Breast feeding question

watkins3 · January 2016

Is it possible to just breast feed by pumping and never letting the baby latch on to your breast? Or is it a must? Not really sure how it all works!

HeartLikeMine3 · January 2016

Yes you can just exclusively pump milk for your baby and feed with a bottle. In my opinion it's more work but different things work better for different families good luck!

vulpini · January 2016

Yes, it's possible to exclusively pump (EP) and not breastfeed directly. As someone who did it, let me tell you that exclusive pumping is a huge pain in the butt and time suck. You need to pump every 2-3 hours in the begining to establish your milk supply and then every 3-4 hours later to maintain it. If you drop pumping sessions, your milk supply will likely drop too, so you have to be pretty strict with the pumping schedule. You spend a large portion of your day pumping, washing pump parts, bottle feeding baby, washing bottles, repeat, repeat, repeat. You have to plan your day around your pumping schedule and take the pump with you and find a place to pump if you can't be home to do it. But it is definitely possible if you are commited to it. There are ladies on the breastfeeding board that can be a great resource and support system if you decide to EP. I can give you my opinions on pumps and accesories if you like and some tips for storing milk and making your life a little easier while pumping.

PressLove · January 2016

Ditto PPs.

malgal85 · January 2016

I was contemplating exclusively pumping, but definitely no decisions have been made. My thought process was at DH could help a lot more that way, since eventually I will be back at work and don't want to be the only one waking up at night.

@vulpini I would love to hear your tips on pumps and storing! I'm so interested in breastfeeding but know NOTHING! Any tips are soooo welcome:)

adiaz132003 · January 2016

Yes and if you are, I would invest in a really good pump. In the U.S. your insurance will either pay for a pump or provide one so call and ask them what options you have after you research what pump you want. If they are gonna pay for it they won't cover the whole thing if you get something fancy but they will cover part of it.

satcher08 · January 2016

Its possible. I had to exclusively pump dor my first and its a pain in the ass and very difficult to keep up supply. Im hoping to be ablw to nurse this time and only pump when necessary. If you decide to go this route feel free to pm me and I can give you some tips.
Edit because words are hard

Hbraun200 · January 2016

malgal85 said:
I was contemplating exclusively pumping, but definitely no decisions have been made. My thought process was at DH could help a lot more that way, since eventually I will be back at work and don't want to be the only one waking up at night.

I breastfed and pumped a couple bottles a day so my husband could feed at night too. Either way you'll be getting up to pump though.

theatremandy · January 2016

I tried to EP for my first, due to his lack of a good latch. I really struggled to produce enough, and ended up quitting sooner than I'd hoped. My twins were better at latching, and my supply was awesome.

That being said, my sister also EP'd with her daughter and had a freakish oversupply. It worked well for her, but wasn't my preference.

BlueJuice · January 2016

It is definitely possible, and like PPs have said, takes up a lot of time. If you are looking to go this route I would investigate renting a professional-grade pump from the hospital for at least the first few weeks, while you are establishing your supply - the difference it makes is incredible. Depending on your circumstances you may be able to get insurance to cover this charge, as well. After that, definitely invest in a high quality personal pump, and get someone knowledgeable to check whether the pump flanges (the conical part that goes over your breast) are the right size for you - with my first I wasn't aware they came in alternate sizes and suffered for several days before someone corrected this problem.

matthewsdm · January 2016

I exclusively pumped with both DD's and didn't have any issues. I think a lot just depends on the person and the supply. It worked best for our family and by the time I went back to work at 12 weeks, I was on a schedule to pump 4 times per day, so only once at work. I was lucky enough to never have supply issues, with my first she was BM only until 6 months, second was a little shorter but only by choice. I will be doing the same again this time. It's really up to you and what works best for your situation! If you do it, a good pump and a hands free bra and my biggest recommendations!

vulpini · January 2016

@malgal85

So here are some things that helped me when I was pumping:

Medela Pump In Style pump.

Check with your insurance for a free or at least partially subsidized pump. All insurances cover some kind of pump no as medical equipment. You will probably need your OB to write you a prescription for one that you will scan/fax to some medical device place through your insurance. If you will be EPing you NEED a DOUBLE ELECTRIC pump. My insurance sent me the Ameda Purely Yours. It worked well for a few months and then the motor started getting weak. After an hour on the phone with their customer service doing all sorts of troubleshooting, they sent a new one. That one worked for a few months and then also started losing suction. I wasn't a fan of the design of the flanges for it either. My SIL gave me her old Madela Pump in Style and I got all new tubing, membranes and flanges for it. It was an older model and used and still outperformed the new Ameda hands-down. Medela rocks. If your insurance won't give you that one and your are EPing and having pump issues, you should really consider investing in a Medela. I haven't tried their Freestyle model but have heard good things. If I have to EP again, I might get that one so can move around and play with my toddler while pumping.

Whatever pump you have, get yourself an extra set of tubing, valves and membranes to have on hand in case yours tear or get lost. Keep them in your pump bag that you take to work/out of the house for when you inevitably forget something at home. You don't want to be dealing with missing or broken pump parts when you are painfully engorged. Also consider getting a battery pack for when you need to pump away from home or in case of a power outage (been there, done that). If you're going to be pumping in the car a lot, a car charger is a good idea too. A cheap manual pump will work as a back up if all else fails and your hospital might give you one of those for free.

Flanges come in different sizes for different sized nipples. A good fit will save you from pain and damage to your nipples and will give you more effective pumping. A lactation consultant can help you out. Basically, you want to pump for a few minutes to let the pump stimulate your nipples to their final size, and then look at the fit - your nipple should be moving back and forth inside the flange without rubbing on the sides and some but not a lot of your areola should be getting sucked into the flange at the base. Medela flanges come with inserts to adjust from a bigger to a slightly smaller size. I'm not a fan on this design because if you are using the insert, you are washing essentially 1.5 flanges instead of just one. Plus they fall out and end up on the floor on your way to the sink. If you find yourself in between sizes or needing the inserts, I recommend the Maymom brand flanges (sold on Amazon) that are made to go with Madela pumps and come in the in-between sizes. They are one-piece and work very nicely. Also, your flange size may change during the course of your EPing stint, so keep your eye on the fit a few months in and adjust if needed.

Hands free pumping bra. I got two of the Simple Wishes bras so I could have one in the wash as needed. https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Wishes-Hands-Free-Breastpump-X-Small-Large/dp/B00295MQLU I really liked it. It's very adjustable and holds the flanges tightly so you don't have to fuss with them while you pump. Watch their size chart, it doesn't match standard sports bra sizes - most people will need the XS-L size, not the XL.

You will probably want a breastfeeding cover/scarf of some sort for pumping in the car or in public. Pumping in public is a whole different beast that breastfeeding in public. It's hard to be discrete when you have two plastic flanges with bottles hanging off your boobs and an electric pump going whirrr whirrr whirrr. It's not a cute little baby that mostly covers you with it's head.

Breast pump converters for the brand of bottles your baby will be using. The pump manufacturers make collection bottles that your milk goes into while pumping. If your baby likes drinking from those same bottles, great. If not, and your baby bottles don't screw into the bottom of the flanges, you will be transferring the milk to the baby bottles and then washing the collection bottles. Who needs that. If your baby bottles don't fit the flanges, the company that makes them might be selling converters online. I got these for the Avent bottles we were using and they worked great. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005BXEY

I liked the Lansinoh storage bags, but I doubt the brand really matters. You can also get storage bags that attach directly to the pump, but I didn't try them. I got a small chest freezer to keep in the garage. If you have the space and if when your milk comes in it looks like you will have a big stash, a separate freezer will keep your milk from spoiling longer. I used the "gift baggy method" for organizing my freezer stash - https://greenlitebites.com/2011/06/breast-milk-storage/ You just need a few dollar store or Target 99c gift bags that are about the same size as your milk storage bags. Get different colors for easier organization. You cut a slit in the bottom on one side to pull the milk bags through and you freeze the milk in them flat, with the oldest bags on the bottom and the newer ones stacked on top. When you are ready to use, you just pull the bags out the slit, from oldest to newest. Cheap, easy, and keeps everything neat in your freezer as long as you label the milk bags and gift bags with the dates. You can find guidelines for using frozen milk online on the La Leche League and Kelly Mom sites. They might have changed since I last did it, so I won't post what I remember doing.

If you have access to a fridge, you don't have to wash your pump parts after every pumping. You can refrigerate the flanges and collection bottles to keep bacteria from growing in between pumping sessions. I still washed mine every time when DS was tiny (especially because he was a preemie and I was paranoid), but after a while I would only wash a couple times a day if I was at home. When I went back to work for a month and didn't have a fridge, I used disinfecting wipes (the Munchkin brand ones that are marketed as pacifier wipes) in between my two pumping sessions at work and then wash at home.

malgal85 · January 2016

Oh my gosh @vulpini ... Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all this. It really and truly helps SO much ❤️❤️❤️

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