Exclusively pumping?

izzyjenni · February 2013

Anyone doing this or have done this. How often and long do you pump?

wifeofadam · February 2013

My SIL did it for over a year. You will need to pump in the beginning as often as a newborn baby would eat, if not more often because a pump does not get you as much milk as the baby would get at the breast.

I would talk to a lactation consultant about it. They can give you advice about the best kind of pump for your situation and maybe some ways to know you're pumping enough.

jakesgirl2 · February 2013

I am primarily pumping with attempts at breastfeeding mixed in- My baby was iin the NICU and and unfortunately it was more than 24 hour after birth before I even got to EE him let alone hold hm and as a result he doesn't latch and when he does it is not effective latch the NICU LC had me start pumping. In the hospital I used the Medela Symphony and at home I am using the Pump in Style advanced. I had been pumping every two hours for the first week and a half- then I went to every 3- I feel like my supply isn't yet keeping up with my baby's demands but my LC is giving me tips and tricks- we'll see if it can increase my supply to meet what he eats

schwabmomma · February 2013

I'm mostly pumping, but working at breastfeeding still. He only latches for about 10-20 minutes but now that my supply is increasing he definitely is more interested in breastfeeding. I've been using a Playtex pump and it works very well, the suction is crazy strong! I use it 4-5 times per day and generally have been getting about 6 oz or more per day. GL and hope that helps!

2moms2b · February 2013

I am EP'ing due to severe cases of thrush with both boys plus latch problems. My LC has me pumping every two hours. It is very tiring and I find that I am needing to drink about twice as much water as I did pregnant and I eat a snack with every pump. Between that and feeding our boys every 3 hours, plus eating meals in between (not snacks) I feel like I am always busy. But so far worth it.

If my supply doesn't increase to be enough to exclusively feed breast milk in the next week or so then due to my sanity I am going to only pump while I feed them and supplement the rest.

EP'ing can be hard but if you can master it, I know moms who have done it until their LO is over a year old.

cmhicklin · February 2013

I EPed my 1st for a year. A lot of people won't agree, but I think it is SOOOO much easier than BFing.

You MUST be diligent about it, but it can work. I pumped every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night to begin with. When my DD started sleeping longer stretches, so did I. By about 2 months I was pumping 3hrs/day and one 7 hour stretch at night. At 6 months I moved to every 4 hrs/day and 10 our stretch at night. Having several sets of bottles and pump parts is helpful. I always rinsed mine with really hot water and washed in the dishwasher at night. If you feel like your LO is going through a growth spurt, then adding some power pumping sessions is a good idea.

Other stuff which is good to have: hands free pump bra, still have nursing bras for easy access, nursing cover&car adapter for pumping in car, medela pump part wipes for when your out too

Good luck!

ETA: there was a EP check in on BFing board. You might check to see if there still is.

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