIL used to compare everything I do currently in growing my baby like diapering, pumping, feeding, etc. with how she used to do the same during her younger days, I always felt they will not be able to accept this pumping as a need. It would be more of a cultural shock too them.

    I would like to get views from others on this subject.

    Thanks,
    Nila
     
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  2. sunitha

    sunitha Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Nila

    Frankly,this pumping of breastmilk concept is fairly new to me.I am hearing about this only here in the U.S..In my case,after my son was born,he was not latching on to the nipple and the doctor suggested using a breast pump or syringe as they call it,to make the nipple good enough for the baby to latch on to.That is the only time I used something like that.After that,I have never used it.Even though I was working at that time,I used to breastfeed him early in the morning and after I come home in the evening only.While at office,I used to just use the restroom to expel some milk for a few seconds so that it will not collect and cause a heavy feeling and also so that it will not drain up.

    I am very ignorant regarding this but please tell me why you use the breast pump when at home when instead you can feed the baby directly.
     
  3. Kamla

    Kamla IL Hall of Fame

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    It is convenient.

    Dear Sunitha,

    Pumping breast milk is the done thing among all the new mothers of today. It is not a must for everyone, but it is a matter of convenience and comfort. Mother's milk is precious and instead of it collecting and gorging up, it is better to pump and store the milk for later use. This way, the nursing mom too feels a relief and the baby too gets the goodness of the milk. Besides, when the new mother is outside her home and has to feed the baby , it is convenient to use a bottle, atleast for some mothers.
    I used to breastfeed him early in the morning and after I come home in the evening only.While at office,I used to just use the restroom to expel some milk for a few seconds so that it will not collect and cause a heavy feeling and also so that it will not drain up....
    Your above words gives enough reasons to follow this practise of pumping and using the mother's milk for the baby.

    Dear Nila,
    It must be daunting to adjust to all the changes a new baby demands of you. I think you are doing a great job with it and at the same time managing with the in-laws. You need not worry about others hearing the noise of a breast pump. It is nothing to be ashamed of. You are being a good mother and doing your bit. As long as you are being respectful of your in-laws needs, don't worry about how you go about looking after your baby. Your situation and today's requirements are different and don't let other's opinions disturb you. All the best and enjoy your baby and the motherhood:)

    L, Kamla
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2006
  4. Vandhana

    Vandhana Silver IL'ite

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    Pumping Breast MIlk

    Dear Nila,

    As Kamala said, no need to be ashamed of pumping BM. You should tell your mother in law that you want every drop of the goodness preserved for your baby and not go waste and that is why you need to pump. You can store BM in the freezer for upto 1 month. Believe me it is very convinient to carry the frozen BM and feed to your baby when you have to go out. Rather than looking for a place to discreetly feed. I am sure she will understand. You can just pump in the privacy of your bedroom. Again with all the advances in technology over the years , we also have to adapt things that are beneficial to us. Hope this helps.

    Vandhana
     
  5. sihi

    sihi Senior IL'ite

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    Hi Nila,

    I agree with Vandhana and Kamla on this matter...No need to be ashamed of pumping BM when in-laws are here. If your MIL understands the fact that BM is the most important food for a baby, she should not even be comparing such things as to what she did in older days. Infact she might even be happy with the advantage the new technology is giving us these days. Afterall you are giving the most precious food for your baby....I feel there is no need to be ashamed of it in anyway.

    Enjoy your motherhood..and your new baby:)
     
  6. gayathriar

    gayathriar Bronze IL'ite

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    Dear Nila

    First of all there is nothing to be ashamed about pumping milk for your baby. Also, when you are at home you should try to use the privacy of your room to pump and not the restroom.

    Again, the need for pumping depends on what your schedule is like - are you away from your baby for extended periods? I think you do not have to pump to increase your supply - from my own experience, the best way to increase the supply is by feeding whenever the baby demands. By pumping you might increase the supply, but the baby may not need that much and you might end up with engorgement/leaking. Check out the site La Leche League - it is a very supportive voluntary organization. You can call a group leader near your place and talk to her to get her suggestion/advice/questions answered regarding breast feeding. The group leader I talked to asked me to throw the bottles and feed the baby on demand to increase my supply when I was on maternity leave. Towards the end of my vacation, I did pump and freeze for the first few days of work( and a little extra ). I did not have any problem pumping with my mother-in-law around. After all, she is a woman too.

    If you are a stay-at-home mom, you don't need to pump. When you go out for a short time, you can feed the baby before you leave. If you are travelling with the baby, you can ask everybody to leave the car and feed the baby in the car.

    Best wishes...!

    -Gayathri.
     
  7. Varloo

    Varloo Gold IL'ite

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    Hai,
    I was having this pumping BM in my mind for the past few months. The reason- there was an article in the Kumudham Snehithey about this practise in the US among working mothers. The article explained well the method and use of this new procedure. I felt very happy to know that babies would be getting the best thing in the world, their mother's milk always till they start on other food.
    It was explained in the article that many offices have restrooms for the mothers to go and use the pump and extract the milk, when the baby is due fo a feed. They would preserve the BM in the fridge there and bring it home in the evening. The same milk can be preserved in the fridge at home and fed to the baby the next day, making sure that it is not cold.This way the milk is taken out at the right time so there is not problem of wasting the milk or the mother getting sick due to clogging.
    If the same system is followed in India too, many infants would benefit.
    My son was born in 1991 in the 7th month itself. The doctors in the Vijaya Hospital insisted only on BM always for babies.
    But being very weak, the baby would not suck and so the milk stopped. I used to feed other children to activate production. At that time, we did not have such information.
    When the baby did not feed, it became difficult with the milk solidifying in the breast and it was very painful removing it. Actually, the breast sagged due to the pressing procedure to extract it manually.
    Do not feel bad about giving your baby's birth right.
     
  8. tejudatla

    tejudatla Bronze IL'ite

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    Dear Nila,

    In my case also the same situation happened as Sunitha's baby. My baby was not latched on to the nipple and the doctor suggested me to use the breast pump or syringe. Then I used the breast pump for 15 days only. Because my MIL felt that if I use the pump , it will reduce the breast milk. She doesn't understand how the technology has improving day by day n I couldn't explain her at that time that she was wrong and my baby completely stopped drinking BM. If I would tell her at that time only then my baby wouldn't miss the precious chance of having BM.

    So give your baby BM as many times as u can when she/he wanted by using the most convinient method of using breast pump .

    I wish u to enjoy ur motherhood with ur new born...

    Good Luck!!!
    Teja:tongue
     
  9. gayathriar

    gayathriar Bronze IL'ite

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    I was pumping milk twice a day at work for my kid from 3 months until 1 year old. And I could pump more on mondays than on fridays. The simple reason - a baby is the best pump - when my baby fed in the daytime on sat and sun, my supply was more on monday, compared to pumping in the day during the week. Also, when you feed the baby on demand, the demand is met on the third day, which means your supply increases on the third day( my paediatrician reassured me with this statement, when I felt my supply was not adequate when my baby had a growth-spurt in his 6th week ).

    So, Teja - your MIL is partly right. But again, if the baby did not latch and could not feed at all, then pumping would have been a better option to keep-up with your supply - something is better than nothing - right?

    Also, I think Sunitha is right to ask why to use the breast pump if you are at home. Believe me, pumping is a hassle, especially if you are paranoid about cleaning the parts to make sure it is hygienic - feeding directly is more hygienic, easy and very relaxing too...!
     
  10. gayu_r

    gayu_r Senior IL'ite

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    I totally agree with Gayathri. I have done the pumping too regularly at work and unfortunately my baby would never drink directly from me since he was way too playful or would just doze off if I take him to a dim-room. The worst part about pumping regularly according to me is to see the supply before your eyes. As much as a higher amount would make me happy, a lesser amount would make me so much worried and depressed. If one was feeding directly I think it is the demand vs supply curve and neither would we know the amount nor would we be worried. And I have seen it by experience that the supply goes down if we rely on just the pump.
     

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