Exclusive Pumping Only
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allison0820
Posts: 325 Member
So is there any such thing?? Are their mothers who do not feed from the breast at all they exclusively use the pump?? Pros / Cons????
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Many mothers pump exclusively especially for medical reasons. Just a few of the cons: The pump is not nearly efficient at getting milk out of a breast as a baby so eventually, your supply will dwindle. Babies will dictate how much milk you need to make by cluster feeding....using a pump is probably not going to increase your supply as the baby demands so you will end up falling short and needing to supplement. It is so much more convenient to just nurse rather than pumping and then giving the baby a bottle that has to be cleaned/sterilized especially at night.
I nursed and also pumped extra for storage/daycare. I thought that was a great for me and the baby. I was also able to increase my supply by doing this and ended up with several hundred ounces in my freezer for emergencies/illnesses.0 -
I had to exclusively pump because my son couldn't latch on no matter how hard we tried. I did it for 5 weeks but became so stressed out that I ended up going to formula. I felt like I was constantly pumping, every two hours to barely get enough to feed my son. So I was always pumping and then feeding. By the time I was done feeding I swear it was time to pump again. I hated it and will not do it again this time even if baby doesn't latch. It was nice giving it a try but in the end stressed me out too much to be worth it.0
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Exclusively pumping sucks!!! I just went through trying to breastfeed and she wouldn't latch so had to just pump then give it to her and it's so time consuming and stressful. It's bad enough to have to feed them every 2 to 3 hours but also trying to find time to pump in there too is just terrible IMO. I lasted 2 weeks and ended up just giving her formula. I would not recommend it unless absolutely necessary.0
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You can pump alongside nursing, but pumping exclusively is very difficult to sustain for more than a few weeks. Some mums have more success than others. Some change to pumping when returning to work and just nurse the child in the evening and first thing. This keeps the bond and supply going, even if three quarters of the milk produced is pumped. Not everyone can pump successfully at all, so I wouldn't plan ahead to exclusively pump only. I think it should only be a back up if nursing fails or you have to be separated from the child for a length of time.0
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If there is a reason you cannot nurse your baby, I think it would be a lot less pressure on yourself to pump as you are able and be open to formula supplementation. Exclusively pumping is very difficult and expensive, and also costs you time with your little one.0
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I pumped for the first month as I couldn't get him to latch. It was hell. Especially for night feedings. I was ready to give up, but finally got his latch after all that time! I can't tell you how much easier and less stressful it is to give baby a boob rather than pump. No way i would ever do that willingly.0
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I pumped for the first month as I couldn't get him to latch. It was hell. Especially for night feedings. I was ready to give up, but finally got his latch after all that time! I can't tell you how much easier and less stressful it is to give baby a boob rather than pump. No way i would ever do that willingly.
I also had to exclusively pump until we could fix latching issues. My daughter REFUSED to latch for 8 weeks. I am glad I stuck it out because one day, after a nipple shield and lots of crying, she finally got it and latched. So much better after that!! I highly recommend getting the baby back to the breast if you can.0 -
It's the worst of both worlds.
I did it with my first for 4 months. It was horrible. Not only do you have to take the time to pump (and you have to pump A LOT to keep your supply up), you have to take the time to actually feed the baby and wash all of the bottles and pump parts every time.
I would never, ever do it again. I had to exclusively pump for my daughter (she was a NICU preemie and they wouldn't let her try to breastfeed until her breathing stabilized) for a few days this time and that was more than enough! It did help my supply and now she nurses great so it was worth it...I would never do it long term though.0 -
I will tell you that after having 3 kids and trying the breastfeeding and being so stressed out over it, I'm going to exclusively pump this time around. Since I have 3 other kids (9, 7, & 2), my time is needed to be doing other things. I need to be able to have someone else feed the baby while I attend to other things. Yes, it is time consuming, but I actually find pumping less stressful than breastfeeding because I don't have the worry of them not latching properly or getting enough at one feeding. Besides, DH needs to be able to feed in the middle of the night too. If you keep at pumping, it can work, I know a few people who have done it. All my kids were big eaters so for me, it was an issue of my breasts being so sore from them having to eat more frequently. It was better for me to pump every couple of hours than to try to have a baby suck on my boobs when they were incredibly sore every hour.0
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This is just my opinion but maybe something to ponder especially for anyone that happens to read the above post who has never nursed a baby.....The first few weeks are hard until your supply is established but so worth it if you stick with it. I don't see how exclusively pumping can possibly be less time consuming than just nursing directly....I mean you have to pump and THEN feed the baby. Then there is cleaning everything.......How does that save time? If anything, it would double the time spent on feedings. I can see doing it if medically necessary (preemie, twins, tongue tied, etc) but to plan on exclusive pumping without a very good reason is kinda crazy to me.
With nursing you are also totally mobile. You can nurse while wearing a baby (see youtube on this) and it works wonderfully when you have other children or things to attend to. I used to nurse while shopping wearing my Ergo or sling....nobody knew what I was doing either. It's not like you can walk around and do anything when you are strapped to a pump. As far as being sore, the pump made me just as sore if not more than the baby. All of that subsides after a few weeks anyway. Another thought....who on earth is going to get up out of bed every 2-3 hours to pump? I bet that goes out the door pretty quickly.....so there goes your supply.
The best thing I ever learned to do was sleep nurse.....I slept more when my daughter was a newborn than I did after I stopped letting her nurse on demand at night at around 6 months. I got a full nights rest because I slept the entire time she nursed. I just flipped back and forth from side to side every few hours and so did she (this is great for powering up your supply by the way). As far as not knowing if they got enough in a feeding.....babies get way more out of your breasts than a pump ever could so don't compare what you pump to what you breastfeed directly.....apples and oranges. If you are really concerned....get a baby scale and weigh them before and after a feeding (don't remove any clothes or the diaper). In reality, if your baby is gaining weight, they are getting enough. Babies want to nurse constantly for a reason....they increase your supply as they grow. Growth spurts will cause cluster feedings.
As far as fixing latch issues.....please go see someone from La Leche League or another group before giving up and resorting to EP’ing or nothing at all. Many issues can be fixed quite easily. I had issues in the beggining and LLL really helped me.
I think everyone has the right to choose how they want to feed their baby whether it be nursing, EP'ing, a combo or just formula....I just worry about new moms who may read about exclusive pumping and not realize how hard that can really be and not know about other options.0 -
I had a preemie who could not nurse so I exclusively pumped for 11 weeks til she was strong enough to nurse.
Cons:
Having to clean the machine/ parts/ bottles 12X day. Boil all the parts every night.
Hearing your baby cry for like 20mins while you pump or pumping & cleaning the parts while baby is asleep & missing out on much needed sleep.
Having to carry ice packs everywhere you go so the milk won't spoil then trying to figure out how to warm the milk back up when your at the grocery store
Getting up to pump at night before/after you feed your baby sucks. All you want to do is go right to sleep afterwards, but no, you're up an additional 30mins pumping & cleaning the parts.
Literally crying over spilt milk
Pros:
Great alternative to formula
Gives you a reason to take more breaks at work
Having an excuse for 20mins alone when husband gets off work
I worked with 3 lactation consultants & finally got my preemie to nurse. It was very, very difficult but well worth it. All I would do is stick her on my boob, no cleaning bottles, no buying expensive formula. She could only nurse in one position though, but I was happy with that. Best bonding experience ever.
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^^ Wow you are a rockstar!!!! Good for you!0
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I tried it has my son was tongue tied and had a cleft lip and wasn't able to latch. We were able to for a while before my milk dried up and I was glad that he was able to get atleast 2 1/2 months Breast milk. If you are going to try that as opposed to no breast milk at all I would totally go for it it is worth the hassle if you just have general concerns about breast feeding maybe trying talking to a Le Leche League member. Ultimately what works best for one person doesn't for others You have to do what is best for you and your baby 0
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^^ Wow you are a rockstar!!!! Good for you!
Thanks! It was quite an experience!0 -
My daughter wasin nicu for 10 weeks so i had no choice but to pump. After a while you just get on with it, i think it was easy for me to pump because my baby wasnt with me but you have to pump every 3 hours to keep supply up. Also, you have to pump until there is nothing left in your breast, so that you get all the hind milk. When she came home from hospital i kept pumping and feeding for about 5 weeks. I was so tired. Its not sustainable in the long run, but if its your only option (baby wont latch, hosptal etc) then it is best. The breastmilk in the first couple of weeks is really important, so even if you just pump and feed for a month or two, its still better than going straight on to formula. Baby is now 6 months old and i still pump 2 bottles a day for her, the rest is formula.0
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Another thing, in the beginning you pump a lot more than your baby needs, so just freeze the left over milk. You can keep breastmilk frozen for 3 -6 months. Just thaw out at room temprature. Your baby needs abou 150ml per kilogram of weight, devided by die amounts of feed per day, so if you pump your milk, you know your baby is getting exactly how much is needed as apposed to breastfeeding when you dont know if your baby is drinking enough. I would have loved to be able to breastfeed, but in the end, pumping isnt too bad, there are pro's to it as well!0
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The breastmilk in the first couple of weeks is really important, so even if you just pump and feed for a month or two, its still better than going straight on to formula.
^This!
It's tough not to overthink/stress about BFing when you're expecting. I am totally guilty of doing it both times, too, so I'm definitely not pointing fingers
Yes, you can EP. I know moms who've done it, and I had such a horrible time with BFing the first time around that I considered doing it the second time. My second is almost 5 months old now, and we ended up EBFing. I rarely pump because for some reason it hardly works for me anymore, even when I am "full." I can pump almost nothing but put my baby to breast and hear him swallowing like crazy (baby is far more efficient than any pump). With my older son, I supplemented and pumped like crazy to save my supply, and it was awful. I eventually got a pump I love (as much as you can love a pump - it's an Avent pump), but overall it was still a total PITA.
Having been on the other side of the fence where I pumped a lot and now being on this side where I EBF, I find that the latter is far easier (in most respects) and definitely more convenient in general.
But getting back to what I quoted from luzmidd, when I was crying in the LC's office over my guilt at supplementing my older son, the LC dropped her militant BFing stance and comforted me by telling me that every drop of breast milk my son gets, especially in those first couple of months, is great. Try to keep that in mind if you don't end up EBFing or EPing.0 -
I'm definitely the opposite. I have 3 kids and I exclusively pumped them all. It worked for my family and I didn't find it to be too time consuming. I had a good supply out of the gate and didn't need to worry about supply issues, so I did not have to pump like crazy, I pumped 4 times per day and had more than enough to supply my children.
Everyone has a different experience. You won't know what you want to do until you have your baby and try. I never planned to EP, but my first son was in NICU and the choice wasn't mine to make at the time. If he wanted BM, it was going to be via me pumping. I say wait it out and see what works for you!0 -
It is all about how your baby does with both worlds and how comfortable you feel with both worlds as well. I just didn't like dealing with the stressers of BFing primarily and it worked great to pump and I could pump when my husband was feeding the baby, so it wouldn't be an issue that the baby would be crying while I pumped. I was able to keep a pretty good supply. I plan on taking my pump to the hospital and pumping right away after baby is born and we get settled. My Midwives are very much in tune with my choices and they said that no matter if your BF or Pump, Breastmilk is Breastmilk. If they can get some for the first couple of months, it makes all the difference. It is very much a choice and some think it is more time consuming, others don't. It just depends.0
