EPers: how do you ep?

GE

Just pump before each feeding?  How does this work?  Those that EP why did you choose to do so?

KMB7

I'm curious about your responses.?

jenbowman

I pump when I am at work (twice) and when I get home and before I go to bed.  I nurse her when I am with her (i.e. after work, nighttime, weekends).

m_n_mwedding

I pump after I feed him either a bottle of breastmilk or a bottle of formula. Normally him crying to get food helps with the letdown and the milk will flow easier. That and he normally goes back to sleep after he eats and then its easier for me to pump. I wanted to breastfeed, but he wouldn't latch on. I have now found out that he will nurse with nipple shields and we use these and then i pump what he didn't eat so i can feed him later.

CAchica

I pump every 4 hours (aprox) no matter what. I've always had plenty of milk so I've always been ahead of him so-to-speak. I just put it in a bottle on pop it in the fridge. When he's hungry I just pull one out ready to go. Sometimes I'll just leave one out if he's going to be hungry soon. When all my bottles are full I freeze the extra.

I EP because I would prefer for him to ge my milk for the first few months, I work, he and I both like bottle feeding (he because he was little and it was easier for him, me because I had my freedom back to some extent). It really works with my lifestyle better.

Stacyc625

Gisele would not latch after we got home from the hospital- even after seeing three LC's. So we have been EPing ever since. Definitely not my choice- however its not that bad now.

I pump every three hours. I get up at 6am- before her and pump. I get about 20-22oz- I then pump at 9am and noon (usually get around 10-15oz). I pump at 3, 6 and 10pm. (9-10oz). 10pm is my last pump as i have trained my body to not to need to pump at night- thankfully- but i didn't do that until around week 14.  I pump for ten minutes and I am always WAY ahead of her and there is a ton of milk in the fridge and freezer.

I just sit with her on the ground and she does tummy time or whatnot and i sing to/play her while i pump.

minda31807

I pump every 3-4 hours during the day and 4-6 hours at night.  For awhile I was pumping right before each feeding, but when he started sleeping more at night I started to build up a surplus. When DH is home I give him the baby while I pump, but when it is just me and DS, I try to pump while he is sleeping or I put him in his swing so I can pump.  I chose to EP because I knew that I would be going back to work but I still wanted him to have the benefits of BM, plus almost all of DH's family lives close by and they all want to babysit him. I knew if I were BFing it would be harder for them to force DH and I out on a date night so they can watch him. 

soon2bawalker

When I was EPing I would pump in the morning (i have an over supply) that would get me 15-20 ounces from that one sitting, then i'd pump again at 12, 4, 8, and 11. the milk from 4,8,and 11 i would freeze. I chose to EP bc she refused to latch right and i felt like my nipples were trying to be ripped off lol

jerseygirl81

Charlie went on a hunger strike in the hospital so we had to feed him expressed milk from a bottle and he never went back to the breast.

I started out pumping 7x a day but now I've cut down to 5x. I'm way ahead of what he eats so I always have a bottle ready and I have a large freezer stash.