Did you ever switch to BFing from pumping?

SWR&MSM

I've been pumping for about 2 months.  DD latched, pretty well at that, when she was in the hospital.  But since coming home its been hard to find the time to nurse and then pump afterwards - it takes a lot of time.  I have the name of a lactation consultant but I haven't called yet.   Partly because I like knowing how much shes eating and I'm afraid I'm going to worry all the time about her intake if we switch to BFing.  Did you ever get to the point where you could give up the ounce counting so you could enjoy BFing?

jteneback

I was nervous about it but I basically said to myself that I would give DD 2 days to show me she could take what she needed from the breast.  I used the wet/dirty diaper count as a basic check.  I was worried the first day or so but I relaxed once I realized she wasn't dehydrated and we have been BFing ever since (with a nipple shield for the most part.)  Putting the pump away has been great! 

holn76

We switched and it was difficult at first as PP said but it was totally worth it. It is too difficult to find time to pump and exhausting at that. If you are producing more than your LO is eating there is a transition for your body to decrease production. You may have to "block nurse" which means nurse only one breast each feeding so your LO gets the hind milk. The other breast will prob hurt and you may have to pump to relieve the pain (and prevent clogged ducts) for a couple weeks but try to resist.

I tracked the number of minutes he nursed each feeding to try and ease my mind. Ultimately your LO will let you know when she is hungry so you kinda have to have faith that it will all work out. 

Take a look at the La Leche League forums. They have a preemie board that helped me with questions. 

ESM354

I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear but I tried it and ended up going back to pumping.  It sort of worked for a little while but then I'm not sure what happened.  He just kept pulling off then relatching repeatedly.  That got annoying really fast so I decided to just pump.  Plus for me it took way too long since he nursed for a long time (sometimes 50 min plus) and still wasn't full.  Then I had to get a bottle then pump on top of that. Too time consuming.  I am sure it can work out.  I met with a lactation consultant and they were very enthusiastic about how things were going. 

Good luck with everything!  Hang in there.

threadless

I did!  DD was born early, so latching wasn't an option at first.  It took about 7-8 weeks, but we went from straight pumping/bottle feeds to EBF.  At first I found it terrifying that I didn't know exactly how much she was eating, but we took her to her ped a couple of times just for weight checks.  She was gaining weight well and that really helped me stop worrying! Now it is much more enjoyable and I LOVE not having to wash pump parts every couple of hours!  Good luck.

 

maggielw

I did also. I pumped for DD's 10 day NICU stay and probably for 2-3 weeks after that. I was so sick of pumping and dealing with bottles, that I just decided to BF. We still have to use a nipple shield, but we have been BFing ever since. I just fed her on demand to make sure that she wasn't hungry. HTH!

ootmother2

I pumped for the 91 day NICU stay and she latched like she'd never been fed before!

mrstarawalsh

What I started doing is for every feed she took by breast I wouldn't pump or would only pump for 10 mins after. Once I was assured she was gaining weight number of ounces just went out the window.

lgmom2010

Yes. It was a lot of work doing the transition but once we were done with that, it was amazing. I am still BFing and love it. It was worth the struggle. I'd say we stopped worrying about how much she was taking in once she came home. I knew she knew what she needed and I EBFed on demand. It's hard being in the NICU when everything is about the numbers, but it's not like that IRL.

iristony

I ended up exclusively pumping for 9 months,  We tried to nurse in NICU and a little when we got home with no success.  I liked the control of knowing how much he got and when he was in NICU I wanted to get him out of there ASAP and felt that would not happen til he was taking 100% of bottles.  Once I got home, he totally rejected breast.