when DD1 was in SCN i had to hand pump colostrum. i found that gently hand expressing it out with a waiting syringe (and helpfu DH/midwife to 'suck it up') was the best and also the easiest to then give to bub with the least amount of spillage (man that stuff is liquid gold lol!).
I guess once that has been done and the milk starts to come through that you could go the tablet route
If i were in your shoes i would get onto the LC at your hospital now and tee it all up with them so that there can be some continuity of care and a note made on your folder by them ITMS. Also, it probably is really worth checking out the ABA website as they probably have some info on expressing colostrum and some hints and tips etc.
Thanks Cassius, that's good advice!
Em, I understand what you are saying but I have been specifically told by my surgeon that they WILL sag and require follow up surgery...it may be different for people that haven't had a breast reduction but in this case I will follow my surgeons advice, after all she works with boobs all day long, knows how she did my surgery etc...This is not a vanity thing (well, partly) I had my boobs done after many years of back pain & I did a lot of hard work to have my surgery done, not to mention the recovery after, I am not going to undo all that hard work when I have only had my new boobs for such a short time IYKWIM. Plus just the thought of mastitis makes my toes curl! I also have hardly any feeling in my nipples since the surgery and the scars are still quite painful sometimes. So, I am choosing to FF for a variety of reasons, not only because I don't want my boobs to sag
If you are already producing colostrum now, you can collect it and freeze it in a syringe to feed to bub's when born. It might save you working so hard to get the colostrum after delivery and perhaps encouraging your milk to come in, although I think if you express at all you will find you start to produce some milk. Just a thought, if the colostrum is leaking now, why not stockpile it!
I have had two breast reduction surgeries (one at 17 and again at 23) and I am BF my third child after being unsuccessful with my first two. So far, no signs of sagging but I really won't know until I stop feeding how they have been affected.
I do understand your statement that it is not for vanity that you don't wish to BF - my breasts and their appearance, whether it be their size or the scarring, have been a big issue for much of my life and I have spent many years being quite.... I dunno, defensive? sensitive? about them. Be prepared for every midwife to have a loud opinion about whether you should or shouldn't be trying to BF after a breast reduction.
FF from birth (which I did in combination with my attempts to BF DD1) is quite straightforward. Perhaps you should check whether the hospital you are going to will supply formula or whether you need to provide it yourself? Good luck with your upcoming delivery, looking forward to your BA.
Thank you Nickle, I am very comfortable with my decision to FF although I am not AGAINST breastfeeding my new baby - if I feel the urge to do it when he/she is here then I will give it a go. But at this point in time I very much happy with my decision to FF based on how I feel about it emotionally and physically. As I said, I do still have some pain around my scars and my boobs already feel a bit tight and uncomfortable as they have had to stretch so much already with the pregnancy. I know it's a little too late now (LOL) but I had definitely not intended to be pregnant only 5 months after my surgery so my poor boobies have already been through so much. I just want to avoid any further issues or complications with them. I was back in hospital twice within a few months of my surgery to have fluid drained, and then again I had to be put under a GA to have infections drained. I haven't had the best luck with the recovery and I just want to avoid anymore pain or problems.
Also, if they do sag and look awful I think I will be really upset, with my last pregnancy I went up to an L cup once I was breastfeeding (that wasn't a typo, I was an L cup!) and after losing pregnancy weight plus a bit more I got down to an H cup - I then went down to a DD-E cup with my surgery & had 2.2kgs removed! So, my boobs are literally a big part of my life LOL and I just want to focus on something else for a while, it has all been about boobs, boobs, boobs for a long time so I just want to leave them alone for a while if that makes sense!
It can't be the easiest decision to make and reading your story I can't blame you for not wanting to put your boobs through anymore strain. If you do want to take the tablet to help dry things up, I'd assume you'd want to start taking it straight away so as to avoid the initial incoming? If that's so, and you want to feed colostrum, wouldn't pre-birth expressing and freezing what you've got be a good insurance policy in case you're not allowed to take the tablet and breastfeed colostrum after birth (just a though, I've no idea if it's safe for breastfeeding is all)? then you could just give what you've got? I did pre birth colostrum expression onto a spoon and up into syringes with DD2 for totally different reasons, but I used it and was grateful.
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