FTM question- exclusive pumping

BabyMaximus2015

Hi all! I am due at the end of this month and I am frantically trying to decide on pumping/nursing. I am a first time mom and want to breast feed my baby but I am afraid I will not be able to nurse due to being very modest and I just don't feel comfortable with that. I'm not sure if it is normal or not to feel that way. I also will be returning to school and work in several weeks so exclusively pumping will work best with my schedule. I have heard that you can exclusively pump, so I have bought a breast pump (Medela in Style Advanced). My question is how soon can I pump after the baby is born? Do I have to nurse in the hospital? I was just recently told not to pump until after three weeks of nursing baby. However, I'm curious on how many people have started pumping from the hospital or right after and have success with their supply.

Thanks guys for helping a FTM out. Best wishes!

klirwin82

The hospital had me pump while I was there - my baby just wasn't latching and didn't quite get sucking so the LC had me start pumping and put the colostrum in with some formula supplement (we had problems with his blood sugar initially). Then my milk came in and by the time we went home he was doing much better. I alternate pumping and nursing now at 7 weeks PP.

Regarding modesty, I find pumping much more...kind of embarrassing I guess, it's weird to stick your boobs into some contraption and basically be milked. I don't think anyone finds it pleasant. There's no reason you have to nurse in public, I have not and probably will not, I don't feel comfortable with it and frankly I'm always relatching him so even under a cover would be hard to go unnoticed. I pump so I can bring a bottle or two when we go out. To each his own but give nursing a shot if you can, it's cool to see your baby looking up at you and going from crying to calm as you BF. And all in the privacy of your house!!

kelly422

I had to exclusively pump my first because she was premie and wouldn't latch and I have been EBF this one for 5 weeks. I would MUCH prefer EBF! Pumping is a huge pain in the butt and took up so much of my life! this time, I pumped twice in the hospital just to help my milk come in but that's it. About a week ago I started pumping once a day just for a small freezer stash.

HookEmNelson

I think you're off to a great start with having the PISA. I used that pump and it worked so well for the amount that was needed.
My personal experiences with breastfeeding and pumping - I immediately went straight into nursing. 2 weeks in I began to pump after feedings. (Side note: you will find out that pumping is its own art form. It takes some getting use to and finding what works best for you.) At 3 weeks we gave the first bottle and practiced with that every so often.
We had a pretty smooth transition once going back to work, and that's when I finally found what worked for me while pumping. The stash just built itself and its amazing to see the production of what your body can make.
Good luck, friend!!

ashleyk251

I waited to pump until the 5th day PP and regret not pumping sooner. I felt like my supply suffered because of it. I would at least start pumping the day you come home or after you get engorged the first time. Stick with it! I'm 3 months PP now and it's finally much easier. I exclusively pumped up until a week ago when I decided to give BF another shot and it didn't hurt anymore. I think the pump toughened me up. Good luck!

Anne Mommy

I EPd my second for all sorts of reasons and wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's a pain! You have to pump each time they eat. In the middle of the  night when you are already getting up every 2 hours, the last thing you want to do is pump. It's possible of course, but a pain. 

Baby #3 is the first one I have nursed anywhere but at home or in a locked room at the doctor's office. I just wasn't comfortable with it until now. 

I love my PISA. It's a great pump. If you don't bring it to the hospital and ask to pump there, they will give you a kit for the hospital pump. If you snip off the ends of the tubing, you will have a complete extra set of pump parts for your PISA. 

orangecurls

I started pumping on the day he was born, around the clock every 3 hours for 15 minutes. I used a hospital pump. My baby had some challenges with transferring milk, so it was necessary. I recommend trying to breastfeed, pumping and bottle feeding is so much work. But if you do want to EP, check out the ameda website for more Information.
https://www.ameda.com/breast-pumping/production-with-a-pump

delujm0

Before i gave birth, I thought I wanted to exclusively pump too. I wanted to know my baby's exact intake and I didn't want to have to be the only person that could feed her. I also really didn't want to nurse openly in front of anyone but my husband.

At 9.5 weeks PP though, I'm annoyed that I'm going to have to pump so much when I head back to work in a few weeks. Pumping is super annoying. It's painless for me but the setup and cleanup and then still needing to find time to actually feed LO are the worst. Honestly, being home alone during the week with a high needs baby makes it impossible to even find time to pump if I wanted to. Right now I just pump after my two night feeds (for comfort and freezer stash purposes) and occassionally if she is taking a super long nap.

LO is gaining weight like nobody's business so I lost my desire to know her exact intake because she's clearly doing fine. Also, she is comforted by nursing much more than by a bottle...nursing will put her to sleep easily at night buy a bottle won't, even though she's totally fine with eating from bottles. And at this point dozens of the people closest to me (family and friends) have seen me nurse without a cover. I won't do it in public but if you're in my house and you don't want to see it, it's on you to relocate yourself.

Read up on it as much as you can..but you will likely change your mind about it when the time comes.