Pumping before baby arrives...

[Danielle_NZ]

I saw on a forum today that someone mentioned pumping before baby arrives; to help establish a supply maybe?

Just wondering what thoughts are out there about this.

[Loula]

I asked my ob about this and he said he was involved in a study about this helping supply and it had no positive effects other than make the mum to be stressed.

Other might have better examples if they have done it.


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[Teeki]

Hey Danielle, that was my thread Not sure if taurean will pop in here, but she'd mentioned that a midwife friend of hers pumped early. She did clarify though, that it's not recommended unless advised by your doctor as nipple stimulation can induce labour.

I'm no expert though and this is second hand info, so I hope one of the pros comes along for you!

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[Janie]

It's not recommend for *every* pregnant woman, but for some it does have a place. ie. Mums who are diabetic sometimes express (often by hand) some colostrum to take to hospital, in case of baby's blood sugars being low and requiring intervention. The colostrum can then be given to the baby instead of formula.

ETA I read that a study has been done recently on antenatal expressing, and it showed that it did not induce labour........perhaps because the nipple isn't stimulated during expressing. After all, some mums breastfeed their baby or toddler throughout pregnancy without any problems , and breastfeeding would involve more nipple stimulation than expressing. Of course, if it's something anyone is thinking about doing, it's probably wise to chat to your health care provider, or an LC about it.

[melbel]

I expressed prenatally for the reasons Janie suggested...I am a type 1 diabetic and knew my baby would be born with low blood sugar levels...we didnt avoid formula completely but were able to minimise its use. My high risk Ob was supportive saying that the latest research says that there is no risk to expressing...it would not induce labour....it could bring it forwards by a few hours if it was going to start anyways but was not going to start it pre term if that makes sense...

But really unless you have a medical need to pump early it will not bring your milk in any earlier...mine still took till day four to come even with all that pre expressing.

[Danielle_NZ]

Hey Danielle, that was my thread

Looking back :-) yes it was, didn't mean to steal anything just remember reading it earlier and it was playing on my mind as I have had issues with my last two pregnancies and the milk afterwards and would so LOVE a head start if possible on creating the right feeding machines ( . )( . )

All this advice is welcome and grateful. Please keep it coming.

[Barb Glare]

Hi,

Pumping before your baby is born is working against nature. High levels of progesterone in the body work to suppress lactation. You just won't get much. Pumping will be a very dry argument.
As others have mentioned, in some specific cases it may be likely that babies may need a little more colostrum than would be normally available in the first hours after birth. Under advice from their health care professional some mothers hand express (not pump) to get a few more mls which might be enough for their baby to avoid the need for articifical supplementation with all the problems that can cause.
Antenatal expressing won't induce labour until your cervix is *ripe* ie there are oxytocin (the hormone which is released when your milk lets down, and also with orgasm and other pleasurable experiences) laid down. This doesn't happen until birth is imminent anyway.
There is a way to get a headstart on breastfeeding - but it has everything to do with your brain and little to do with your breasts. Go to an ABA Breastfeeding Education class. Learn how breastfeeding works - it's a simple and predictable system. But to most in our culture it's a mystery. It doesn't need to be. learn about the impact your birth has on breastfeeding; make a plan for breastfeeding that will make it work for you

[Taurean]

Thanks for clarifying everything Barb.

My midwife friend is one of my besties and I now wonder if she lied to me as she claimed to have expressed a 'nice stash' in her last few weeks of pregnancy. I thought at the time it was a bit odd but didn't dare question her as she's a midwife. I'm saddened to think it was all lies

[Teeki]

Nah you're not stealing anything danielle The info here was really good, thanks for posting

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[Barb Glare]

I guess it depends on your idea of a nice stash. If I was worried (on past history) that my baby might have low blood sugars or if I had a GA and couldn't immediately feed my baby, then 5 or 10 mls would be great. the first feeds would only yield 3-7 mls - and that's all a baby needs.

[Taurean]

She definitely exaggerated then A lot. She had her baby after my DD and she knew I'd suffered with BF issues. Looking back now the comments were quite competitive. How very sad. Thanks Barb I'll debrief elsewhere. Sorry for hijacking the thread girls

[Traveller]

I expressed prior to my twins being born, but just dumped the milk as it was important to me that they only fed from me. I was concerned any supplementation (even with EBM) would have a detrimental effect on my breastfeeding relationship. However at a guess I would say I expressed around 20mls, and this was over a week. I expressed (with a pump) to try and induce labour.