Everyone seems to have a routine, and I feel like I’m just winging it…is this okay or should I make adjustments? I’m trying to build a stash

[isuphloyd]

I am 4 weeks PP and have been feeding on demand exclusively on the breast. Baby eats anywhere from every 1-3 hours, sometimes for 10 minutes, sometimes he just hangs out for 45. He goes 3 hours pretty consistently through the night. He’s gaining weight and I’m confident that my supply is adequate at this point to get him what he needs.

I started consistently pumping to help build my stash about 1.5 weeks ago. I have one session most mornings where I get about 4 ounces, and then I’ve been trying to get at least one, sometimes two additional sessions in throughout the day where I’ll get about 2-3 ounces. I always pump after he’s eaten, but if he’s fussy, I hold off so that whatever I have can be ready for him. My pump sessions (outside of the morning) are just at random times, and like I said, sometimes they happen, sometimes they don’t based on what the babe it doing.

Just for context, we plan to start trying for our 2nd pretty much as soon as we get the green light to do so (assuming I ovulate). I know that supply can drop with pregnancy, which is why I’d like to build up as much as possible should this happen so that baby #1 can continue receiving breast milk. I haven’t introduced the bottle yet and I’m not really sure when, as I plan to stay at home with him, but know at some I will need to.

Moral of this story….I feel like I’m doing okay? But then I read posts and it feels like I need to be more rigid with my schedule in order to increase my supply for stash building, I don’t know just looking for a “hey, just keep it up!” Or a “nah girl you need to do x,y,z”

 

[thomasjh]

@isuphloyd Ha, everyone who claims to have a routine at 4 weeks pp is either lying or joking. Or they believe winging it is a routine ;-) you do you, enjoy every moment and don't let others make you second guess yourself!

 

[mbeau88]

@isuphloyd No routine at this point. Feeding on demand. If you need a stash, maybe try collecting with the hakaa or pumping like once lol

 

[daniellem1]

@mbeau88 This - you don’t want to accidentally create an oversupply! No need to pump right now. Once a day or even every other is just fine if you want a small reserve.

 

[logicalthinker123456]

@isuphloyd 5 months PP and only have a nighttime routine. Daytime is still all over the place.

Be kind to yourself and roll with it. Everything will fall into place in time.

 

[unsurewife17]

@logicalthinker123456 Also 5 months pp and this is my life too. She typically naps on the go or in the baby wrap.

 

[bsanders46]

@isuphloyd 18w pp ftm here! You're doing great. Don't stress on a schedule. At 4 weeks pp, your supply is still regulating and if you go overboard on supplemental pumping on top of nursing, you risk oversupply which can make nursing uncomfortable for baby (gagging/sputtering/etc), plus lead to excessive leaking/clogging/etc for you.

Start trying bottles soon though! Start with empty bottles during playtime to see what babe naturally gravitates towards (try different bottle styles). Give a small bottle to babe when they're not hungry and generally happy (like just before napping aka a double feed). Work your way up to from there. Try both fresh and frozen milk over time to check for any aversions to stored milk.

 

[keepingthehope77]

@isuphloyd I have no advice but just wanted to post for solidarity. I’m 4 weeks PP too and your first paragraph sounds exactly like my experience. Some days he only feeds for 9-13 minutes per session, other days it is 30-40 mins per session. It’s difficult making plans because some days he feeds every 2-3 hours while other days are 1-2 hours.

We introduced the bottle this week and he seems to be taking it well. I am off work for the next year but I wanted to have the option of being a away from him for more than 2-3 hours so the bottle gives me that opportunity.

 

[nagesh]

@isuphloyd I am the same only 5.5 weeks pp. I would recommend trying the bottle soon though. We started at 3 weeks and I currently have a bottle refuser. Trying to work through that and have gone through multiple bottles and approaches. I still have hope since it’s early enough but Wish I would have started immediately.

 

[shel75]

@isuphloyd If it helps, I pretty much have no routine and spend most of my life winging it. And my babe is 6 months.

This is a huge life changing thing, you do what you have to do to survive, especially in the early weeks. You absolutely got this

 

[dlr]

@isuphloyd There’s not really a routine at 4 weeks. Just do what you can. If you’re nursing 90-100% of the time, then pumping 2x per day to build a stash is sufficient. Also. supply doesn’t necessarily drop while pregnant. More so in the third trimester. Colostrum is produced at 20 weeks even if it doesn’t leak. Supply tends to drop in women who are exclusively pumping as opposed to exclusively nursing. You have a better chance of getting pregnant if you introduce the bottle and then even more when the baby night weans/STTN.

I got pregnant at 9 months pp.

 

[isuphloyd]

@dlr If you don’t mind me asking, were you exclusively pumping/ bottle feeding when you got pregnant? Did you continue to BF for a portion or even all of your pregnancy?
I’m curious about navigating getting/ being pregnant while continuing to BF. (And perhaps there’s nothing to be curious about- just another thing to wing!!!)

 

[dlr]

@isuphloyd CW: stash: I got pregnant at 9 months pp. we were trying since 4 mo pp. It happened when my son night weaned by STTN. Pumped at work and nursed at home. Nursed 14 months pp/6 months pregnant. Took a break in my third trimester. For maybe 8ish weeks. I regretted that because there was no reason to stop. I stopped because I was spending the majority of my time in bed I think. The sheer exhaustion of back to back pregnancy was a lot! I recommend it for the joy and love but not for the very physical toll it takes on the body.

I never really dried up. Then at 35 weeks I started producing colostrum and gave that to my son. Just hand expressed until 42 weeks. I had enough stashed away to get me to the remainder of the pregnancy, I thought. But he made it through my stash completely. My son was drinking 16-24 oz per day at that point being 1.5 yo and obviously eating real food too. There was 7 weeks where my son didn’t get breastmilk and was strictly cows milk, I think between weeks 28-35 in my second pregnancy.

Now since my son doesn’t latch anymore, I exclusively pump for him and nurse my daughter. I do not recommend this. I am a very experienced pumper and oversupply like this has to be managed. I make enough to feed both and store deep freeze as I plan to donate as well. This is not normal. I would recommend tandem nursing or just giving any extra to the older child

I plan to provide breastmilk via nursing and pumping to my kids until the youngest is 2 years old so a total of 3.5 years or longer all together. I’m almost 3 mo pp

 

[suzing]

@isuphloyd I fed on demand for the whole first year TBH and then nursed on demand for comfort until I weaned my toddler at 22 months. It worked for me! No shame in the game if it’s good for Mom and baby!

I used the Haaka or Elvie curve on the opposite breast during the middle of the night feeds to build a passive stash and never actually formally pumped.

 

[hjmt]

@isuphloyd Almost 8m in and still winging it. Babe sleeps longer stretches at night, so I pump 3 hours after LO’s last feed at 6:30pm and for night feeds I use a Haaka and bank that milk, and then I pump after LO’s first feed of the day. Everything else is on demand.

 

[katrina2017]

@isuphloyd I had no routine at 4 weeks pp lol, some days I'd use the hakaa religiously with each feed, other days I'd pump every morning, other days I'd get my husband to give a bottle in the evenings and I'd pump during the day to replace the bottle. I was literally just trying loads of stuff out to see what fit me/us

Now at 12 weeks pp I have a pretty solid routine of feed baby, change nappy, get baby to sleep again when she's tired (about 1.5 hours of awake windows for her), let her sleep generally up to 2 hours, wake repeat. She usually wakes up about 7 or 8am and then fights bedtime like its her life purpose until we eventually manage to settle her around 8 or 9pm. I only use my hakaa now on the odd occasion I'm engorged because I know most of the time baby only feeds from 1 side at each feed, but I never use it overnight as now baby sleeps 3-4 hour stretches at night I'm getting really engorged overnight so I'm trying to reduce my supply a bit then. I could pump more if I wanted to but I don't as I don't really need to!

You just gotta try and find what routine suits you & your situation tbh

 

[i_need_god]

@isuphloyd Routines at 4 weeks??? Never heard of it. Routines start appearing muuuch later. At 4 weeks pp most babies still cant understand the day/night difference and have too little time for wake windows.

I can tell you my son started to create a routine more or less at 4.5 MONTHS.
Before that its just unrealistic.
Now at 10 months is when I finally feel we have a more set on stone schedule (and of course it doesnt always work)

 

[maxx55]

@isuphloyd You're doing great!

Building a stash can be hard work, so go easy on yourself if you have off days. You could add a second pump per day if you wanted. But there is nothing wrong with feeding on demand and getting a little extra here and there.

 

[gods_girl_4ever]

@isuphloyd This sounds so much better than my “routine” at 4 weeks. I still don’t have one, just loosly, and I am 9 weeks PP

 

[randomnumber2]

@isuphloyd sounds like youre doing great! well done!