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Breastfeeding
traveltheworld
member
Considering Exclusively Pumping - thoughts/advice?
traveltheworld
member
My little guy is almost 2 weeks old and I'm seriously contemplating exclusively pumping. Right now I pump once or twice a day so that DH can feed DS with a bottle for the middle of the night feeding. I use a Medela hands-free pump and get about 8 ounces (from both breasts) in about 12 minutes, and I use that time to wash all the bottles/parts from the previous pumping session, then DS finishes about 6 ounces in 15 minutes, so the whole thing takes less time than actually breast-feeding him. I think my supply is good since DS can't finish what I pump in one session. I find it way easier since (a) I can do other stuff while I'm pumping since it's hands-free; and (b) with a bottle, anyone could help feed DS (my mom and DH's mom are over a lot and they are very helpful). I woulden't mind pumping 7 - 8 times a day for now and then eventually working it down to 4 - 5 times a day.
Is there a reason why I shouldn't just switch over to exclusively pumping?
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Re: Considering Exclusively Pumping - thoughts/advice?
Just to be clear...
1) Are you pumping while your husband is feeding your son overnight? If not, that will probably hurt your supply. Your guy is still working on establishing your supply.
2) Getting 8oz from 1 pump session at 2 weeks, congrats! That's great!
3) He is eating 6oz in one sitting O.O, holy moly! Check out this site, that is way too much for such a little one - https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/#howmuch
4) Good luck with your decision!
Look! I put the diaper on the baby!
I remember thinking the same thing when I had a LO that age. Right now, yes, it would be easier to pump. Long term, it is a very,very,very difficult thing to maintain and most women end up quitting much earlier than they intended. Imagine in a little while when you're living a life outside the house again. You're out shopping, LO is hungry, you need to both pump and feed a bottle. How will you do that? Where? You're at dinner and LO needs to eat, where are you going to pump? Bathroom? If you start skipping pumping sessions, your supply won't keep up. These are the kinds of things you'll need to negotiate every time you want to go anywhere. And then when LO hits a growing spurt, you'll need to do even more pumping to keep up your supply. Your LO will become much more efficient with time. Mine can eat in less than 5 minutes.
When you hear everyone talk about how difficult breastfeeding is, what you're going through right now, the endless breastfeeding that takes up your entire day, that's part of what they were talking about. It's emotionally taxing, but if you stick with it, it will get much easier and faster and you will be able to BF her for as long as you choose.
I've done both.
With DS, we had latching issues, so EPing worked for us. I considered EPing for DD, but I'm glad I didn't. At first it is a ton of work. But it does get easier, and BFing is easier in the long run. I love not having bottles to clean, bottles to prepare, and having to find the time to pump. With EBFing, I always have a breast ready and don't have to do all that extra stuff. I never have to remember to bring a bottle... I have a boob.
While your supply sounds great right now, it is difficult to maintain with a pump. Many, many women have posted on her about EPing and then their supply just diminishes. At first, I was able to keep up with DS like you mentioned. However, by 6 mos, I was supplementing with 32 ozs of formula a week. By 10 mos, I was using even more formula. I did pump until 11 mos, but by the end he was mainly getting formula.
Like pp mentioned, during that night session when your baby is feeding, you really should be pumping. It's nice to have people help with feedings, but you are also potentially hurting your supply by doing this. Most women do not make it to a year of EPing because their supply just can't keep up. It seems that most stop EPing around 3-4 months.
At the end of the day you have to do what is best for you and your family. It's a lot to consider, but the best way to give yourself a chance of making it to at least a year is to BF. GL with your decision.
Long term I think EP would be way more work. I have the most respect for those who are able to do it.
Typically LO is more efficient than the pump. I would definitely be concerned about supply issues long term.
At two weeks I would only pump for comfort and let LO establish your supply.
I also think six oz in one feeding is an insane amount of milk for a two week old baby. Babies have much less control with a bottle and some will continue to drink even if they are no longer hungry.
Kellymom does have some info on EPing. It is geared towards those who are unable to breastfeed and need to EP to provide BM, but you might find it helpful in making a decision.
Thanks everyone for the advice. To be clear, our schedule looks like this right now - DS eats every 3 hours during the day, then I feed him at midnight on both breasts and try to make sure that he is full, then pump a little (just for comfort), DH gets up with him at 3:30 am to do the middle of the night feeding, I get up again at 6:30 am to breast-feed him, then pump, and it's at the 6:30 am session that I get about 8 ounces.The other thing is, I'm worried about nursing him in public. I still don't know how to hold him without a nursing pillow and am not confident that I ever will learn how to do it. DS also gets VERY upset if he is hungry and can't eat right away; so I'm terrified of going out in public with him, have him suddenly wanting to eat, and not be able to feed him to calm him down. As a result, we haven't gone out much at all.
I just thought that with exclusive pumping, even though I'd still have to pump 7 - 8 times a day, at least I can sort of do that on my own schedule (as long as it's roughly 3 - 4 hours apart) and then I, or someone else, can feed him with a bottle whenever he wants to eat. That way, he is not entirely dependant on me being there when he is hungry.
Your fears of nursing in public are normal. It will get easier- both with feeding and with your confidence. You are still learning, and so is your LO.
I don't think I NIP with DD until she was 4 weeks old. At first, I just scoped out quieter places where I could nurse. Or, I went back to my car, turned it on, and nursed her in the front seat.
Once you become more comfortable feeding him, practice in a mirror first It will happen in time Also, there are a few posts on here about NIP- read them, you may find them very helpful GL!
NIP gets soooooo much easier as time goes on. They take less time, they're bigger so they cover your boob more, you both get more comfortable bf-ing so you can relax instead of constantly working to maintain latch, positioning, etc.
In terms of pumping, I agree that ultimately it will probably affect your supply, especially if you start before you've really established it yet. And bf-ing is way easier/faster than pumping once you & LO get the hang of things. My suggestion would be to give it another month of breast only, then reevaluate. You can always switch over to EP but it would be harder to switch back.
DH helped me with MOTN feedings after 4 weeks and it saved my sanity. In the early days I think it's good to take as many feedings as you can, but sleep is also vital.
Good luck!
Sounds like you need some BFing support. Look around for a La Leche meeting or another BFing group. All the moms there will be nursing their babies, and you can start to practice NIP. It's not a big deal once you start doing it more.