To Exclusively Pump or Not?
charmcity82
member
I am about to become a FTM and have been thinking about what method I want to use to deliver breast milk to our son. The idea of pumping appeals to me for several reasons: I need to return to work sporadically starting at 6 weeks, I want my husband to be able to be involved in the feeding process, I like the idea of being able to track/measure just how much our little guy eats at each feeding.
My big question has to do with whether or not I want to breastfeed AND pump, or try to exclusively pump. For ladies who have made this decision in the past:
- What method did you settle on? What influenced this decision?
- If you EP, did you start pumping from day one, or were there still a few days/weeks of nursing?
- What are the challenges to using both methods, or to EPing?
Thanks so much for any advice. I am trying to learn as much about both options as I can!
DS2: 10/23/2015
Re: To Exclusively Pump or Not?
I exclusively pumped for my 2yo, and I am again for this LO. With my 1st, I tried off and on for 2 months to get him to breastfeed. He did great for the first week, but had a bad latch that caused me a lot of pain, so I started pumping. I worked with a LC to get him back to breast, it never worked out for us. I pumped for 10 months and used my freezer stash to get to his 1st bday.
This time, I had ever intention of breastfeeding, no pumping, but DS#2 ended up having respiratory distress/pneumonia and ended up in the NICU for 10 days, that really put a damper on our BF relationship. I spend a lot of time trying to get him to BF, but decided EPing is best for my family.
EPing is a lot of work. You pump, feed the baby, and then wash all the pump parts. You have to be very committed in the beginning, pumping ever 2-3hrs around the clock, like baby would eat to establish a supply. It's definitely doable, and whichever option you choose, you are doing a awesome thing for your baby.
I would suggest trying BFing from the beginning, it's easier to estalish a supply with the baby than the pump. Introduce a bottle early so baby won't have problems when you go back to work, and you can switch back and forth if baby will. GL momma!
You can always choose to EP later, but it's really really difficult to teach a baby to latch down the road. For that reason, I would encourage you to breastfeed in the beginning if possible. It's also much less stressful to breastfeed than to pump in the early weeks - you have to pump every 2-3 hours around the clock PLUS actually feed and care for your newborn. It adds 4-6 hours of work per day to a really busy time.
Returning to work at 6 weeks is already a challenge - establishing your supply at the breast will help with that. Once you're pumping at work, you can decide if you'd rather pump more or breastfeed when together.
Natural Birth Board FAQs
Cloth Diaper Review Sheet
To echo what PP said, with EPing you have to pump every couple of hours in the beginning...around the clock...to help establish your supply. It wasn't until DS2 was about 6 months old that I dropped pumping sessions from 8/day to 6/day, and then when he hit 8 months I dropped to 4/day. I also still wake up once a night to pump, but that's a personal preference if mine; it's nice and quiet at 3am when I pump, whereas its not so quiet and peaceful during the rest of my day with 2 crazy little boys. Lol.
EPing is a lot of work, and in my opinion, should be your last resort. I personally feel like you should give BFing a try before you resort to EPing.
Best of luck!!
DS2 August 2012
My daughter was in the NICU for two weeks so I was an EPer from day one. After she was strong enough to BF and we had her home , I chose to continue to EP. At the time we were still so concerned about her weight and I wanted to make sure she was getting enough to eat ( I know this is theoretically not a valid concern but it made me feel better to know for sure).
Fast forward 3.5 months....pumping sucks...you spend A LOT of your time pumping/ feeding your baby/washing bottles. Even more so once you go back to work and have fewer hours a day to spend with your LO. I still almost EP. My DD will switch back and forth but seems to BF to get a snack and will just fall asleep and want to eat an hour later. For that reason and my sanity, I continue to pump and feed her bottles of expressed milk. My advice either way is to get a good quality pump, it can REALLY make things better for you.
You have to do what is best for your family and if you choose to EP, know that your baby is still getting what it needs from you.
I agree with this too!
I would suggest trying to BF in the beginning and then go from there, I believe that your milk and supply will be better off when stimulated by the baby rather than a pump.
From experience, we had an extremely difficult time nursing in the beginning, I will spare you the details, but I met with a few IBCLC's and we couldn't fix her latch, I still nursed off and on for 4 months.
I began pumping at 2 weeks and my days revolved around it, I have been EPing pretty much since then with a nursing session once or twice a day until she was four months and we quit nursing all together.
She is 6 months now and I still pump 5 times a day and my days revolve around my pumping schedule if I go somewhere I need to make sure I have my pump and usually end up pumping in the car (not so fun) or stay home during my pumping times. I am still going and would like to continue until her 1st birthday but it is difficult.
EPing is possible but if I had a choice I would rather BF. Either way, know that you are doing a good thing for your baby.
DS2: 10/23/2015