Breastfeeding moms- help!

jessamommy2 · August 2011

My daughter is 4 months and I feel like she is attached to my boob all day. I really am exhausted trying to keep up with this. Did any of you pump- for how long? Also anyone else give up on breastfeeding and figure out it wasn't right for you? I am happy I breastfed for 4 months but now just am over it- or should I maybe just push through a little longer to the 6 month mark?

bll530 · August 2011

I breastfeed my DD for about 6 months. I went back to work when she was 4 months and pumped at work for about 2 months. I currently nurse her first thing in the morning and at night before bed, but I'm not sure how much longer that will last. I started sending one bottle of formula to daycare along with pumped BM around 5.5/6months or so because I couldn't keep up with pumping at work and was depleting my freezer stash.

When I was nursing full time, I would definitely get annoyed with it. It seemed like I would nurse her for sometimes 45 min and then before I knew it she was hungry again. But on the flip side, you don't have to mess with bottles, warming, washing, etc. and I liked the bond we developed from it.

I am happy to say I made it to 6 months nursing DD with just a little formula. But I feel much happier now that I'm not pumping, it was too time consuming at work for me. I know that formula is just fine for her, so I'm happy with my decision.

Do whatever feels right for you and your DD. If you're happy, she'll be happy. Good luck!

Bigyellowdog · August 2011

The four month mark was when my son got really efficient and also a little less interested in nursing. Hugs! BFing isn't always easy!

ballerina06 · August 2011

It sounds like your daughter is cluster feeding most likely due to a growth spurt. This will pass, just give it a little time. You can do this, you got past the hardest time, when they are first born.

I started out nursing my son, but due to an overactive letdown and oversupply situation I ended up EPing. I'm going to tell you right now EPing is a huge pain in the neck. You need to pump every 2-3hrs for about 15-20 minutes. During that time you need to try to keep the baby occupied so you can pump. Then after you pump you need to feed the baby from the bottle. Then you need to also clean the bottles and your pump parts. I'm not saying you can't do it, but it's not all puppies and rainbows either. I EP'd for 8mo, and with my oversupply my DS who is 14mo tomorrow is still getting breastmilk.

In all honesty, this is just a little bump in the road. You will get past this and things will get easier. I guess all I'm saying is take some time and give it some thought. I can say from my experience, the fact that my son is still getting bm and will continue to do so until he's probably 16mo is one of the things I am most proud of. Hang in there, I'm sure you are going to make the best decision for you and your family.

Jacqui105 · August 2011

You could EP but honestly I think breastfeeding is so much easier. But if you are ready to be done, do what is best for hou and your family. But it does sound like a growth spurt or maybe just hanging on longer for some comfort nursing? I will say that at four months my LO got to a point where it was impossible to get her to focus and eat for more than five or ten min, once every three to four hours. Now she will focus more but she still is much much quicker with nursing, and the sessions are a little more spread out. Maybe hang in there for another month? Four month age was a nightmare for us, five has been smoothing out. Again, do what will make for a happy momma, but I do think things will get easier within the next month or so if you want to tough it out.

KBabySmiles · August 2011

Obviously you have to do what is right for you and your family, but I would urge you to try to stick with it a little longer. Breast feeding is a lot of work...until one day you realize that it's not. I can't speak about pumping, because the few times I tried it was just way too complicated. Bottles and pump parts and finding an extra set of hands to do it all with just wasn't something I could handle. It never made sense for us, simply because pumping just added more steps to the feeding routine. Everyone is different though and it might make all the difference in the world for you to have a little bit of freedom as far as who feeds the baby.

It does sound like your LO is cluster feeding or comfort sucking though. Hopefully by the time you read this (since I'm late to respond) you will be feeling much better about your nursing relationship.

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