Exclusively Pumping?

mmherne

So I found out from the lactation consultant that I have fairly flat nipples so that LO can not get a good latch. We tried the nipple shield, but once she latched to it I began to bleed and there were pieces of my skin left in the shield. Apparently I have very thin skin so once she's latched she's literally ripping my skin off! I've decided to switch to pumping which is going ok, but I have to supplement with formula. Just wondering if anyone else is exclusively pumping and how it's going?

astrat017

I had trouble getting enough supply for my son (now 3) so I turned to EP after 3 weeks. It was the only way he was eating enough. I did it for another month but it the pressure from the pump made me bleed after doing it for that long and my Dr told me to stop. I hope your experiences are better with it. My thoughts are that whatever breastmilk I could get was good and even though I only got 2 months in it was better than nothing. Do your best but if you end up having to switch to formula don't feel bad about it:)

mmherne

Thanks for the encouragement! It's not an easy task to keep up with, but I know it's what's best for her.

AmCheri

I started exclusively pumping at 8w with our daughter and made it through 13 months. We also supplemented with formula. I would typically pump 5 times a day and she would get anywhere from about 50-75% BM each day. At the start, I pumped every time we fed her, including at night. But, for us, night time pumping just wasn't a good idea, so I did not stick with it too long. I would pump first thing after I woke up, three times during the day and then immediately before bed. It's a lot of work and you might feel like all you do is pump and wash pump parts, but it can be done! I'm actually looking forward to it again this time with our son. A couple of suggestions. I think if you EP, it is worth it to use a hospital-grade pump. Also, I eventually bought enough pump parts so that I did not have to constantly wash parts between pumping sessions. Made a huge difference in my day and attitude. Good luck to you!

JAP09-02

I started EP'ing with my first at 6 weeks. I thought she wasn't getting enough and wanted to know exactly how much she was eating. Hind sight I realize it was just a growth spurt. I continued EP'ing until she was 7 mos & had a freezer stash to get through to 8 mos. At one point my supply severely decreased, and it was very hard to build it back up. I pumped at least 20 min every 3 hours starting at 5am and power pumped from 10pm - 11pm every night. It was a lot of work. Basically, it took twice as long per feeding because of washing parts & then still having to give the bottle. One tip though, you can store parts in a Baggie in the fridge, reuse, & wash at the end of the day.

Did you only see one LC? It might be worth getting a second opinion if you'd still like to get LO to the breast. Did they suggest pumping a little to draw the nipple out then attempting to latch?

I was hell bent on not going down the pumping road with DD2 & have the same mindset with this one. I suffered through a rocky start with DD2 & a decent chunk of my nipple missing. It was excruciating. I continued to work with various LCs and made it through those really hard/painful first couple of weeks to have a wonderful year of breastfeeding.

I hope you find the balance that works for you. EPing is admirable & definitely a labor of love.

Mel&John2013

I exclusively pumped with my first. I did the same as pp, I pumped first thing in the morning, 3 times during the day and once before bed. Once my son was about 5 or 6 months my supply was enough that I was able to do only 2 sessions during the day instead of the 3 and still get 30-40 oz a day.
It seems overwhelming at first, but once you get a schedule down it's absolutely doable. Just be sure to ask your SO for help and support when you need it, that part is invaluable. And if you're feeling discouraged, adding up the cost of formula for a month always made me feel better.
Good luck! It's not for everyone, but if it's what you want I hope it works out for you!

CivilMommy

I EP'd for my first baby because she didn't work her mouth correctly and wasn't taking milk.  The latch looked good, but her mouth movements were wrong, causing her to feed for 45m every hour, not get much, and she was tearing my nipples apart.

After 4 different LCs tried to help, the last one finally said that EPing would be my best bet for long term success for both baby and me.

It was a lot of work, but so worth it to be able to provide for my baby and for others as I had an oversupply that I was able to donate to the hospital NICU.

Good luck!!!

MommaBre2007

Im EP because my daughter refuses to wake up every 3 hours. When she is awake and its time for me to pump I do feed her from my breast but she likes the bottle better. I already have a large stash going in my freezer for when I go back to work and pumping 8 oz every three hours. Shes only eating 3.

SDJohnson26

I had problems with my baby girl latching as I have one flat and inverted I used the shield for the first 3 days and it tore up my nipple she was actually drinking the blood from my nipple so I had to only feed on my left side for 3 days and now my supply is better on my left than my right so the LC taught me how to get my nipple prepared without using the shield and it had been so much better but I pump too as I start back to school next week good luck it will get better it still hurts me when she latches because she is actually bringing my nipple out is what I was told

mmherne

Thank you all so much for the advice and support! I'm only getting about 2-3 oz. per session right now so I can't wait to start building my supply! EP is definitely exhausting but I really want her to have the benefits of breastmilk. Your stories make me feel like I might just be able to do this! Thanks!!