Breastfeeding or pumping?

[Anonymous]

Honestly you’ve already won, so do the pumping if you prefer it if you’re going back to work soon. Sounds like the baby has enough milk and formula and is growing and everyone’s doing great. Don’t sweat the details.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP and haven't read the replies. But I feel like I'm really expert at this question--expert at what I did wrong.

My brother was getting married when my first would be 5 weeks old, and I was to be a bridesmaid. Baby #1 was too young to be in a mass crowd situation (no shots yet), so I pumped. We were in a different town and it was maybe a week of me pumping.

Drinking from a bottle is a bit easier for the baby as it flows out and they don't have to work as hard. So after the whole experience, Baby #1 would not go back to the breast.

I didn't think much of it because it was easy to pump.

Well that's because she's a newborn, and is immobile and sleeps a lot!...I did not anticipate when she was awake, crawling around and getting into things.

It became progressively harder to pump. I was determined to give her breast milk for a year, and it became really hard to pull off by the time she was 6+ months.

So if you want to continue to bf, just be careful of falling into this trap.

Also, you say you make more milk than your baby needs. I suspect it's because you are giving formula. The way the hormones work, if you are not supplementing, there is a balance between baby and mom (the crying and also the sucking action signal when milk comes down and how much to make). Feeding formula or other foods messes with that balance. (there is also an issue with the baby's gut being a bit porous at that time so shouldn't have other than breast milk if possible)

With my #2, I pumped only if I had to go somewhere for the evening (so not that much) and it really was easy to bf until #2 was 1 year old.

OP here. The pediatrician said formula was fine. I’ve always had family members and friends who exclusively breastfed and had an oversupply in the beginning until their supply regulated.

If you continue to pump 40-50 oz per day, your body will regulate to making 40-50 oz per day. That is an oversupply, and it sounds like a great problem to have, but it’s not. Im surprised your LC has not mentioned this to you.

Not OP but this isn’t always true. I had an oversupply with both of my kids in the beginning and had to pump because of engorgement. Both times it decreased around 3 months to an average supply. I’ve had a family member and two friends who went through the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Just wait- it will switch soon. After a few weeks, breastfeeding is SO much easier than pumping.

I had to pump for 30 minutes with all my kids because the last milk that comes is the fattiest, the hind milk. The first milk is wattery and would hurt their stomachs if it wasn't balanced with hind mlk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Continue to breastfeed and wait it out. He will get more efficient fairly soon. For mine it was usually around 2 months. The pump seems like a good idea now, but you will basically be chained to it if you decide to exclusively pump. Think about when baby is just a little older and you want to go out and do something. You will need to take the pump and all the parts with you, find a place to pump, and then sit there and pump and miss out on whatever is going on. Then also carry a cooler bag with you to keep the milk cold. When they get efficient, it can be as quick as 10 minutes to nurse them. Push through this. Exclusive pumping is not something to take on lightly.

OP here. My spectra can be moved around and I do have a hands free pump that I have used.

Obviously pumps can be moved.

Hands free pumps are not as efficient at removing milk and using one regularly over time will reduce your milk supply.

But it sounds like you’ve got this all figured out based on this and other replies. Not sure why you’re here asking for advice when it seems like you’ve already made up your mind. Very few (if any) here are going to tell you that you should EP over breastfeeding.

EPer here, and I agree with this. My son had a severe tongue tie and couldn’t breastfeed, so I got backed into this EPing journey for a second time (first was a preemie).

It seems like you have already made up your mind, but my advice would be NOT to move to EP if you can avoid it. It is the hardest way to feed a baby in my opinion. It has both the challenges of breast and bottle feeding at the same time.

Our entire schedule is tied to my pumping. If we go somewhere and can’t be back before my next scheduled time, I have to make sure I can find a place to discreetly pump. Breastfeeding in public is acceptable for most people, but not pumping. I have to bring my pump with me everywhere I go. Breastmilk has to stay cool and only has a few hours before you can’t feed it to the baby, so I have to bring a cooler if we are out of the house for an extended period. If baby is fussy while I’m pumping, it is very hard to comfort him as he pulls on the tubing and bottles. Yes, there are wearables that don’t have tubing but they aren’t as effective at removing milk and that affects your long term supply.

There are some people who choose to EP from birth, and as someone who has been backed into it twice, for the life of me I can’t understand why.

[Anonymous]

OP, not sure why you've asked this question. Every experienced breastfeeder/pumper on here has said that your plan is the harder one, yet you continue to argue why you're correct and everyone else is wrong. If you don't want to take the advice of moms that have been through this then not sure why you even asked. Are you looking for validation? Because so far no one has agreed with you. We're all trying to help you avoid a path that will be harder in the long run because as a first time mom you don't know what you don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, not sure why you've asked this question. Every experienced breastfeeder/pumper on here has said that your plan is the harder one, yet you continue to argue why you're correct and everyone else is wrong. If you don't want to take the advice of moms that have been through this then not sure why you even asked. Are you looking for validation? Because so far no one has agreed with you. We're all trying to help you avoid a path that will be harder in the long run because as a first time mom you don't know what you don't know.

OP here. I’m trying to make these breastfeeding experience easier and so far it hasn’t been. Being tied to the couch or a chair every two hours for 30-60 minutes sucks. My nipples hurt, my back hurts, and it’s really so tiring. I feel like pumping every 3 hours for 20-30 minutes will be less exhausting and probably less painful. I will be able to get more sleep and I can skip a feeding. Having to feed and pump it’s really double the work and it would be easier to just pump. At least for now but then I think it might not be fun months from now when baby can become a more efficient nurser. I will be pumping as long as I make more than baby eats to build a stash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP and haven't read the replies. But I feel like I'm really expert at this question--expert at what I did wrong.

My brother was getting married when my first would be 5 weeks old, and I was to be a bridesmaid. Baby #1 was too young to be in a mass crowd situation (no shots yet), so I pumped. We were in a different town and it was maybe a week of me pumping.

Drinking from a bottle is a bit easier for the baby as it flows out and they don't have to work as hard. So after the whole experience, Baby #1 would not go back to the breast.

I didn't think much of it because it was easy to pump.

Well that's because she's a newborn, and is immobile and sleeps a lot!...I did not anticipate when she was awake, crawling around and getting into things.

It became progressively harder to pump. I was determined to give her breast milk for a year, and it became really hard to pull off by the time she was 6+ months.

So if you want to continue to bf, just be careful of falling into this trap.

Also, you say you make more milk than your baby needs. I suspect it's because you are giving formula. The way the hormones work, if you are not supplementing, there is a balance between baby and mom (the crying and also the sucking action signal when milk comes down and how much to make). Feeding formula or other foods messes with that balance. (there is also an issue with the baby's gut being a bit porous at that time so shouldn't have other than breast milk if possible)

With my #2, I pumped only if I had to go somewhere for the evening (so not that much) and it really was easy to bf until #2 was 1 year old.

OP here. The pediatrician said formula was fine. I’ve always had family members and friends who exclusively breastfed and had an oversupply in the beginning until their supply regulated.

If you continue to pump 40-50 oz per day, your body will regulate to making 40-50 oz per day. That is an oversupply, and it sounds like a great problem to have, but it’s not. Im surprised your LC has not mentioned this to you.

Not OP but this isn’t always true. I had an oversupply with both of my kids in the beginning and had to pump because of engorgement. Both times it decreased around 3 months to an average supply. I’ve had a family member and two friends who went through the same thing.

Pumping to relieve engorgement is different than pumping to replace a feed. If you’re truly only pumping to relieve engorgement, you pump just until you’re comfortable, not until you’re empty. If you’re engorged and you pump until you’re empty each time, you are sending your body the signal that the baby needs ALL of that milk. So your body will continue to make all of that milk, leading to oversupply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, not sure why you've asked this question. Every experienced breastfeeder/pumper on here has said that your plan is the harder one, yet you continue to argue why you're correct and everyone else is wrong. If you don't want to take the advice of moms that have been through this then not sure why you even asked. Are you looking for validation? Because so far no one has agreed with you. We're all trying to help you avoid a path that will be harder in the long run because as a first time mom you don't know what you don't know.

OP here. I’m trying to make these breastfeeding experience easier and so far it hasn’t been. Being tied to the couch or a chair every two hours for 30-60 minutes sucks. My nipples hurt, my back hurts, and it’s really so tiring. I feel like pumping every 3 hours for 20-30 minutes will be less exhausting and probably less painful. I will be able to get more sleep and I can skip a feeding. Having to feed and pump it’s really double the work and it would be easier to just pump. At least for now but then I think it might not be fun months from now when baby can become a more efficient nurser. I will be pumping as long as I make more than baby eats to build a stash.

Since you’re not opposed to formula, I recommend just formula feeding. Then you don’t even have to worry about the pump. There is no pint in putting all of this effort in to breastfeeding/pumping if you are able to afford and access formula.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP. I'll go ahead and offer an alternative view from other PPs.

I went the EP route and it was absolutely the right decision for our family. I was an overproducer (it sounds like you are too) and was able to go down to about 3 or 4 pumps a day for most of that first year (after the 3rd month or so). I worked from home so I pumped in the morning, once at lunch and then in the evening after baby went down. It was more than enough and I built a freezer stash.

In my experience, I liked being able to see how much baby was getting, the freedom of being able to have a looser schedule (because he didn't need the breast to feed so if I was out on an errand it was alright), and the bonding experience I was able to share with my husband who also got to feed our baby often. Also, I have to travel a lot for work and I liked knowing that baby was already used to a bottle and had enough stash to tide him over.

It's not for everyone and lots of people either said I was crazy or I was a champ for going the EP route but it was the right decision for our family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, not sure why you've asked this question. Every experienced breastfeeder/pumper on here has said that your plan is the harder one, yet you continue to argue why you're correct and everyone else is wrong. If you don't want to take the advice of moms that have been through this then not sure why you even asked. Are you looking for validation? Because so far no one has agreed with you. We're all trying to help you avoid a path that will be harder in the long run because as a first time mom you don't know what you don't know.

OP here. I’m trying to make these breastfeeding experience easier and so far it hasn’t been. Being tied to the couch or a chair every two hours for 30-60 minutes sucks. My nipples hurt, my back hurts, and it’s really so tiring. I feel like pumping every 3 hours for 20-30 minutes will be less exhausting and probably less painful. I will be able to get more sleep and I can skip a feeding. Having to feed and pump it’s really double the work and it would be easier to just pump. At least for now but then I think it might not be fun months from now when baby can become a more efficient nurser. I will be pumping as long as I make more than baby eats to build a stash.

Since you’re not opposed to formula, I recommend just formula feeding. Then you don’t even have to worry about the pump. There is no pint in putting all of this effort in to breastfeeding/pumping if you are able to afford and access formula.

OP here. Formula feeding isn’t an option if I’m able to give him breastmilk. It’s the best nutrition for him and I want him to have breastmilk for at least 6 months.

[Anonymous]

NP. Not sure why OP is getting oddly aggressive responses. I am an EP'er, 4.5 months with my second. I pump 6x a day (every 3 hours) for 30 minutes each session; first pump is 6:30am and last pump is 10:30 ish before bed (I stretch the last pump before bed). I am back to work and other than making sure my bag is packed when I'm leaving the house, it's not a big deal at all.

It works well for us, I had gestational diabetes with both kids and my doctor told me that nursing for at least 6 months would reduce my risk for Type 2 diabetes in the future. I also like that my husband can feed the baby and there were zero issues when we started daycare as baby took bottle from day 1.

I will say - I was an oversupplier until I regulated at 12 weeks, we do have to make one pitcher of formula a week. At 6 months we will re-assess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just had my first baby this month and I’m mostly breastfeeding but also pumping and we add a bottle of formula in. He eats 10 times a day and I’m pumping 4-5 times a day. He’s an incredibly slow eater ( 30-60 minutes at a time) and the pump I’m done in 20-30 minutes. I make more milk than he can eat and I’m really trying to take advantage and create a freezer stash for when my milk supply regulates and I go back to work. This was encouraged by the two IBLCE I went to see.

I enjoy breastfeeding my little guy but I have been finding I prefer the pump even more because it’s so much quicker. I’m starting to wonder if I should switch to pumping since I’m pumping for half of his feeds anyway. Then I stop myself and think my supply will regulate and he will become more efficient. Would you switch to pumping or continue to breastfeed and just wait it out?

I’ve pumped and breastfed with all three of my kids. I work and am very active and pumping gives me the ability to express milk when the baby isn’t with me or is sleeping. Pumping can also help you maintain or increase supply. It’s not a binary and I wouldn’t overthink it - I find the more relaxed I am about this stuff and the fewer “rules” or black and white ideas I have about things the easier it is and the less boxed in I feel.

[Anonymous]

EP-ing sucks. I would try to stick with breastfeeding if baby is getting enough from that.

[Anonymous]

Pumping is a huge hassle. Everyone I know who tried to exclusively pump has hated it by the end.

Still, you seem pretty set on your decisions, so why post? Pumping at 5 weeks is very different than pumping at 5 months. You’re at the stage where it feels like the solution to all your problems. Pretty soon, pumping becomes the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pumping is a huge hassle. Everyone I know who tried to exclusively pump has hated it by the end.

Still, you seem pretty set on your decisions, so why post? Pumping at 5 weeks is very different than pumping at 5 months. You’re at the stage where it feels like the solution to all your problems. Pretty soon, pumping becomes the problem.

OP here. My baby is 2 weeks old, not 5 weeks.