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Breastfeeding/Pumping

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Re: Breastfeeding/Pumping

  • PineApple85PineApple85 member
    Becks517 said:
    I've got another question for STMs who breastfed. I will be a SAHM and I plan to breastfeed if I can. Should I get a pump before LO arrives, or wait until after he is here and see how things go? I assumed I would need one, but after reading this thread I'm not so sure. Thanks for all this great advice, ladies!
    Statistically speaking, it's very rare for a woman to have a true under-supply but I don't think it would hurt to wait and see how things go before investing in a pump - especially if your insurance won't cover it.  Plus, a lot SAHMs that I know of got a manual pump because they only needed it to "take the pressure off" - for example, when LO first starts to sttn and you're engorged.  Establishing a routine will allow you to determine if a manual pump will suffice or if you truly want to make the investment of a double electric.
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  • NLJ82NLJ82 member
    Idk if it's been mentioned here or not, but has anyone FF from the beginning?

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  • mb314mb314 member
    budzer said:
    And sorry to hijack with a ridiculous question but this thread has been amazing for me. 

    When BF'ing is it embarrassing when your family (mainly for me my dad) is around or do you make your excuses and leave the room? I have anxiety about doing it in front of people but desperately want to try. 

    Thanks OP for posting this thread and thank you to the PP's for the great answers! 


    When DS was young, I pretty much breastfed in my house whenever I wanted, wherever.  If FIL or my dad or someone else was over, I would throw on a cover.  No one ever left the room, and I didn't make a big deal of it.  If I breast fed in public, I also used a cover (but I tried really hard to plan outings around DS' feeding schedule so I could avoid it).

    As DS got older and more active (like over 8 or 9 months), he hated the cover, so I ditched it and tried to be discrete as possible if I needed to breastfeed in front of others.  He was also more easily distracted, so I tended to go to a quiet room to nurse so that he would focus on eating, not on everything else going on around him. 

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  • jac409jac409 member
    I breastfed for the first six months with DD, but supplemented with pumped milk as well. We had latch issues in the beginning, so we used a shield. I could never get her to drop the shield, but she wasn't getting enough milk with it. Very frustrating. Also, it took my milk awhile to come in, so of course our pedi was pushing formula not us like you wouldn't believe. He told me she would go back and forth between bottle and breast with no problem, but she always preferred the bottle. After about six months I had had enough of breastfeeding and pumping and ended up EPing until she was 13 months. It was worth it because I know breastmilk was best for her, but it was a lot of work. This time I will start pumping sooner, like in the hospital, to try to get my milk to come in faster. That is the only reason I would have a pump sooner rather than later, personally.
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  • hopeangel2023hopeangel2023 member
    Becks517 said:

    I've got another question for STMs who breastfed. I will be a SAHM and I plan to breastfeed if I can. Should I get a pump before LO arrives, or wait until after he is here and see how things go? I assumed I would need one, but after reading this thread I'm not so sure. Thanks for all this great advice, ladies!

    Don't worry about it right away. They kept telling me to ebf for at least 2 mos to get it all established. I did 5 weeks since I had to go back to work.
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  • LMM1215LMM1215 member
    I just wanted to say thank you for posting this question. I have also been considering EP due to the fact that the thought of BF weirds me out just a bit but I would like to provide my LO with all of the benefits of breast milk. All of your responses have not only been informative but have helped me feel that I am not alone in how I feel. This is truly a great forum of ladies.
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  • ElinJElinJ member
    I'm late to chime in but feel the need to add my 2 cents. Breastfeeding is one of the best, most rewarding things from the first 18 months of my son's life. I BF him from birth until he was about 22 months old. It wasn't the easiest thing I did the first month or two, but as time went on, it became the easiest option! There are SO many pros to BF, it's free, it's convenient, I loved the bonding time. I loved that like others said I could leave the house for hours with just a few diapers, wipes, and a spare onesie. If you were EP, I have no idea where you would pump when you needed to. A lot of places are pro-BF, but I've never seen anywhere other than Babies R Us that had a general use "new mother's room". To this day I don't understand why Target doesn't have a room dedicated to nursing & pumping. I discreetly nursed my son at Whole Food's, Target, and other stores or coffee shops with cushion-y seating. If I were EP, I guess I'd find a dark corner of a parking garage or deserted area of a parking lot to EP.

    Like someone else said, pumping is MORE awkward, unnatural, & uncomfortable than BF ever was! And I am in the minority as a BFer who didn't hate pumping! I never minded pumping, I just HATED washing bottles & pump parts. Literally if I could have only BF my son I would have merely because of the washing. But I went back to work at 12 weeks, straight into 40 hour work weeks. I pumped 3x a day at first, then as he got older and was on solids it dropped to 2x a day. I despised washing & sanitizing stuff. I even couldn't imagine how moms who EP or FF could stand all the damn washing!!!

    There are cons to BF. It did hurt some in the beginning as it was hard to get my son to latch correctly, but as time went on he got better. I went through issues with oversupply (NO FUN!!). AND, my son actually hated bottles. We started around 7 weeks of age, and he was ok. But as time went on he began to refuse them. When he started daycare I actually had no idea if he would starve himself. (Spoiler alert: He didn't, but only took about 6oz the whole day I was gone.) Baby #2 will get a bottle MUCH SOONER than 7 weeks. I was so concerned with nipple confusion, but no one warned me about BOTTLE REFUSAL!

    When it came to BF around other people, in weeks 0-3 I left the room most of the time bc it was challenging enough working on getting the right latch. I had no desire to continue carrying on a conversation with people during this. Also, it still hurt some. After that I usually didn't leave the room, just threw on a cover or a light blanket. But as he got 4-5 months old, he was easily distracted, on/off/on/off, and I would still battle oversupply, so if he pulled off within 0-2 minutes of latching on, my milk would spray. It was just more peaceful to leave the room. ALSO, I am not a super social person, and I really enjoyed breaks from people. ESPECIALLY my inlaws. ;)

    Like others have said, I urge you to give it a shot. It may not feel natural at first, and it may not be easy at first, but I think you might be surprised at how rewarding & easy it can become! As time goes on, it truly is SO MUCH easier than EP (according to my IRL friends who EP'ed).
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