Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hello,


My friend has an 8 week baby who cluster feeds between 5-11pm every night. She tried expressing with a hand pump but got a blocked duct and mastitis. Do you think an electric pump would work better for her? Any particular pump better than others? Also one that is not expensive as they are on a budget. She's desperately tired in the evenings & thinking of switching to formula so any advice out there that I can pass on will be muchly appreciated.

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/24144-recommend-a-breast-pump/
Share on other sites

I also liked my medela swing pump, and you can get a reasonably priced one on eBay. However, given the situation you have described, maybe one or two formula feeds a day would give her more rest than having to express on top of everything else? Mixed feeding can work very well...

The pumps that seem to get the most recommendations are the medela swing and the ameda lactaline. I got the ameda as I Was able to borrow my friends first to see how I got on with it. I also recommend a pumping bra.


If she doesn't want to pump, another suggestion is a nap before her other half goes to work. We do this and it works wonders on me. My husband gets up an hour earlier than me and looks after the baby. I know then I have an hour to sleep where I won't get interrupted. It helped to keep me sane when I was up in the night (not so often these days thank goodness) that I would get an hours kip. We don't always do it now but we did it almost every day in the early days.


Otherwise if she is thinking of formula, mixed feeding might be the halfway house that works. But only if she is sure she wants to reduce bf.... From memory our cluster feeding started to reduce around 10 weeks...?

  • 2 weeks later...

I did what Convex did and had that blissful hour/90 minutes in the mornings, which really helped me catch up on the night's sleep. Also, co-sleeping, which isn't for everyone, but it kept me sane.


I'd also say though that although cluster feeding is exhausting, and a pain, it really does usually end not long after where she is, and it's the baby's way of building up supply.

Also did what Convex did - it was bliss! The best hours sleep I had I reckon as I wasn't worried about listening out for the baby as I knew he was being looked after.


Also, echoing what others have said in that if she can ride it out for a couple of weeks she'll probably get over it - it does end!!! Pumping I found an extra hassle really (although I only had a manual one) and then you have the issue of getting the baby to take a bottle....

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • We have found 3 stag beetles in the old tree stump, and single nesting bees in the grass, so we're still not mowing it. I have taken the seeds head off the dart grass and trimmed the dead bluebells and it's alright.  
    • Back garden mowed on Monday, some of it for the first time this year.  Not a lot of interest in this grassland, but hoping for the promised rain this week as it needs it.  We use no tap water in the garden apart from conditioner tap water for the pond when rainwater storage runs out, very early this year. Purple clover, buttercups, rattle and ox eye daisies looking great in the front.  Seeds sown did not germinate due to lack of spring rain.  The meadow will be cut by hand when flowers die back, white clover will be out shortly and cutting the rest back may encourage the purple clover to flower again.  Loads of bees  Fun time is when the grasshoppers appear.  
    • Just found a link for LB Southwark wildlife and ecology. Suggest all those listing in disgust to read some of this.  https://www.southwark.gov.uk/culture-and-sport/parks-and-open-spaces/ecology-and-wildlife
    • Don’t they do it every year?
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...