Guess we will be pumpers...

2BMrsMcW · February 2012

LO only gained 1 oz between his newborn appointment and a 2 week follow up. The doctor wanted us to supplement by feeding, immediately pumping, and then feeding the pumped milk. First time I tried, he couldn't exactly figure out the bottle, and he wasn't really interested in eating more. I kept trying with no real good results in the post-pump feeding.

Knowing that I was frustrated, my mom offered to take the baby for a few hours to let DH and me get out of the house, and to give me an emotional break (there have been a lot of tears over the baby not gaining weight). So, I had to do a full pumping session so that she could feed him if necessary while we went out for a bit. After pumping, I had just under 3 oz.

I fed him just prior to handing him over to mom. When I called to check up on him, she mentioned that within a half hour, he was fussing and sucking on his hands, so she decided to try to feed him. Within a few minutes, he took half the bottle and was completely satisfied and happy enough to fall asleep. Then, when we went to pick him up, he had just woken up and was fussing again. She gave him the rest of the bottle so that we could immediately head home rather than waiting to feed again. He again took the bottle without any problem and settled into his car seat with no fuss.

Upon returning home, I attempted to BF again. He was on for about 45 minutes between both breasts and fell asleep, only to wake up about 15 minutes later crying for food.

So, it looks like he is doing much better with pumped milk than directly BFed. After all the heightened emotions and frustrations, I think it's just going to be best to switch him over to the bottle. Makes me a little sad, but it seems to be the better option at this time

Rey2009 · February 2012

My LO stays satisfied way longer if I pump and feed then if I nurse her. She will nurse sometimes for 45 minutes and then be crying for food an hour later!
I feel like a bad mom but I would much rather just pump and have her happy for 3 hours then nurse constantly. It is annoying to have to wash the pump parts but it really only takes 2 minutes to do and in the long run is actually quicker for us to pump and feed then it is to nurse because she isn't satisfied after just nursing,

That got long...All that to say you aren't alone

WAbride83 · February 2012

Don't give up on nursing! I went through a really horrible week, I had two cracks in my left nipple and was scared to keep nursing on that side so I started pumping on that side and nursing DD on my right side only. During this same period she decided she needed to nurse for literally hours on end. She would be nursing with only very brief breaks for about 6-8 hours at a time. I was having such a hard time, I hated giving her the bottle because I was scared she would get nipple confusion and our breastfeeding would be messed up. Plus I felt like I was not producing enough to satisfy her because she would nurse forever and not be satisfied but when we would give her the breast milk in the bottle she seemed to fall asleep and be satisfied much longer. We stuck it out through that horrible week though and got back to just nursing and no longer giving pumped milk in the bottle and she eventually stopped doing the cluster feeding so much and now things are MUCH better. She's gaining weight really well and she started sleeping for a 5-6 hour stretch at night. She does tend to "tank up" before bed time but other times of the day she will be satisfied much easier. Don't give up you're doing great!

Jolaine83 · February 2012

Rey2009:
My LO stays satisfied way longer if I pump and feed then if I nurse her. She will nurse sometimes for 45 minutes and then be crying for food an hour later!
I feel like a bad mom but I would much rather just pump and have her happy for 3 hours then nurse constantly. It is annoying to have to wash the pump parts but it really only takes 2 minutes to do and in the long run is actually quicker for us to pump and feed then it is to nurse because she isn't satisfied after just nursing,
That got long...All that to say you aren't alone

I pumped when I had DS and one thing I figured out was that you can get by with just washing your pump parts once a day. Just store them in a gallon size ziplock in the fridge between other sessions. It'll save you time and strangely enough, the cold temp of the flange always felt soothing when it came time to pump again, since I was always sore around the nipples.

Don't feel guilty about making this choice. With slow gainers, it's always better (and less stressful) to know how much they are getting. DS was also a slow gainer and we felt a lot of guilt and pressure to supplement/pump. He thrived on the bottle and actually ended up gaining weight at a very fast rate once we went to bottles full-time. Prior to that he'd nurse for an hour and be hungry 30 min later. He just wasn't an efficient nurser, no matter how much help we got from LCs.

Pumping set me free with DS. I was a much less stressed, much happier mama. If it's the right decision, you'll know it by how much better you feel. Good luck and I hope your DS starts gaining his weight!

Oh, and FWIW, even with all of the issues I had with DS (bad latch, low milk supply, etc), DD latched on from the beginning and we've had no issues this time. So, this doesn't seal the deal that you'll have these same struggles the next time if you have another LO.

oheck · February 2012

You are not alone. I'm pumping as I type this.

My son actually gained a ton of weight in the first two weeks and breastfeeding was going well. He then all of a sudden would only nurse for a few minutes before falling asleep. No matter what I did, I couldn't get him to wake up and eat. He then would want to eat again an hour later. He also started throwing up and crying a lot. (He hardly cried before the switch in his eating pattern.) I finally called a lactation consultant, but didn't get to talk to one before I had enough and started pumping and giving him a bottle. It has made us a happier family. He is eating better and sleeping better. My husband can help me feed him during the night. I also wasn't comfortable nursing in public, so I like that I can now pack a bottle. Pumping can be a pain, but for me it has been worth it.

Rey2009 · February 2012

Jolaine83:

I pumped when I had DS and one thing I figured out was that you can get by with just washing your pump parts once a day. Just store them in a gallon size ziplock in the fridge between other sessions. It'll save you time and strangely enough, the cold temp of the flange always felt soothing when it came time to pump again, since I was always sore around the nipples.

Oh my goodness why haven't I thought of this! You've made my life so much easier!!!!

SoonToBeMsP · February 2012

I am wondering if I am headed that way. DD is gaining slowly and she falls asleep at the breast. Granted, she seems to be satisfied for 2-3 hours after eating, so I always assumed she ate plenty, but I am paranoid to say the least.

GL with whatever you decide!!

NiniJ55 · February 2012

Rey2009:
My LO stays satisfied way longer if I pump and feed then if I nurse her. She will nurse sometimes for 45 minutes and then be crying for food an hour later!
I feel like a bad mom but I would much rather just pump and have her happy for 3 hours then nurse constantly. It is annoying to have to wash the pump parts but it really only takes 2 minutes to do and in the long run is actually quicker for us to pump and feed then it is to nurse because she isn't satisfied after just nursing,
That got long...All that to say you aren't alone

I'm in the same boat. I was a little sad at EPing again - but it just works out better for my family and I. Plus DH can give the bottle while I tend to DS who is very attached to me and and a very demanding toddler..

Brit's Luna154 · February 2012

I had to pump in order to get DD to eat enough food at first because she would fall asleep BFing. After a few weeks, when she was a bit bigger and more active she was able to BF or take the bottle. She does not seem to have a strong preference either way now. We do both depending on the situation.

stpaulcitygirl · February 2012

We went through a similar thing and ended up pumping since day 3 after baby was born. Our baby was over 10lbs at birth, and ate a LOT of food from the start: we had to supplement with formula after her 1st day in the hospital because baby wasn't getting enough food (lost a lot of weight). Unfortunately, supplementing got the baby hooked on the bottle. Despite efforts (baby is now 4.5 weeks old), we haven't been able to break her from the bottle, and I'm still not able to pump enough to satisfy her appitite so we have to go for a mix of mom milk + formula. Baby's happy which is what's important: while it's not what we planned, it's what's best for baby and she's getting some breast milk, so I can't be too disappointed!

luckylindy · February 2012

We've had a go with the up and down weight, latch issues, etc and finally I made the decision to go the pumping route. I felt bad at first, but realized the important thing is that LO is getting fed and is getting breast milk. Doesn't matter how baby gets it just as long as he does.

Hang in there and know that you aren't alone.

2BMrsMcW · February 2012

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and encouragement. It's nice to hear that I am not alone since I don't really have anyone close to me that has been in this situation.

We are still BFing some because I don't have a good pumping schedule down that works with DS's demand feedings. But I can definitely tell the difference in satisfaction between his BF sessions and his pumped feedings. Moving to a combo of BFing and pumped feedings has paid off though. We had a weight check up yesterday and he gained 4 oz in 4 days, so we are doing something right And the doc said that since he is gaining appropriately, we can let him go 6 hours between feedings at night. We let him go longer last night, and I actually got to sleep in my own bed, with my husband, for more than 20 minutes for the first time since DS was born. The transition has been all around more positive and everyone is happier

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