I will be EPing again (exclusively pumping) for this new baby. I EP'd with limited success for DS (only made it about 8 weeks and we did supplement some in that time.) I know for sure that the nipple shields didn't fit quite right so I'll work on that this time. I could use any/all tips. I took reglan and fenugreek last time. I don't think it made any difference besides the reglan giving me some undesirable side effects. I will not try that again. I've never nursed, so I don't know any different from pumping vs. nursing. I think that's a bit of a hindrance for me. The hospital we're delivering at is EXTREMELY bf-friendly and I'll have an LC in the delivery room within an hour of birth, but IME not all LCs are really qualified to address EP issues, so I'm reaching out for help whenever/wherever possible now.
Specific questions:
-I am reading I should pump within the first hour. I know that our hospital's goal is to have the baby on my chest skin to skin for the first hour about....how do I work pumping into that plan? Should I have DH be prepared to receive baby on his chest? Any thoughts on this? I think with DS it was probably a little more than hour before I pumped, but I was able to get colostrum on that first pump. didn't get any after that, so I think pumping early must be pretty important.
-Should I be double pumping at each session or is that overkill? I'm just a little fuzzy on if you should pump both sides each time or if that will lead to overproduction or something....
-has anyone ever found a way to double pump while baby is in your lap? I am reading that physical contact with baby while pumping can help production. I honestly don't think i ever tried with DS.
I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing, but if anyone has any pointers, I'll take them. I'll be using a medela symphony if that makes a difference. TIA!