exclusively pumping?

lchitt

I am thinking I may want to pump exclusively rather than breastfeed.  I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for pumping. Do you think this will work? I will of course do it while in hospital but then would like to pump so I am not pinned down and my husband wants so bad to be part of the feeding. this will atleast give us both the benefits. I have 4 weeks left of pregnancy so I am weighing my options.

amjo8286

It is A LOT of work. My LO had a lot of trouble latching on after the hospital stay so I tried to exclusively breastfeed. I lost supply quickly. I tried power pumping, mother's milk tea and every other tip I was given. I finally got him to latch on better which helped bring my supply up. I'm sure it's not impossible but takes a whole lot of dedication and time.

katie4253

EPing is hard.  If you can, nurse.  Seriously, you have to pump 8-10 times a day for the first 6 weeks.  You think you won't be pinned down, but you will.  For 15-30 mins 8-10 times a day.  After 6 weeks you can drop to 7-8 times a day.  My LO is 5 months old.  I've pumped the equivalent of 30 days.  By the time LO is 1 year old, I will have pumped for over 2 months.  A lot of that time is not with him.  

It is worth it, but if you CAN nurse.  Do try it.   

madelinemurski606

katie4253:

EPing is hard.  If you can, nurse.  Seriously, you have to pump 8-10 times a day for the first 6 weeks.  You think you won't be pinned down, but you will.  For 15-30 mins 8-10 times a day.  After 6 weeks you can drop to 7-8 times a day.  My LO is 5 months old.  I've pumped the equivalent of 30 days.  By the time LO is 1 year old, I will have pumped for over 2 months.  A lot of that time is not with him.  

It is worth it, but if you CAN nurse.  Do try it.   

All of this. I would give anything to just nurse DD. I have EPed for 4 months now and am facing a slowly dwindling supply. You also have to make sure that you bring your pump with you if you're going to be out of the house, bring cooling packs etc. to store pumped milk, along with washing the bottles, parts and on occasion tubing. If I could nurse, I would.

katcarls

I wouldn't EP unless it's necessary.  It's a lot of work and you're more likely to have supply problems.  It's also not going to be the huge timesaver you think it is.  You can't just pump once in a while when you feel like it and expect to have enough to feed your baby all day, every day.  It just doesn't work like that.  You need to stay on a schedule and it may take more than one pumping session to get enough for one feeding.

To keep your supply up you'll need to pump whenever the baby is being given a bottle and maybe more often if one session doesn't give you enough for one feeding.  So you're still tied to something but you're making it harder on yourself.  The baby is more efficient too, so it does a much better job of establishing and regulating your supply.  This is especially important early on.  I would really recommend nursing and then after a few weeks add a pumping session after your first morning feeding.  You can build up a decent stash that way for your DH to occasionally feed LO.

It's also way easier if you're out and about.  You can just nurse LO rather than having to bring along bottles that you may need to keep cold and then find somewhere to warm up.  Plus if you're at an event or away from home for more than a couple of hours you're going to need to pump to maintain your supply and prevent painful engorgement.

Check out kellymom for more info on how BF and milk production works.  I would also recommend taking a BF class at your hospital so you can be more prepared and know what to expect.

GBCK

There's nothing wrong w/ EPing if that's what you have to do...but if you CAN BF, I wouldn't EP.

I pump a lot, and I'll summaraize why I BF when I can, if it helps:

-Pumping is less efficient than BFing.  What Buffy gets in 4 nursing sessions requires 6 pumping sessions

-Time.  If I pump a bottle and it takes 30 minutes then I feed her said bottle, which takes 45 minutes, I've spent 1 hr, 15 minutes feeding her one meal.  If I BF her and it takes 45 minutes, it takes...well, 45 minutes.

-Pumping gives the nutritional benefits of breastmilk but I spend 30 minutes pumping and that nice fuzzy bonding experience comes when I FEED my baby, not the pump

-BFing is convenient.  I pump have BFed Buffy in all sorts of places--it's not always super convenient but having a ready source of food attached to my chest is much easier than travelling w/ a baby, a pump, a bottle and everything else needed to feed pumped milk on the go.  I am WAY less 'pinned down' w/ my boobs out than the Mr. is when he has to take pumped milk along to feed Buffy.

 

Your husband will have plenty of chances to feed expressed milk--There have been plenty of "here's a bottle of milk, it's 2 am,I need to sleep" nights.  There have been plenty of "I'm going out for a bit, pumped milk is in the fridge" days.  Pumping is an incredibly useful thing and I am very glad I can do it--but I"m incredibly glad that I don't *only* have to do it; it's that much harder.

ladybugpjb

Like PPs said, it's a lot of work. You're not "pinned down" to your LO, but you are pinned down to your pump. I have been able to work myself down to 4 pumps (30 min every 5-6 hours), so I have to take my pump with me if I'm going to be out longer than that. I've pumped at friends houses, the state fair, on an airplane, and in the car. Lugging the pump and having to clean the parts is not fun, so forget the illusion of not being pinned down - I say that because that's exactly what I thought. I've had some breakdowns where I told DH I wanted to quit, but he encouraged me to keep going.

EPing does allow you more freedom to go places without LO, so you're not "pinned down" in that sense, and it does allow other people to help with feeding (which can be a lifesave when you need a nap).

EPing is the best fit for us, so I deal with the more obnoxious aspects of having to lug the pump and wash bottles, etc. I also came to peace with the idea that I might eventually have to supplement with formula if my supply suffers.

Try BFing first, then pump if you need to. Whichever you choose, set SMALL goals for yourself - day-to-day if you need to. I set the goal of 2 weeks, then a month, then 2 months (which I met today!).

AliandJimmy

I'm not going to lie breastfeeding is going to take some commitment.  There were so many times that I thought about throwing in the towel in the first month or so.  The bond has been so strong that I've created with DS though that I wouldn't change that for anything in the world.  There will be so many opportunities after the first couple of weeks for you to pump to allow someone else to feed LO and trust me it's nice to have a break every once and awhile.  EP'ing would be a lot of work it's all about supply and demand.  Like others have said the pump isn't going to be as efficient as your LO so if that's the road you choose to take plan on pumping more then you would EBF. 

ALovesB

Before I had my first son I had also wrote on here about doing the same thing and got some not so helpful answers. Not like the girls that wrote here though I must say. But I will tell you I did my research and I EP from the first minute in the hospital to my goal of just over six months for my first DS. I am now EP this time as well and my DS is just over 5 weeks. I never really had to supplement with my first and only till my milk came in with my second so far. It can be done and does take time but for me it was a comfort thing and as long as my children got the milk that's what I was concerned about. Good luck to whatever you decide.

vigurl

lchitt:

I am thinking I may want to pump exclusively rather than breastfeed.  I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for pumping. Do you think this will work? I will of course do it while in hospital but then would like to pump so I am not pinned down and my husband wants so bad to be part of the feeding. this will atleast give us both the benefits. I have 4 weeks left of pregnancy so I am weighing my options.

Do not let the people who say EP'ing is a lot of work discourage you from it.  I have heard from ladies on the bump during my pregnancy that if I could BF I should do that rather than EP and even my OBGYN said the same thing.

 

However, for the same reasons as you I did not want to BF.  I absolutely have no interest in BF and I am one of those people whose mind is hard to change once I come up with an idea.   I EP b/c I want to my LO can actually nurse and has a good latch (no pain).  I have been EP'ing since birth and I am happy with my choice.  I have an over supply, I have never had thrush and I have never had a clogged duct.  

EP'ing is a lot of washing pump parts if like me you never purchased a 2nd set.  It is also time consuming at first as I was pumping at least 6x per day but now I only pump 3-4x per day.  I am happy with my choice and I managed to survive the first rough few months of EPing round the clock all by myself.  DH works 72 hr work weeks and had no paternity leave or vacation time. 

lchitt

you have all been so helpful! I think that I am going to do as you all have suggested! I am going to try BF initially and then pump and see how that goes for me. I have to go back to work at 9 to10 weeks so either way I will have to pump or go to formula. So I am going to have to attempt the pump either way. I think I will rent a pump from hospital to save money incase it doesn't work or like many of you said, if very difficult on my time. I want her to have BM as long as I physically can do with  work etc.  Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

katcarls

lchitt:

you have all been so helpful! I think that I am going to do as you all have suggested! I am going to try BF initially and then pump and see how that goes for me. I have to go back to work at 9 to10 weeks so either way I will have to pump or go to formula. So I am going to have to attempt the pump either way. I think I will rent a pump from hospital to save money incase it doesn't work or like many of you said, if very difficult on my time. I want her to have BM as long as I physically can do with  work etc.  Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

Just wanted to add something since you didn't mention going to work in your OP.  What most working moms do is to pump at work but BF when you're with baby.  That's probably the best/easiest thing to do if you can.  Good luck!

GenRN45

lchitt:

I am thinking I may want to pump exclusively rather than breastfeed.  I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for pumping. Do you think this will work? I will of course do it while in hospital but then would like to pump so I am not pinned down and my husband wants so bad to be part of the feeding. this will atleast give us both the benefits. I have 4 weeks left of pregnancy so I am weighing my options.

If you think EPing will not pin you down, you're crazy. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but that's the truth. DD is 10 months old and I'm STILL pinned down. BFing would be SO much easier. To not have to worry about sticking to a schedule just feed her whenever she's hungry. To not have to bring a pump/supplies everywhere you go? TO not have to worry about another blockage/mastitis if you oversleep or go too long between pumping? There's plenty of time for your husband to be a part of things. If you have the ability to nurse your child, it's what's best for you AND your child. IMO, if you can nurse and you choose to EP, you're out of your mind.

This is a post I made awhile ago about the same thing.

BeetleLinz1125

EP is normally done out of necessity, not choice.  If I had the choice I would BF my baby, but it didn't work.  And formula was not an option for me.  I have no interest in formula feeding, and it's also an unnecessary expense when I can make it for free. 

EP takes a LOT of commitment & support.  Whatever choice you make, please make sure that your H and anyone else who is key to your success will be there to encourage you along the way.  I never would have made it if my H and mom weren't so supportive of my decision to EP.