Advice : PUMPING

oli9 · March 2022

I had my first child when I was 18 and breastfeeding / pumping was something so uncomfortable for me at that age, so I never tried it and followed suit with the rest of my children. I have six children, none of which I’ve breastfed or pumped for… all formula fed, but with my last, he seemed to have a real hard time from birth until he was about one year old with stomach issues,
irritability and it really made my life hell and I’m sure he was feeling horrible the whole time and I feel so guilty about it. We believe it was because of formula because once we stopped formula all together for him, he was cured. Not even his doctor recommend stopping formula, he just told us to switch brands multiple times, which we did but no success until formula stopped.

With number seven I’ve been considering pumping but I’m SO SCARED to pump. I don’t think I can commit to breastfeeding but I am interested in learning about pumping. My main concern is the time it takes to pump and how often I’d need to pump and I’m really in the dark about it all.

Does anyone have any advice they could give to me about pumping? Is it hard? Painful? Is there a better pump than others? How much do I pump? How do I know I need to pump?

Help!

runnergirl2018 · March 2022

I wonder if we could use a general thread on this?
For now i would say - i did not enjoy pumping but i did so alongside nursing my first. It should not be painful but i did find it less comfortable and more time consuming. Pumping should happen as often as baby eats - every 2-3 hours. They do make a lot of great wearable pumps - although some are only recommended if using as a supplement pump as they do not typically have the same suction. There are so many brands of pumps and some people prefer some over others - usually you would want to consider something like a hospital grade pump for exclusive pumping. and there are a lot of tricks to make it not be as cumbersome time wise. I recommend a few things - KellyMom.com has great info, i also like the Sarah Wells Bags VIP group on IG which is a bag of pump bags but they have such good breastfeeding/pumping info, and really if you can meeting with a lactation consultant would likely be the most helpful to talk you through things more specifically. Check into any local breastfeeding classes and you should be able to make some LC connections there and get some good info to make the decision that's right for you

oli9 · March 2022

@runnergirl2018 thank you for the response! I’m sure it could have gone in a general questions thread and if I knew how to move it to one I would do that, but I was semi-panicking this afternoon talking to my husband about the thought of exclusively pumping and I really wanted some expert advice from moms who have pumped before.

Your response is so helpful and so scary! Lol, I went to Kellymom.com and started reading already. I’m very nervous to fail at this or not be able to mentally handle it. Even the Kellymom blog said it’s 10% physical and 90% psychological and the psychological part is what worries me the most.

Again thank you for taking the time to respond to me.

runnergirl2018 · March 2022

@oli9 it’s totally doable! I didn’t mean to scare you. There’s also a lot I didn’t know at the start that I think would have been so helpful - like all the different flange sizes and having the right one. And the need to replace parts and the frequency you need to do so.

Do you work outside of the house?

I’m planning on nursing and pumping again for this little guy.

What are your hesitations on exclusively pumping and why is it important to you to do It?

oli9 · March 2022

@runnergirl2018 I’m hesitant because I have six other kids, two of them are toddlers and they need my constant attention so I’m nervous that I will be overwhelmed and upset all of the time. It’s important to me this time around because I feel that my last baby had formula intolerance and it really made life hell for us all, so I think the best thing to do is give my baby my breast milk.

bumblebee0210 · March 2022

@oli9. People do exclusively pump, but I'll be honest I think it's way more of a hassle and more time consuming than breastfeeding (usually people do it because of latch issues, etc, essentially they can't breastfeed). Breastfeeding is one of those things that comes easily for some women/babies and is harder for others. One low-key option would be to just try it in the hospital (they usually will have a lactation consultant there to help), and see how it goes. You can try for the first couple of days or weeks, and then always have formula as your backup. I think putting a lot of pressure and stress on yourself to do it can be counter-productive.

On pumping: it does not hurt, except maybe a little in the beginning when you are engorged, but it's also relieving (like popping a pimple! gross but true). Thu hassle of it for me was that I had to remember to pump every X hours when my daughter would be eating, and then basically try and keep up with her, and then I would try to sync-up again when I was home with her. The logistics made it hard. Plus, if you have to get up in the night with the baby, if you are just breastfeeding, you just put your boob in their mouth. Super easy. If you're pumping, you would have to get up and pump, then feed your baby with a bottle (or your husband would). It's just more of a hassle.

As far as toddlers go, I am a mom of one, soon to be two, so I don't have a ton of advice on that front. But I would say breastfeeding does not really take more of your concentration than bottle feeding, except at the very beginning when you are getting the hang of it. So while I think dealing with toddlers when you have a newborn is hard, I don't know if breastfeeding would make it harder.

Lastly, it's not all or nothing. Your baby can breastfeed sometimes, and bottle feed other times. You can use a combination of pumped milk, nursing and formula. You can nurse for a few months, and then move to formula. It's all fine. I think a lot of breastfeeding stuff focuses on the "exclusive" part, but I think that can be daunting for some women.

oli9 · March 2022

@bumblebee0210 thank you!

As I’m reading and researching I’m starting to think that breastfeeding may be a better and easier option than exclusively pumping because of the demand. I don’t know why I had the idea that breastfeeding would be harder than just pumping but reading the advice here and in the research I’ve done, it actually seems harder and more demanding than just feeding the baby directly from me.

There’s so much to consider! I’m overwhelmed with it already.

sjb2215 · March 2022

@oli9 you've gotten a lot of great info so far. One other thing I hadn't seen mentioned is after the affordable care act passed your health insurance has to provide you with a breast pump.

Both pumping and breastfeeding take some time to get used to, but I felt more tied to one spot when pumping versus breastfeeding (depending if pump has battery operated capabilities, carrying pump and bottles (even with hands free pumping bra). Once you get the hang of nursing I definitely would go and grab something for my toddler while nursing babe.

I think a lot of moms who do exclusively pump though are able to adjust their schedule (maybe starting at every 3 hrs and pushing that a bit if they're producing enough milk), it all just depends though.

And definitely echo what @bumblebee0210 said it doesn't have to be all or nothing. With my first I ran myself ragged trying to pump on top of BFing because he had a tongue tie and wasn't gaining weight. When I released myself from that pressure and began supplementing a little formula, BFing and pumping became easier (and we kept that up for almost a year).

twentythree19 · March 2022

@oli9 I have stuff to add to this thread, but I don’t do well trying to post longer replies from my phone. In the meantime suffice it to say, all options (EP, EBF, formula, a mix thereof) are good options and they all have different aspects that can be daunting. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to figure it all out now, but do keep evaluating your choices. I happened across a book called “Work Pump Repeat” that helped me understand my options, the logistics of each and how to deal with some of the feelings that often come hand in hand with feeding your baby.

cmhme · March 2022

Just to add, its ok to transition over time depending on the baby. With my first, i could not breastfeed at the beginning and thus did formula for at least their first two weeks of life. Then we identified the latch issue and started to get some breastfeeding in but by then the baby already preferred bottles so i ended up pumping for 12 months. A fed baby is really all that matters and i would caution you to not be too set on one way because (like so many things with giving birth) a lot is out of our control. Like @sjb2215 said, the pressure I was putting on myself to do it one way made everything harder.

oli9 · March 2022

Thank you everyone for such great advice and thoughts on the subject so far! I really do appreciate it and it has helped me more than you know!

Before I asked you all for advice, I was under the impression that I had to choose one option and commit to it and that’s the scary part, the commitment to one or none. I’m very nervous about my mental health because of my last experience with my son and his formula intolerance and my sleep deprivation and how it all made such a joyous time in life, complete and total hell for me. So, going into this decision on how to feed my next baby has been really stressful for me because I want to make sure I am doing what’s best for both the baby and myself. You guys are correct though that I don’t have to commit to one or the other right off the bat and that all babies are different so I won’t really know what’s best until she’s here and I’ve tried.

Thanks everyone for making me feel a little more sane.

AnonnAni · March 2022

Have you considered a commercial grade? You can rent through insurance and they work considerable faster then regular store brought pumps. I've used a regulars one with my first and it was SO time consuming. Then BF my second and third. I was working in a hospital when I had my 3rd and a nurse commented that we had access to lactation rooms with the medical grade pumps, using of those was a game changer. As you can imagine in a hospital setting you do not have much break time and the rooms rotate on a 20 minute bases. When I stopped working there but knew I wanted more kids I brought two one for home and one for work and they have been the best thing for baby 4 and 5 and plan (WHF now so wont really need them this time around).

lindzsers · March 2022

There is so much great advice already, and I agree with what the previous posters have said RE: you can absolutely do a combination of feeding types (BFing, pumping, formula) and not just stick to one. I would say there is definitely no right or wrong way to feed, and making sure your comfort and mental health are also considerations is important.

I breastfed my DD for two years and pumped for 1.5-2 years. If I was with her, I was breastfeeding because it was easier. If I was away at work I was pumping and she was taking a bottle from the babysitters. We started practicing using a bottle around the 6-week mark to get her used to it, and she never had any trouble switching from bottle to breast.

Pumping does take a bit of planning and getting used to, but once you map out a schedule and get into the routine, I found it became like second nature. I pumped while working an office job as well as working as a photographer - so I was pumping on the go quite a bit (in the car, in the bridal suite when there was a break in the wedding day schedule, etc). I even traveled to Europe and pumped during the trip.

If pumping is something you are interested in and your body is able to do, I found it wasn't as scary as it seemed at first. I used one of the pumps that my insurance covered, purchased a battery pack so I could pump anywhere, and a set of spare parts so I always had clean parts to work with. I also purchased a soft structure cooler bag and used the giant ice packs that come with the meal delivery kits (you can also buy them on Amazon) to keep the milk cold while I was out. With the cooler and ice pack, I was able to keep the milk cold for over 8 hours, even in the heat of the summer in the south. I plan on breastfeeding and pumping for this baby as well (as long as things go according to plan, you never know!).

tuxielove93 · March 2022

@oli9 Unless there is an actual issue (latch, need to see the production input, need to supplement) most women do not choose to EP. I know breastfeeding may seem daunting (especially if you are used to bottle feeding) but pumping is triple the work compared to just straight breastfeeding. If you pump, you have to take the time to pump, and then still take the time to feed baby, and then do all the washing/storing/sterilizing that comes with using the pump. It's a crap ton of work. When you breastfeed, it's just straight from you to baby whenever they are hungry and then they're done. You would also have to pump overnight, which means waking up to pump and feed baby and get everything away versus just latching baby and then straight back to bed. You also have to stay on a schedule to keep your supply up. When you directly breastfeed, you really don't have to think about the timing at all. Just feed when baby is hungry.

It can be time-consuming for the first few months as the baby learns to latch and their sucking gets stronger. Some newborns will feed for up to an hour because they are not super-efficient when they are little. But once they get going, it's normally only about 10-20 minutes and you're done. The average is every two to three hours, but don't get stuck on that. Just feed when baby is hungry and, barring outside circumstances, your supply will keep up, baby will get exactly what they need, and you don't have to even think about it.

As for the toddlers, I totally understand worrying that they will need you during. I had a two-year-old with my last newborn, and now I will have a five and a three-year-old. I tandem nursed, which helped keep the two year old busy. But there's lots of ways to keep them busy while you feed baby. Lots of moms get some special toys/activities and keep them in a bin that only comes out at feeding time. And it's good for them to learn they have to wait a little bit! You also will learn to move and feed at the same time as baby gets a bit older. AND if you have the right body shape, you can nurse in a baby carrier. Then you have free hands and a free body. And don't be afraid to use the TV if they're really out of control.

Like the other mamas have said, you really don't have to choose right now. If you want to try any form of breastfeeding, latch within that first hour after birth, and take it one feed at a time from there. Just see how things work out. You can always switch it up and change what you are doing as you go.

runnergirl2018 · April 2022

Has anyone used Willow? I’m debating getting it because I’d love more flexibility, especially at work, and it sounds like it is designed to be more like baby - it’s pricey though so I’m debating pros/cons of it. My insurance only would give me a $90 discount on it, or i could just use a $50 healthcare discount on it and get a free Spectra S2. I liked having 2 pumps with my first (one from my insurance and a hand me down closed system pump from a friend) so i didn’t have to bring them back and forth with me to work all the time, had one at home for just in case an kept one at work since that’s the primary pump location

creativesoul63 · April 2022

@runnergirl2018 I had the Elvie with my first and even though I’ve never pumped with “traditional” pump, I could totally see how pumping hands free is a total game changer. Thanks to the pandemic, I didn’t have to pump too much with DD but I’m glad I have it now with my second because I know I’m going to have to pump at work this time around.

There is a learning curve when it comes to putting them on, and as much as they advertise that they are “discreet” you can definitely see and hear them. Still, pumping hands free is just amazing and I felt like they were very efficient.

ericarai__ · April 2022

I’m a FTM and am trying to reduce the amount of plastic exposure. I’ll be pumping both at home and work using the Medela Pump In Style. Any recommendations for storing milk for daycare without using plastic bottles? I’ve registered for Chicco hybrid bottles.

stardustskies · April 2022

@ericarai__ I am registered for Haaka silicone breakmilk storage bags. They are a bit pricey but I'm still getting them since they're reusable and I'm also trying to limit plastic exposure. (Also registered for the Tommee Tippee silicone bottles and glass bottles). 🙂

Edit for link-
Haakaa Silicone Breastmilk Storage Bags https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093PPFZQ9/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_FYQNAW289H277GJPD7EN?psc=1

bumblebee0210 · April 2022

@ericarai__ I just wrote this in the baby bottle thread, but we used glass canning jars (like for jam) and comotomo nipples, which for whatever reason fit perfectly onto them. They worked great, and you can buy silicone sleeves for them too if you're worried about dropping them. *way* cheaper to buy a lot of than typical glass baby bottles.

ETA: You can also freeze your milk in silicone ice cube trays, to avoid all of those disposable plastic bags.

We are not huge fans of plastic either, and we did pretty well avoiding it for most baby stuff, so I'm happy to chat about other plastic-avoidance strategies (high chairs, toys, baby food, etc)

ericarai__ · April 2022

@stardustskies @bumblebee0210 Thank you both for the information! I’ll definitely look more into silicone options ☺️

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