Who EP-ed?

SingleMom31

I nursed Isa without much of an issue, but we're struggling with Caroline nursing. She'll latch on, but at the last weighed feeding, she only got an ounce since she's not doing it effectively. I've been pumping / supplementing with BM to make sure she's getting enough, and am kind of scared that I'm going to end up EP. Did anyone EP last time? It seems like a giant pain, so I'm curious about your experience.

ExcitedAunt2b

I did, for 6 weeks because of a few factors.  Morgan was a terrible latcher, once we finally got her on she would nurse really well but it was hell getting her to latch.  So I started pumping, I would pump 12-16 times in a 24 hour period, basically every time Morgan was fed I pumped.  It was tedious, hard and I cried all the time.  My supply ended up suffering because of the stress, I felt horrible about not BF'ing, my mom didn't help but that's another story, so I went from getting 4-6 oz per session to just about 2.  After 6 weeks I just couldn't do it, I finished my supply and moved to formula. 

But...my sister told me about a friend (?) who EP'd and she did it for a year or longer.  I don't remember how long exactly. 

If you keep it up and stay at it I'm sure it will work, just don't get down!!!

jac409

I EP'ed for about six months. DD was also not a good latcher, and was losing too much weight at the beginning. The Ped pushed the formula on me so hard, I caved. After that she always preferred a bottle. She would nurse, but was never efficient at it because I think she knew eventually I would give her a bottle. I was determined to give her BM for the first year though, so eventually I stopped nursing and started EPing. Like @j3nnyb‌ , I had to pump every time I gave her a bottle. Luckily, my supply kept up pretty well for the most part, with help from fenugreek and lactation cookies. The good thing about it was that I always knew she was getting enough. Sorry you are having issues! I am sooo hoping for a better experience this time around myself. *edit...spelling.

DecemberGirl1216

Me too until 6 months with a ratio of 75% BM to 25% formula. Annelise had latch issues too, I was using a shield but she was nursing constantly with little weight gain and was right at 6lbs.

It was a total pain. On top of pumping and feeding the other part that I found time consuming was frequently washing the pump parts. Toward the end as I was more comfortable with wiping down the parts with pump wipes and putting them in the refrigerator to use for two pumping sessions instead of washing after every single one. Good luck, it's tough but whatever you do as long as your daughter is fed, growing, and happy that is all that matters.

JessAnnJ

I had extreme pain while BF and we could never figure out a way to make it work so I gave up on BF and just kept pumping. It took a little over a month for me to produce enough so that she was only getting BM. I went to work at 4 months and it was harder to keep my supply up so I started dipping into my freezer stash. My stash ran out at 6 months and I just pumped whatever I could and gave her that until a year which is when I stopped pumping. She was getting about 80% BM. I was pumping 5 times a day at around the 6 month mark and then eventually 4-5 times a day towards the end. I just couldn't pump any more than that and keep my sanity. I set small goals with my first one being to do it until I got back to work, then until 6 months and then eventually I just made it to a year. I figured some BM was better than none so I just kept going.

valeriegp

I EPed for about 9 weeks. During that time my son had some formula while my supply built up but at the end of the time was exclusively on breast milk. We had a number of issues with his latch and pain I was having, but my pumping supply wasn't too bad. At about 9 weeks, I read on a board somewhere a post from a woman who had decided to try again at about that time, and it worked. So, I thought I'd give it a go. My son was 9-10 weeks when I tried nursing again and miraculously it was great. I think he just needed to "mature" a little (part of our problem was a weak seal when he latched on). At that point I was going back to work in less than 2 weeks, so rather than going to nursing full time, I went to what was going to be my work schedule. Nursing morning and night and pumping during the day. I ended up BFing until he was 12 months -- he got 1-2 bottles of formula for a few weeks at the end when my supply dropped, I think from extreme work stress.

I should add that my partner was able to take the same amount of leave I did, so I had a lot of help while trying to figure out the EPing schedule, etc.

EPing at that age is really, really hard, but if you can handle it and are really dedicated to BFing, the moral of my story is that miracles do happen!

LittleFish1

I didn't but a friend from my mom's group did for about a year - have hero worship because she was one of those moms who'd pump where ever & whenever. She took the supplements & did the teas. She didn't have a supply issue, instead was able to stop pumping and have approx 6 month supply of stored freezer milk. Her LO ended up having some sort of tongue/ swallowing issue that impacted her ability to swallow without gagging. The LO could only have purees up until around 1.5 years & then they slowly increased the texture of the food & she was fine.

mylittleladies1229

I EP for my twins for 9 months.  I loved it! It gave me the freedom to have other people feed the girls and I didn't have to wake up every single time at night.  It is a pain in the beginning because you have to pump all. the. time. But eventually I got down to doing it 4-5 times a day.  My experience was great with it, but I have no experience with breastfeeding.