EPers, please come in!

LouRN09

Also posted on the BF board.....

So, I wont get into detail (if you frequent this board then I am sure you have come across my saga story! haha). However, in order to give my nipples a much needed break to heal, per the LC, I am going to EP for a few days and meet with another LC on Friday.

So far today, the EPing has gone pretty well. Ive tried to stay on top of it every 2-3 hours and have everything set up for tonight. The more I think about it though, the more appealing EPing seems vs traditional BF. I know, I must be crazy, right!? I have heard how hard it is to EP, but here is what my brain is thinking....

So far today, with EPing, DS has been more content, happy, and napping better. I also loved that DH could give him a bottle, and I wasnt stuck on the couch nursing him for an hour and missing on quality DS1 play time. Yes, pumping takes time, but 30 minutes vs an hour (or more!) seems like a blessing to me in the whole scheme of things. Not being tied to the couch with DS2 on my boob allowed me to get back in the routine of putting DS1 to bed, which is so special to me.

Yes, we had a bunch of bottles and pump parts to wash tonight, but it took a total of 10 minutes to do so.

Any other EPers have positive things to say about their experience? What hurdles have you run into that I obviously havent faced in my 1 day of doing this? Am I crazy for thinking I could possibly EP? I go back to work in 5 weeks anyway and will be pumping all day then.

leannsiiple

Hello! When I was at the hospital I couldn't get my son to latch on while BF. After 24 hours of him not getting any nutrients and working with a lactation consultant we decided I needed to EP or use formula. I have not had any problems with EP besides my pump acting up once! I get to see how much my little guy is eating and I know he is getting enough. I still do skin to skin with my son so I know I am bonding with him as closely since I can't BF. I don't think you're crazy for considering to EP, it's a great option for feeding our babies!

elizabethwig

I think that while it may sound appealing now, you might wish you kept up BFing when your LO gets more efficient and BFing sessions get down to a smooth 10 or 15 min rather than a painful hour. Who knows though as I'm a FTM and my LO is new. I have to try to BF and then pump to increase my supply and I agree that sometimes pumping seems easier. But other times when she latches right and just gets in an eating groove, I think how nice it would be if I could just forget the pumping crap and be done when she's done rather than having to then wash everything and sterilize parts everyday, etc. But obviously do what works best for you and your situation!

SBmomma

Well breast feeding did not work for us unfortunately, but thank God for the pump! I have a very low milk supply, but at least I know that my baby is getting my milk during the day then gets formula at night. I'm so tired of all the guilt trips people give me for not breast feeding...obviously I would if I could. We do the best we can as
mothers. I only wish I could get more milk supply so I can stop the formula.

taryn30

With my first child, I breAstfed for three months and pumped till 14pnths. I wanted to give my baby bteastmilk so I made it happen! My husband used to say I was chained to the pump and made going out a xhallenge. Weddings in particular posed problems because I didn't pump away from home. Why didn't I pump away? I felt at the time that my pump wouldn't travel well. I have the ameda purely yours. In retrospect, I just should have done it! Despite having to schedule my time, I wouldn't have changed a thing! It did though take me a long time to get my two or three let downs so a pumping session would end up being 45 minutes to an hour!

LouRN09

elizabethwig:

I think that while it may sound appealing now, you might wish you kept up BFing when your LO gets more efficient and BFing sessions get down to a smooth 10 or 15 min rather than a painful hour. Who knows though as I'm a FTM and my LO is new. I have to try to BF and then pump to increase my supply and I agree that sometimes pumping seems easier. But other times when she latches right and just gets in an eating groove, I think how nice it would be if I could just forget the pumping crap and be done when she's done rather than having to then wash everything and sterilize parts everyday, etc. But obviously do what works best for you and your situation!

You make a good point here. However when I EBF DS1 he never got super efficient and it still took us at least 45 min every time. But you never know this one could be different!

danieliza1127

I've been EPing for about 8 weeks now and I am really happy with it.  It's just easy to me, like you said, I'm not tied down to a chair nursing but I still get the bonding time with my LO when I feed him and we stare at each other or I talk to him while he's taking a bottle.  I would be pumping anyway now that I'm back to work.  Plus now that my supply is so regular, I've been able to drop an evening pump so really the only time I'm pumping at home is first thing in the morning and after the baby goes to bed.  It's just really easy to me and doesn't really conflict with any quality time with the baby. 

The only hurdle, which isn't that big of a deal, is that when I go somewhere for a long period of time, I have to take the pump with me and make sure to get my scheduled pump in.  For example, we went home to see family (3 hours away) and spent an entire day with my H's family so I had to pump at his cousin's house.  It was no big deal though, he let me use his bedroom and I just excused myself for 15 minutes and was done.  Last weekend we went to my H's other cousin's house for a long afternoon/evening and I did the same thing.  I didn't find it too inconvenient though.  And again like I said, once your supply is really regulated you could even just skip a pump if you had too because your body will make up for it the next time you pump (I normally get 5oz a pump session but if I skip a pump, I get 10oz at the next pump).

Raserei

I have made the decision to EP during the day (it's just too convenient when I'm half asleep to breastfeed over night - plus LO doesn't want to wait for me to warm something up). My reason was my letdown was so fast that LO would cough and sputter as I hold a cloth over my breast, soaking it while trying to get LO feeling ready to latch again - while I felt bad for LO, it also felt like a waste. It has also helped a little with her reflux, since she can regulate with the bottle how much she's getting better and all that milk isn't hitter her tummy all at once. I also like that DH can feed her, and that gives me time to eat or get something done or just have some time when my hands aren't tied up. Also, when I'm visiting family and all they want to do is hold her, I can offer them to do a feeding instead of keep snatching her up (she can be a bit of a snacker some days).

It is tough sometimes to find time while I'm alone with her to sneak in a pump while she's sleeping, but I've regulated enough now I can be flexible with her. GL!

downwardsunshine

I've just stopped pumping. In theory it sounds easy but its not. I spent more time with that pump than I did my son. 4 am feedings are bad enough Without having to add a 30 min pumping session. Everything in my life was scheduled around that pump. I couldn't be gone very long from home unless I wanted to pump in the car....I own a retail businesses So I had to make sure someone was at work with me so I could pump. Ever try Feeding a crying baby with a bottle and leaking breast milk all over the place at the same time? I spent literally 4 hours out of every day pumping and THEN I had to spend 30 mins 6 times a day feeding DS. DS spent some time in the NICU with formula and bottles so would not latch so if he was going to get BM I had to pump. After two months of that I was so miserable, frustrated and dealing with some PPD so I switched to formula. My advice would be to keep actually breastfeeding. I would never recommend Eping to anyone...