Q&A

Please ignore my question if it's dumb but I've noticed that after eating loads of onion or garlicky food my fingertips will smell of it forever - especially the onion. Isn't what one eats important also, so that the baby won't be put off? I think I read someting abt that. I really am curious, bring on the knowledge! -Lioness

Strong flavors do come through breastmilk. This is far from a bad thing. In fact, it's very beneficial. The taste of breastmilk is always changing, so it provides the baby with the flavor palate of the food of his culture. For example, mothers in India eat curry. The breastmilk has a curry flavor, so when the baby is introduced to food, it is familiar to him and he is less likely to reject it. So while breastfeeding, it's good to vary the flavors in your diet. Unless the baby specifically rejects something (which is rare, and hard to pin down anyway) you should eat strong flavors, and some studies have shown that babies prefer breastmilk with a strong flavor of food. Ingenious system, really. Naomi has preferred strong flavors ever since she started eating food. The bland baby food was never for her. This is a child who would eat minced garlic straight from the jar if I would let her.

So I'm curious - what kind of emergency would you need a pump for? And what kind of pump - Medela? Thanks!- LisaG

I assumed I wouldn't need a pump. I hand expressed for the (very) occasional outing and that was enough...until Naomi went on a teething-induced nursing strike at 4 1/2 months. She didn't nurse all day, I got incredibly, painfully engorged. I got mastitis, which feels like dying a very hot death. My fever was up to 104. If I had a good pump, I could have prevented the mastitis, or at least gotten rid of it sooner than I did. In the end, lots of Tylenol and baby Anbesol got her latching on again, and she drained the breast, and I felt my fever come down as she sucked. What relief! But it was a preventable catastrophe, if I had only had a pump.

Babies are unpredictible. Nursing strikes happen, not that often, but they do. Sometimes if the baby gets sick with a sore throat they can refuse to nurse.

Other emergencies come up in the early weeks: c-sections and other medical events that require separations, a sleepy baby who won't latch, a low supply, things like that. Especially with a first baby, you ahve no idea what will happen when you try to breastfeed. Your baby may suck like a champ, or you might have flat nipples and you will need lots of help and a pump. Most hospitals have very good pumps available, but some don't. It's just best to be prepared.

A good pump is going to cost you at least $200.  The best pumps are hospital grade rental pumps, which cost about a dollar a day to rent, and over $1,000 to purchase. Sometimes you can find a used or refurbished pump for cheaper. To buy, you've got the Ameda, the Medela, and the Whittlestone as the top three contenders. The all have their champions and detractors. And I found a handy comparison chart, which lists some of the other brands of pumps.

Whisper Wear is something new, it's a pump that can be placed inside your bra for hands-free pumping. I don't know how well it works, though, since no one I know has used it. It's a neat idea. But, you might be able to make a traditional pump hands-free with this rubberband trick.

I am going to buy a Whittlestone. The mechanism is a little different, there is more reliance on massage than suction, so it's better for building, rather than maintaining, a supply. It's also less potentially damaging and painful to the tissue. You can pump much comfortably much longer on a Whittlestone than you can on a Medela or an Ameda, accoring to a pump afficianado I know IRL.

Of course, I know jack-squat about pumps because I've never owned one. I've asked a lot of questions of experts, but I have no real expereince. Take my advice with a grain of salt.

Coming soon: A discussion of adoptive breastfeeding and my conflicted feelings about it, and a piggyback on Andrea's depression post.

Comments

[Andrea]

Hey--about pumps. I had the medela minielectric and for day-to-day use and the ocassional short emergency it did me fine. For the *big* emergencies (i.e. when Frances's early teething was being taken out on my areolas, which still show the scars) I ended up renting a hospital grade pump.

It's great that there are so many options out there now. Medela is the only one easily available in my neck of the woods, but I'll have to check out the others if/when we decide to have another baby.

[Vegan Momma]

I used the Medela Pump in Style and I bought the Medela (hospital grade) Symphony. They are both great but I preferred the Symphony. I even purchased the Medela Harmony and left it in my desk at work, in case I forgot the all important horn's for my pump. I had to use it one time. I loved thehorn for the Medela Harmony. It has a very soft texture.

[Rose]

Your post on pumps is really helpful - Thanks!

I am 34 weeks pregnant and have a scheduled c-section at 39 weeks (not by choice...but anyways) I was wondering when can you start pumping before the baby comes? Just whenever your milk comes in or do you have to start pumping to get your milk supply in? I plan to join LLL after the baby is born for additional help, I wish I could go now but work prevents it for now.

[giddy]

I have been reading you for a few weeks now and couldn't agree more with all your breastfeeding posts. I am breastfeeding a 7 month old and also breastfed my 5-y-o. I guess I was lucky to have babies who "got it" and a mom who had had experience breastfeeding who knew how to encourage me--I can't believe how difficult it is for others.

Anyway, I am bookmarking some of your links to share with various friends. Oh, and I wanted to mention that Ameda=Hollister--the comparison chart calls it the Hollister Purely Yours; but you refer to Ameda--I am a fan of this model, so I want to be sure no one is confused! I purchased mine in early 2000 and it is still going strong--my 7-mo-o is the 4th baby to benefit. (Yeah, I lent to friends. I just don't see how that's an issue because all the parts that come into contact with breast milk are washable!) And incidentally, it is almost invariably $25 less than the comparable medela. (I got mine from Motherwear.com--at the time they offered both but now they only sell the Ameda, I noticed!)

Anyway. I"m also interested in all your sling info. I have a kangaroo pouch but rarely use it. Seems to hurt my back too much. Any thoughts? I'm trying to wear her on my hip these days, but it's still too much strain on one side.

[rae]

I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on adoptive breast feeding. We are adopting internationally from Taiwan and our daughter will be 6-8 months when she joins our family. I have mixed thoughts about attempting to breast feed her. (I breastfed my bio son)

Am looking forward to reading your post on this.

Thank you.

[Lioness]

Thanks for answering, I suppose then it falls into the same category as "soft cheese", even if it's a melted camembert, or sushi.

People can make their lives harder to live and appreciate in so many ways...