Planning on breastfeeding your baby? If you have a c-section and need to pump breast milk shortly after birth, you might need to make a few adjustments to make things more comfortable. Here are tips for pumping after a c-section.
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When should you start pumping after a c-section?
This depends on how you’re planning to breastfeed and how things are going for your baby.
If you’re planning to exclusively pump from birth, or if your baby ends up in the NICU, you’ll want to start pumping as soon as you get the okay from your health care provider and are reasonably able to after your c-section.
In this case, you should plan on pumping about every 3 hours, or 7-8 times a day, for 15-20 minutes each time. It’s okay to take a slightly longer break at night.
More on exclusively pumping for a newborn here.
On the other hand, if you’re primarily nursing and your baby is with you, you may not need to pump at the beginning at all. In this case, I would focus on nursing and only pump during the first few weeks if:
- Your baby is struggling with nursing, and you need to establish supply while you work on nursing (more on this here)
- You’re planning on being separated from your baby and need to prepare bottles
- You are separated from your baby and need to pump to keep your milk supply up and avoid clogged ducts
More on when to start pumping here.
Tips for pumping after a c-section
For the most part, pumping after a c-section is just like pumping after a vaginal birth, with a few differences. The recovery period after a c-section is longer and more difficult, and moving around (to get your pumping stuff) and sitting up (to pump) can sometimes be painful.
I asked experienced c-section moms for their recommendations on how to make pumping after a c-section easier. Here’s their advice.
Take all the help you can get (including pain meds)
If possible, your main job should be to recover from the major surgery you just had and do what is necessary to feed your baby.
- If you have a partner, they should be on board to do everything that they possibly can to care for baby – change diapers, wash pump parts, bottle feed the baby when necessary, etc.
- Accept help from people in your life who are is actually helpful to you. (Sitting on the couch holding the baby while you cook and clean is not helpful.)
- Work with your doctor to make sure your pain is managed. If you’re concerned about taking medication while breastfeeding, you can call the Infant Risk Center to discuss what you were prescribed and get evidence-based information.
Set up stations with your stuff around the house
Constantly moving around to get your pumping gear can be uncomfortable after a c-section.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to set up a pumping station with everything that you need, so that you’re not having to walk around your home looking for your hands-free pumping bra, pump parts, and other pumping gear.
Some people set their pumping station up on a cart with wheels, to make it easier to move from room to room without carrying anything.
If you live in a multi-story home, some people recommended investing in a mini-fridge for your room and having cleaning, sanitizing, and warming supplies on each floor. That way, you can store your milk, prepare bottles, and wash everything without having to use the stairs.
More on setting up a pumping station here.
Making sure you’re in a comfortable position
For some people, sitting up right after a c-section can be uncomfortable. Some suggestions from people who have been there include:
- Have supportive pillows for your sides and back to make sitting up to pump more comfortable.
- Use a pumping bra from the beginning to make it easier to get comfortable
- Pumpin Pals might be a good option, because they allow you to lean back while pumping
- A heating pad (set to low) on the incision may help with pain related to sitting up
Do c-sections affect milk supply?
Some people find that their milk may come in slower when they have a c-section compared to those who have a vaginal birth.
However, while your milk may take a bit longer to come in, breastfeeding outcomes between cesarean and vaginal deliveries are comparable:
“Social practices and medical factors (early bonding or infant isolation from mother who had cesarean delivery, medical complications, neonatal intensive care unit [NICU] admissions and specifics of surgical recovery) may delay the initiation of breastfeeding. Limited data from randomized controlled trials indicate no difference in the duration of breastfeeding when planned cesarean delivery and vaginal deliveries were compared within the first year.”
Before your milk comes in, you’ll produce a milk called colostrum that will provide everything your baby needs.
Colostrum can be somewhat challenging to pump. If you’re exclusively pumping, in addition to using an electric breast pump, try hand expression, using a manual pump, and using a Haakaa and see what works best for you.
Pumping for a baby in the NICU
If your baby is in the NICU, you may need to start off exclusively pumping even if that wasn’t your plan.
- Try to pump about 7-8 times a day, for a total of 120 minutes.
- Ask the NICU nurses if they have any guidelines about storing breast milk, and how they’d like it labeled.
- Find out what the NICU advises/requires in terms of washing and sterilizing pump parts and bottles (for example, they might ask that pump parts should be washed after each use and sterilized once per day).
- Try to eat, drink and sleep as much as you can.
Much more on pumping for a baby in the NICU here.
Share any of your tips for pumping after a c-section in the comments!
References- National Institutes of Health. “NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Statement on Cesarean Delivery on Maternal Request.” https://consensus.nih.gov/2006/cesareanstatement.pdf
- University of Rochester Medical Center. “Pain Management.” https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/ob-gyn/obstetrics/after-delivery/pain-management.aspx
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