Did anyone EP?

TinaL99 · January 2012

Can you tell me about your experience? Schedule, the samantics of it (did you pump and feed the pumped milk? Or did you have milk ready to go in the fridge/freezer and just keep replenishing?)

We're STILL having a hard time with Audrey and the bottle, but it seems like it's the weekends that are getting her off track. Mondays and Tuesdays are pretty bad and then the rest of the week goes alright. I'm considering trying to EP so that she just gets a bottle all of the time. I'm worried about a few things:

1. I'll be glued to the pump all. the. time. I already pump 4x/day (1 at 5:00am and 3x at work). I nurse Audrey 2-3 times in the evening and 1-2 times overnight, and once before I take her to the babysitter. Does that mean I would have to add 6 extra pumping sessions into my day? And I feel like I'll lose a lot of freedom on the weekends if I have to worry about pumping all the time.

2. My supply will tank. I'm doing pretty good right now, pumping about 20oz. in 4 sessions. I have about 300oz. in the freezer right now but I know how quickly that can dwindle.

Any words of advice or wisdom are appreciated!

ArcticFox · January 2012

I EP'd - for my first DD for 6m, and the 2nd for 16 months!!

I had a LOT of milk in the beginning. I pumped and added to my stash. Around 4-6 months I started ovulating, so my supply went down a little. I had to be more cognizant of things like drinking enough water, avoiding foods that could effect supply. At a year I got my period and my supply tanked. I started taking fenugreek and adding in pumpings here and there to trick my body to produce more.

I loved pumping - I loved the freedom - being able to go to the grocery store and give the baby a bottle while I shopped - or knowing how much she was eating. Or passing her off to someone else to feed, etc. And when it came time when my supply completely ran out, it was easier to be able to give her a bottle of cows milk. (Instead of going from breast to sippy cup).

On the flip side.. I hated having to be glued to the pump and watch 2 kids, or I always felt like I had to get to my pump by "x" time. But, I think it was still easier to give a bottle instead of sitting down for a long nursing session.

Some tips.. just make sure your pump is 100% - parts are clean, replace flanges (those little while flaps) every so often, make sure connections are tight, etc. I think there were times I didn't realize when the pump was losing power/suction. Also if your supply starts to go down, try fenugreek. You can find it so easily, maybe $7 at the grocery store. So easy to take (not like fenugreek tea), and it worked wonders for me, although everyone is different.

If you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to post again or page me..

mayanut · January 2012

I didn't EP, but I did pump and supplement. I was never really able to pump enough to cover all the feedings. We ended up not being able to nurse after 8 weeks due to latch issues. I have to say I wish I could have kept nursing, it would have been so much easier. It all depends on your supply. Mine was just okay.

While EP can definitely be done, it is very hard. You are doubling the amount of time it takes to feed since you feed from the bottle and then have to pump. And it was hard for me to maintain my supply without having to pump all the time. In the end, I decided some formula was fine and that I wanted to spend more time with my baby rather than my pump. So I would pump at work only and right after he went to bed. That covered about 75% of his needs. I still had to pump the same number of times on the weekend to keep my supply up.

If nursing is working fine for you, stick with it. It is so much easier than trying to EP. You can always do a bottle or two over the weekend and pump once if you want to keep her up on the bottle skills.

MrsWhiteonWhiteSt · January 2012

I EP'ed for the twins from about 3wks to 6 mths. The twins played pass-the-thrush with me and each other for SIX weeks and it was so hard to get them both to latch. It drove me nuts. I pumped every 3 hours, then when they started sttn I would pump at like 11 before I went to sleep and then again at 6 when they woke up. (Ahh I used to get 7 hours of sleep, I miss those pre-teething days)

You can definitely do it but like Arctic said, it's hard when you have another LO at home. I had trouble finding periods of time to just sit still and pump without anyone needing mommy. You also have the added work of washing pump parts, washing more bottles. My supply was pretty good. I was also mindful of eating enough calories and drinking enough water.

emriley84 · January 2012

I EPed. I usually pumped every time DS fed. I would have a bottle ready to go, pump, leave it out for the next feed (never had to warm it). And freeze whatever was extra. I could usually pump a few oz more than DS ate. It's a lot of work at first, but it gets much easier.

festivus · January 2012

Honestly? I find pumping to be the most challenging/annoying part of motherhood (but I have stuck it out anyway!). My supply was never great, and my premie twins never took to BFing. They have gotten a combo of bottlefed BM and formula from the get go. Initially I was pumping about 10 times per day, and my supply was crap. Over time I have lowered that to 6 times per day, somehow without losing much in supply.

As for your questions- I definitely feel like I am very restricted in being able to go places and do things, as I'm just not the type to pump in my car or a bathroom and would strongly prefer doing it at home over doing it at a friend or family member's house. I would guess you'd have to add in more pumping sessions, but maybe not 6. Perhaps you could balance that out by having your SO do at least some of the bottle feeds while you pump.

As I said, I pump 6 times/day around the following times: 1:30am, 5am, 8:30am, 12:30pm, 4:30pm, 9pm. On a "normal" day I am usually within an hour of my target times but have to have some flexibility to find a time when the boys are both sleeping or at least occupied. On a day when I am out, I have gone as long as 6+ hours between pumping sessions or even skipped a session completely (although I typically live to regret it). My boys lately eat 6 times a day, so as soon as I pump I split the BM into two bottles that I put in the fridge. When it has cooled down, I add formula so the bottles are ready when needed.

I guess the grass is always greener, but BFing seems so much easier than EPing. I just wish BFing had worked for me.

goosh24 · January 2012

Yes, for 8 long, long months. The schedule for a long time was every 2 hours. I wouldn't get up in the middle of the night to pump though, just right before bed and then around 5 am. I pretty much would pump and replenish the supply I had. I was able to get a small freezer stash but it got depleted pretty fast as she ate more. I definitely spaced it out more (I had to, it wasn't possible to pump that much when DH was back at work after the summer off). So toward the end I only pumped 3x a day, which is probably why I only made it to 8 months, but I was so done.

I felt like I was glued to that pump and the only thing that helped is I would pump at the computer so I could bump or play on the internet. Pumping always took at least 30 minutes too which sucked, I think I figured out I was spending like 6 hours a day pumping. I don't know about adding sessions in with nursing or if it will hurt your supply since I only EP'd the whole time. I kept a meticulous schedule of when I pumped, how much I got and how much total for each day. I tried to find it but couldn't (I probably trashed it since that's what I wanted to do with the pump).

I do think EP'ing would have been easier if I was at work (total guess, it probably wouldn't be), because it was tough being the sole caregiver at home. If Jules hadn't been moving/crawling at 6 months, maybe I could have made it longer but she was tough to entertain, and be attached to a pump that many times. I have a big internal struggle about if I should even try to EP this time (it's a nipple issue) or just go straight to FF and it drives me nuts, I'm back and forth everyday about it.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I need to send you a FB message anyway, maybe I'll remember today

Kristen61607 · January 2012

I haven't been on this board much, so hi! I EP my twins currently. I pump every 2 hours during the day. I was STTN and not pumping for over 8 hours but my supply was taking a hit so I wake up at around 2-ish to pump. It sucks but it's important to me. I know a lot of people REALLY hate pumping, but it doesn't bother me. I plan on going to 1 year or longer even. I wouldn't be able to do it without a hands free bra though - the simple wishes one is the best! I also don't have any other kids and a lot of times I pump is when the girls are napping....if not they are in the jumparoo. We went to EPing because my girls just had SUCH a hard time latching. I had an easier time pumping than BFing...it was so hard BFing both girls. Good luck!

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