breastfeeding choice, need some advice

babesbabs · February 2012

Hey ladies, so I have been breastfeeding and supplementing with formula. I have also been pumping to try to increase my supply. I feel like I have had all the BF issues.. poor latch so I am using a shield, never had a full supply etc and now he falls asleep every time I put him to breast.He wakes up constantly because he is still hungry, esp in the middle of the night. So here is my question, I am contemplating exclusively pumping. I will be able to pump a lot more if I do this, and I think that will increase me supply which means he will get more breast milk and less formula just not straight from the source

What would you do? I appreciate any thoughts, I am exhausted and overwhelmed. TIA!

Brit's Luna154 · February 2012

LO was a preemie who would not stay awake to eat for the first few weeks, so I EPd for a few weeks, then switched to back to BF when she was about 5 weeks old. I don't think there is anything wrong with EPing except that it is more time consuming because you spend time pumping and time feeding.

namara5532 · February 2012

Have you talked to a lactation consultant? They may have some tips to get him to latch. If you can get him latching, it'll be better for your supply than pumping. But pumping will still be better than supplimenting, especially if you plan to try to directly breastfeed again sometime in the future.

megaloo27 · February 2012

I had all kinds of problems as well. We just started exclusively pumping this week and I love it! Baby has less gas, and has been getting plenty to eat. She is sleeping better because she is getting a consistent amount of food. I pump every other feeding right now which seems to be the right amount for us. I feel more in control an less frustrated. I feel less physically drained because I was having to nurse for 45 minutes-1 hour. I would recommend it.

oheck · February 2012

My lo actually had a really good latch and was doing great for the first 2 weeks. All of a sudden he wouldn't stay awake and eat longer than 5 or 10 minutes which then resulted in him only sleeping for about 45 minutes. After a week of him wanting to eat every hour, I couldn't take it any more and started pumping. At first, I thought I would pump and bottle feed at night and try to breastfeed during the day but after he started eating from the bottle his latch immediately became super lazy. I wasn't dedicated enough to try to work with him to be able to eat both ways. Overall, pumping has been way less stressful for me even though it can be annoying at times.

Some pros to just pumping are:

I'm not having to fight with LO to eat any more. It's a lot less stressful for me to give him a bottle.
I wasn't super comfortable breastfeeding in public, so I now feel like I have more freedom to go places with LO.
my husband (and other relatives when they visit) can now help feed LO which allows me more freedom and a little more sleep.

Some downsides:

during the day when I am alone, I have to feed LO and then wait for him to take a nap or be willing to play alone for a bit so I can pump.
waking up or staying awake at night to pump - although I feel like this is my best pumping time because I can sit uninteruppted for a longer stretch of time.

I try to pump every 2 hours during the day (when LO permits). During the night, I pump almost every 2 hours when I feed LO except for maybe 1 or 2 feedings when DH gets up to feed. I also try to pump at least 15-20 minutes. At first, I would think I was finished but when I started waiting longer I realized that milk would start coming again.

If you do plan on pumping, I would recommend getting or making a hands-free bra. It helps pass the time if you can do something besides sit and hold the shields. I would also talk to a lactation consultant or do some reading on the internet about the best way to pump (ie. for how long during each session, etc).

Whatever choice you make, you just need to do what is best for your family. Good luck!

DEBBIE33CASEY · February 2012

I EP'd for 9 months b/c DD had a poor latch. It was seriously double the work. If the biggest problem with LO nursing is falling asleep keep in mind that's normal. Try changing diaper and stripping off LO's clothes prior to feeding. Being a little cold will help LO stay awake longer for feedings (we did this the first 2-3 weeks of BFing). How often is he waking up exactly? If it's around every 2 hours that's normal (and that clock starts at the start of BFing) so it really does feel like they're feeding constantly.

As long as you're happy with the choice to EP then there's nothing wrong with it. There's a certain satisfaction you can get by seeing how much LO is drinking and how fast you can build a FBM stash. However these things aren't necessary. As long as he's getting the right # of dirty & wet diapers then he's being fed just fine! So check that out.

After I started EPing DD was never able to latch again and I didn't really have a choice of BFing, so I was bitter about doing it b/c I felt forced. But if you're considering EPing b/c you WANT to do it then it's a GREAT option. I agree, talk to a LC and see what they say. Sometimes they're really helpful, sometimes not. Otherwise try talking to someone from LLL- they have chapters everywhere!

GL!