Pumping straight from birth

I latched and pumped for both babies
I began pumping at about 3-4 days
My milk was just starting to come in.

Practice bottle paced feeding so baby doesn’t over drink in bottle and doesn’t effect your supply
And always continue to latch baby as much as you can to help with production
You do not need to wait at all

I have hypothyroidism and was encouraged to pump right away to establish my supply. I stored all the extra and it's coming in handy now that he's almost 4 months and my supply isn't enough to satisfy him some days

I have exclusively expressed since day 5 due to my little girl having a very poor latch and was always told I could by midwives and health visitors. I’m currently into week 15 and I have no plans to stop any time soon

I plan to do both this time. Last time I wasn’t able to do either. I tried pumping but never latched and it was a struggle and then pumping didn’t work very well either so I didn’t have a supply. This time I plan to latch immediately and pump straight away so I can have a stash but also for other people to feed as well since I loved that about just formula feeding

oh really?? How was your supply at the beginning. I have hashimotos so we think that’s one reason why my supply sucked

You likely won’t get much colostrum with a pump, however you can still do pump sessions to stimulate supply if you wish. Once you start making milk you should be able to pump some milk. Be aware that it’s normal to get small amounts (0.5-1oz per day) when pumping in addition to direct nursing all day, it takes time to build a supply. I started pumping at 1 week postpartum without issue and am glad I did. Be careful to avoid pumping too much and causing oversupply, I avoided pumping more than 4oz extra per day which worked for me, you’ll have to see what works for you

great actually. They upped my dosage from 50mcg to 125mcg during my pregnancy and I had an oversupply at first. Now at 4 months I make about 15 oz in an 8hr shift and he needs more sometimes, especially in the evenings 🤷

The hospital gave me a pump on day 2 because my daughter wouldn’t latch. They said it is uncommon to pump so early but I really wanted to breastfeed and hand expressing was really taking it’s toll. Hand expression day 2 I was getting 7ml, pumping I was getting around 20ml off each breast. This quickly increased.

The only thing I would be mindful of is that they usually recommend waiting 6 weeks before giving a bottle if you’re breastfeeding. It can be confusing for a baby to figure out and switch from breast to bottle. A bottle is so much easier to get milk out of and babies can then be frustrated when they go back to breast as it is harder work for them.
Obviously it’s not impossible as lots do it, but you should be aware of the risks.
By 6 weeks, if you’ve had no issues, baby should be fully established and it will hopefully make transition between breast and bottle easier.

oh wow that’s awesome. Did you breastfeed and pump or just pump?

I just pumped straight from birth. I had no intention of breast feeding and didn't ever x

I pumped but nursed him exclusively till I went back to work so I had a decent freezer stash.

interesting. Idk, the amount he drinks when I'm at work has increased too, I pump about 15 oz and some days he wants more or some days I pump less. I still primarily breastfeed but may give an extra 3 oz at night when he's really hungry and inconsolable.

Both my babies have been combi fed since birth, my first had a tongue tie so couldn't latch properly, I breastfed then topped up with expressed breastmilk. My second (currently 6 weeks old) had bad jaundice and just too sleepy to feed lost 13% of his weight and we were hospitalised. I breast fed and topped him up with Formula whilst my supply was low, pumped after every feed to get it up, he now breastfeed exclusively through the day and has expressed milk in a bottle through the night. I personally find he sleeps better as he has 3oz every 3 hours rather than small feeds from the breast every hour, I pump whilst dad gives a bottle, he is fed changed and back asleep within 25 mins...