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FTM Planning to EP

dznutsdznuts member
in Breastfeeding
I'm curious how other moms who EP fed their baby in the hospital after birth. Did you pump prior to delivery or did you attempt to BF in hospital and switch to EPing after going home or did you start pumping in hospital right after baby was delivered?
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Re: FTM Planning to EP

  • jillibean0871jillibean0871 member
    @dznuts I don't have an answer for you but I'm just as curious about this.  DS had a milk/sotly allergy so I don't want to introduce formula at all!  
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  • meggymemeggyme member
    dznuts said:
    I'm curious how other moms who EP fed their baby in the hospital after birth. Did you pump prior to delivery or did you attempt to BF in hospital and switch to EPing after going home or did you start pumping in hospital right after baby was delivered?
    I'm interested in your reasons for EP over trying to breastfeed, mostly because I'm lazy and bfing is so much easier to me than pumping. If you don't want to bf at all, bring your pump or rent a hospital grade one.
    DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
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  • dznutsdznuts member
    Partly planning to EP because I am concerned with not being able to feed properly. My mom attempted to BF us 30+ years ago, and her supply never came in. My hope is to avoid a similar issue by pumping and maybe force the supply since babies don't always feed consistently.

    Partly because I will be on fairly short maternity leave, and want to build up a good supply of breast milk since LO will be at a day care or with grandparents often. 

    Part of it is while I completely understand that BBs are made by nature for the purpose of feeding babies... I am admittedly uncomfortable with the idea of baby-to-breast feeding. I've been told by others that the feeling might go away if I try... and I probably will in the hospital to see how things go. But I also want to be realistic with my own comfort levels. 
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  • meggymemeggyme member
    dznuts said:
    Partly planning to EP because I am concerned with not being able to feed properly. My mom attempted to BF us 30+ years ago, and her supply never came in. My hope is to avoid a similar issue by pumping and maybe force the supply since babies don't always feed consistently.

    Partly because I will be on fairly short maternity leave, and want to build up a good supply of breast milk since LO will be at a day care or with grandparents often. 

    Part of it is while I completely understand that BBs are made by nature for the purpose of feeding babies... I am admittedly uncomfortable with the idea of baby-to-breast feeding. I've been told by others that the feeling might go away if I try... and I probably will in the hospital to see how things go. But I also want to be realistic with my own comfort levels. 
    I'd suggest you find a breastfeeding class or support group. I think you'll find a lot of your worries are non-issues once you get going and no matter what you choose to do they will be able to help maintain and boost your supply and deal with any issues you might have come up. Pumps aren't always as efficient at getting the milk out as your baby would be.

    But you should know that your mom's ability to breastfeed doesn't necessarily have an indication of what your experience will be. It's entirely possible to build a good freezer supply while bfing. It's just a matter of pumping one time more than your baby needs on a consistent basis. And while it may seem strange to breastfeed at first, it quickly becomes a normal part of your day, just like wiping someone else's butt. And being attached to a breast pump isn't exactly a turn on either.

    Good luck.
    DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
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  • delujm0delujm0 member
    A. Do NOT pump while still pregnant...it can induce labor before the baby is truly ready to come out, which can lead to issues.  Your breasts are stimulated to make milk once the placenta separates from the uterine wall, so it's not going to help your supply anyway, and because the milk changes as the baby ages, an older baby won't want to drink colostrum if you have an excess of that in your stash.

    B. I thought I'd also want to EP, even read a book about it, but pumping is a total pain in the ass and I hated it.  I did it once I went back to work obviously, and here and there when I was engorged while on leave to get a freezer supply going, but nursing was much easier for me. If you can nurse directly you should try...no pump on the market brings your milk in faster or regulates your supply better than the baby does.  Though if you do wind up EPing, renting a hospital grade pump, at least at the beginning, is a good idea.

    C. I'd suggest taking a class or reading a few books to learn about how it all works.  Your mom's ability to breastfeed has nothing to do with your own.
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  • angetralalaangetralala member
    You've gotten great advice here. Breastfeeding ability doesn't seem to be something that's genetic, from my experience. Also, as the ladies have said, pumping is the actual worst. The moms who have to do it are total champions, because it's terrible in every way.
    I don't mean to sound glib and minimize your discomfort, but if you can push a baby out of your vagina - which has never been used for that purpose before - than you can use your breasts for your child's purpose as well. I would recommend attending​ a La Leche League meeting. Watching other women nursing and educating yourself will help tremendously. I was the first person in my family to ever even attempt to breastfeed, so I had a lot of learning to do!
    Angela

    Pregnancy Ticker

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  • dznutsdznuts member
    Thank you all :)
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