Surgery

Dear Irene, It can be a lot of stress for U an baby emotionally and physically.  So before we figure out the best way to work out, lets consider the following.

How many times you feed your baby everyday?

Do you feed all breastmilk or supplement with formula, and how much?

Did your baby ever fed by caretaker in bottle or spoon / cup?

If you need hospitalization, is it possible to delay until baby is older? Have you got second opinion?

Have you discuss the breastfeeding with your doctor?

So, for  a 2-3 days separation, you have to consider the needs of baby as well as your own.  If you plan to continue bf after hospital, you will need to keep up pump or bring baby in to feed, so as to keep up your supply, as well to minizes any chances for having engorement of breast or infections.  you do not want to complicate on top of your surgery.

I believe Q Mary have nursery but I don't know if it far from your room.  So if you talk to doctor or the nursery, you may be able to arrange help for pumping, and nursing baby.  How about going to the nursery to nurse your baby, then your mother may feel more safe to do.  Or else you prepare extra pumping head for use, so that you don't need to clean it at hospital, but let someone clean at home and bring to you. Bring extra hand pump so that if all the pumping head are used, you still have pump to use.

It is fine to pump and bring home the milk. Of course you will keep pumping accessory clean.  Wash your hand before.   You can use a cooler bag with cooler ice to keep the milk cold on the way back home.  Ask the hospital to help you to refrigrate the milk during day and night, so that when your mother visit you , she can bring all milk back home with cool bag and ice.Store your milk for the amount baby drink for one time in one bag. so that you will not need to waste.  You can defrost the milk in cold running water or a water bath (can change the water when cold), then warm it with warm water bath.

Defroze only enough for baby to eat at one time, so do not store in big bags.  Store in small batches.  Once defroze, do not froze again.  If have left behind, discard or refrigrate and eat asap. For the milk you pump in hospital, can keep in the fridge, not frozen, and feed for the next day. breast milk keep well in room temp at 22-26 C for 4 hours.  Keep well in fridge for 8 days, and keep well in frozen for 3-4 months.

As you can see, it is a bit hard work you will need to do to pump and keep, while you need rest.  So it may be even easier for baby to come and let you feed, and feeding will also relax you in such a stressful time.  But you will make your choice for the best way to do for your family. And seek help from friends, family, nurse, doctor, lactation consultation will make things easier.

Thanks for your advice.

I do not have thyroid deficiency.I have goitre probably due to inheritance.But it is just large in size like my mom's and my thyroid function is normal even after my first surgery.The other side started enlarging some time after though.However,the doctor is afraid that the enlargement would compress the air pipe and affect my breathing (though i don't feel like that)

 
Anyway,it is not a very dangerous operation.If I do not have any problems (like fever) after that,I could return home within two or three days.

I did consider to bring the baby to hospital and breastfeed her after operation.However,my mom said it's not very convenient as the hospital is quite far away from our home.(I'll do the operation in Queen Mary Hospital and my home is in Tung Chung)It's quite tiring for the baby and her.

 On the other hand,my mom thinks it'd better to discard the milk I pump out during my stay in hospital due to the effect of anesthesia and the hygiene.I wonder if it's ok for me to bring the milk home.
How can I wash the components of the pump in hospital so that the milk I pump out would be safe for baby to drink? Also,is it ok for me to bring the milk home just after pumping without any freezer used?

I read some articles on this website about how to freeze and defrost the milk.It is said in the articles that the frozen milk should be put in the lower part of the refrigerator(max.12 hours) to let it completely melt before warming it in a water bath.But my mom said you can get the frozen milk out 2 hours before use to let it melt in the room temperature.Is this method be ok?

If the defrosted milk can not be consumed completely just after the warming,how long can it be put in the room temperature that it is still be safe for the baby to drink?

I have an electric double pump and I pump three times a day ( morning,afternoon and evening).Each day I could get around 60ml.I guess it's probably due to the pumping that my nipples are a bit painful.
Just like mrstin said,the milk is more in the morning and gets lesser in the evening.Why would it be like that?

Thanks sincerely.

Dear Irene,

Taking thyroid supplements is safe for baby, and thyroid deficient mothers found that they feel good after the supplement and milk supply increases.

You are worrying how to get enough supply for your separation.  First of all, how long you need to separate from baby?  Can you arrange with doctor that you meet your baby at hospital to feed her during your stay?  That will ease your worry about making enough reserve. If baby is not allow in hospital room, how about meeting baby in the nursury if the hospital have one.  You will need to arrange that beforehand.  Also ask if the hospital have lactation consultant or nurses that can help you about breastfeeding duing your stay.

Also you may consider renting an electric double pump asap and start pump between feedings.  Don't worry if you only get a little bit.  You can get a bit a day and collect them for use.  And you still have almost 2 weeks to go, so relax a bit and that will help your supply too! Also while staying in hospital, arrange to have the electric pump to use, so that whenever possible, you will pump every 2-3 hours to keep up the supply during your separation.  If the hospital has a nursury, can you use their pump?  And you can get a helper to bring milk to your baby.

You are being a very good mother, even you need to look after yourself, you still want to breastfeed your baby!

Irene,

首要，有關儲奶，你可以試在早上餵完阿b之後再泵，因一般來說，早上的奶量是較多的，而通常每天在傍晚時份奶量是最少的。另外，亦可以試在上午及晚上奶餐時，在阿b吃完之後再泵一泵，希望可以儲到些少，用積少成多的方法。

至於，手術後一定要待麻醉藥過晒才可以開始餵，要多久才ok，可以問一問醫生。而日後因要吃甲狀腺的藥物，你的醫生都說沒有問題，你也可以放心。但會否令你的奶量下降就沒有資料，不過，你亦要對自己有信心。而且，只要藥物不影響你身體水份的多少(如傷風藥吃了有時會令奶量減少的)，應該沒有問題的。另外，如你有藥物名稱在手的話，你可以試下致電衛生署的母乳熱線29618868，可以查該藥物是否不會過奶或過奶也不會對bb有影響的。