EPing and stopping WDYD

hungryhippo · January 2014

I'm curious to hear from former exclusive pumpers or anyone EPing now who has a plan for stopping. I spend about 2 hours pumping (plus prep and cleanup time) to provide about a third of DS's (almost 4 months) food. The rest is formula. I HATE pumping, mostly because I miss out on a lot of time with DS. I have full support from DH which is great but I know he'd enjoy more flexibility and partnership in parenting instead of me being on the pump so much. We will be traveling internationally at the end of May and I think I know in my heart that it would be best for all of us for me to have weaned by then. When and how did you stop pumping? Did your supply drop first or did you decide to stop? My biggest problem at this point is that I LOVE when DS gets his BM feeds. It brings me so much joy and the idea of losing that for DS makes me feel awful even though it would be better for our family in many ways. Do you think I'll feel a little better about weaning once we start solids? I guess I'm uncomfortable with the idea of EFF, since we have never been without at least some BM.

ProfessorPedals825 · January 2014

I'm a former EPer. I stopped pumping when she was 7 mths old. I used to just place her in the RNP and then pump and make faces and read to her. Then she became mobile... I actually have a picture of her turned completely around trying to climb out of the RNP. That's when I decided that I couldn't keep pumping because I would need to start chasing after her soon. I started weaning by just spacing out my pumps by an additional hour each week. Instead of every 4 hrs, I'd pump every 5 hrs, and so on. Eventually I was just pumping twice, morning and night. Then after a week of that, I just quit. It took a while for my boobs to get the hint, but the weaning from the pump definitely helped them not get so painful. She just finished her last bag of frozen milk two weeks ago. It was sad.

We flew for a summer visit when she was 4 mths old, and having to constantly stop and pump while on vacation was a bummer. We just flew again for Christmas, this time no pump, and it was heavenly! I got to really visit with family and chase her around the living room. I was so glad I didn't have to excuse myself to go pump in private for a while. It was great. It will take some time to get used to, but when you do decide you're done, you'll be so glad to have all that time with your son.

BootsOrHearts · January 2014

I don't have any good advice, I'm still pumping 3-4 times/day, but I have cut back. I'm trying to nurse more and trying not to obsess about pumping and how much I get each time. I just pump now when it's uncomfortable not to and I stopped logging the volume, I just stick it in the fridge and forget about it. He gets mostly BM from nursing during the day and I supplement with pumped milk and some formula. I know if I pumped my ass off I could get rid of the formula but for the sake of my sanity I don't go there.

KGS2003 · January 2014

I EP for the boys and plan to stop when they are 6 months or if my supply stops before that. I hate pumping too and can't wait for the day I can stop. Both boys are bottle fed what I pump and I supplement with formula if they need more than I was able to get.
I didn't plan on it being this way but when E came home and L stayed in the NICU 2 hours from us it was just too hard.
when the time comes I will gradually start cutting back on the number of times I pump in the day until my milk dries up.

Missa_g · January 2014

I EPed for the first three months. It is an agonizing decision, but I guarantee that whatever you decide is what is best. I cried a lot over the decision but once I made it I started spacing my pumping sessions out and not waking at night if my boys slept longer than usual. I also decreased the time I spent at each session. Initially I was pumping for thirty minutes every three hours so I decreased to twenty five minutes every four, then twenty every five. I spaced the transition out until I had zero pain, then I would decrease again. Sometimes it only took a day, other times it took several. Eventually I was down to ten minutes four times a day and I just quit cold turkey. It hurt like hell for a few days but the pain was bearable for the most part. I self expressed a few times just to ease the pain, but it subsided pretty quickly.

Good luck with whatever you decide! Quitting was the right choice for me and my family, I really enjoyed having an extra four hours to cuddle my boys. Just know that no matter what you decide your son will grow up strong and healthy and knowing he is loved.

hungryhippo · January 2014

andreahshields said:
I'm a former EPer. I stopped pumping when she was 7 mths old. I used to just place her in the RNP and then pump and make faces and read to her. Then she became mobile... I actually have a picture of her turned completely around trying to climb out of the RNP. That's when I decided that I couldn't keep pumping because I would need to start chasing after her soon. I started weaning by just spacing out my pumps by an additional hour each week. Instead of every 4 hrs, I'd pump every 5 hrs, and so on. Eventually I was just pumping twice, morning and night. Then after a week of that, I just quit. It took a while for my boobs to get the hint, but the weaning from the pump definitely helped them not get so painful. She just finished her last bag of frozen milk two weeks ago. It was sad.
We flew for a summer visit when she was 4 mths old, and having to constantly stop and pump while on vacation was a bummer. We just flew again for Christmas, this time no pump, and it was heavenly! I got to really visit with family and chase her around the living room. I was so glad I didn't have to excuse myself to go pump in private for a while. It was great. It will take some time to get used to, but when you do decide you're done, you'll be so glad to have all that time with
your son.

Stanley is rolling a lot now and gets stuck and frustrated and then my milk spills when i bend down to help him. That's part of why DH has to be so involved while I pump. I can just picture a baby climbing out of their R&P while you are attached to a pump. Those things need to be made cordless!

Thanks for sharing your experience. That helps a lot.

hungryhippo · January 2014

andrea ri 80 said:
I EPed for anywhere from 1/2 to 1/4 of DS's bottles until he was 8 months. I spent the entire time obsessed with pumping to up my supply, hooked up to a pump, trying to occupy DS. I EPed for DD until she was 3 months old (I had already committed long before she was born to not EP, I recognized that it wouldn't be practical with her and DS to care for), I just kept it going because she would occasionally latch and feed, and I was just waiting around to see if she could transition to a boob. I tapered down from the time she was 10 weeks and had freezer stash to get her to 4 months with milk. That's just my experience, and not saying its the same for everybody, I just felt like a much happier mom transitioning out of EPing.

Wow, 8 months is a real commitment! You should be so proud of that. I went through a period where I was pumping just to keep a supply in case DS suddenly wanted to latch. This boy loves the bottle.

Thanks so much for your story. I definitely am feeling less anxious about facing the decision.

hungryhippo · January 2014

BootsOrHearts said:
I don't have any good advice, I'm still pumping 3-4 times/day, but I have cut back. I'm trying to nurse more and trying not to obsess about pumping and how much I get each time. I just pump now when it's uncomfortable not to and I stopped logging the volume, I just stick it in the fridge and forget about it. He gets mostly BM from nursing during the day and I supplement with pumped milk and some formula. I know if I pumped my ass off I could get rid of the formula but for the sake of my sanity I don't go there.

Ha! I was hoping I could literally "pump my ass off" but I'm realizing I'm going to have to wean before I even start thinking about weight loss or else I'll kill my supply. Come to think of it... maybe reducing calories will help once I do decide to wean.

hungryhippo · January 2014

KGS2003 said:
I EP for the boys and plan to stop when they are 6 months or if my supply stops before that. I hate pumping too and can't wait for the day I can stop. Both boys are bottle fed what I pump and I supplement with formula if they need more than I was able to get.
I didn't plan on it being this way but when E came home and L stayed in the NICU 2 hours from us it was just too hard.
when the time comes I will gradually start cutting back on the number of times I pump in the day until my milk dries up.

The fact that you are able to pump enough for two babies without much supplementing is something to be really proud of! I have a feeling I'll get serious about stopping around the 6 month mark too. I'd love for him to at least be tasting some solids by the time I stop.

Being separated from a baby is so damn hard. So is taking care of a baby at home. The fact that you did both at the same time makes you a super woman. Those boys have such an awesome mommy!!

hungryhippo · January 2014

Missa_g said:
I EPed for the first three months. It is an agonizing decision, but I guarantee that whatever you decide is what is best. I cried a lot over the decision but once I made it I started spacing my pumping sessions out and not waking at night if my boys slept longer than usual. I also decreased the time I spent at each session. Initially I was pumping for thirty minutes every three hours so I decreased to twenty five minutes every four, then twenty every five. I spaced the transition out until I had zero pain, then I would decrease again. Sometimes it only took a day, other times it took several. Eventually I was down to ten minutes four times a day and I just quit cold turkey. It hurt like hell for a few days but the pain was bearable for the most part. I self expressed a few times just to ease the pain, but it subsided pretty quickly.

Good luck with whatever you decide! Quitting was the right choice for me and my family, I really enjoyed having an extra four hours to cuddle my boys. Just know that no matter what you decide your son will grow up strong and healthy and knowing he is loved.

Thank you for saying that about making the decision. I'm sorry you had to agonize over it too. I think it's amazing you EPd for 3 months while parenting twins!

Thanks for sharing your process too. That helps a lot.

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