Exclusively pumping worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you tried nipple shields? My breasts are just like yours, and my baby couldn’t latch properly either until around 6 weeks. I exclusively pumped but kept trying with shields, and by about 6 weeks she got it. I think I used the shields until about 10 weeks? They turn tiny nipples into big, bottle-like nipples. Very useful.

I have used them once or twice when I’ve tried to breastfeed. Maybe they would make a difference if I tried to breastfeed meow regularly.

[Anonymous]

As someone said, years/ even a year from now you won’t care. Trust me. It does not matter.

[Anonymous]

Op do you have plans to try to breastfeed, at all? I really think pumping is only beneficial if you are having struggle with breastfeeding and you plan to breastfeed later and or you're pumping while you're away from your baby and you breastfeed when you're with your baby. Without the feedback of the baby's saliva to your nipple some of the positive effects from a composition standpoint are moot. Like breastmilk from nursing changes feed to feed day to day which is super cool but also not actually a requirement for a healthy thriving baby.
The only people that I would say pumping is worthwhile for are people who do it with ease and have no trouble with pumping. It's still breast milk at the end of the day it's just not breast milk that changes based on feedback from your baby which is kind of the important part IMO?
If pumping is not working for you then don't keep doing it. Just like I would tell a mom as great as breastmilk is if nursing isn't working for you then stop doing it. There is nothing that's going to happen in your child's future where you will look back and be like this outcome happened because I did x. Regardless of whether x is formula feeding pumping or breastfeeding.

[Anonymous]

I did it for eleven months and am not sorry about it, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Oversupply can be as bad as undersupply, and you have oversupply.

[Anonymous]

In a word: No

[Anonymous]

Breastfeeding has a lot of immunity benefits as well as it being very good for babies' mouth and jaw development, which seem to be the biggest benefits past about 6 months of breastfeeding. So, no, I don't think exclusively pumping is actually beneficial to a baby past a certain point. Definitely try for the first 6 weeks but if you can't make it do not spend a minute worrying.

Agreed that the only point of pumping is if you'll be away from the baby for a bit and want to preserve your ability to breastfeed. Otherwise it doesn't really matter much besides being able to save money of formula. I say this as a mom that breastfed for six months besides a bottle of expressed milk here or there, then pumped and breastfed until baby was a year old. Looking back I should have just given her formula instead of worrying so much about the pump and just breastfed her when we were together. That would have made the first year postpartum so much better. Happier mom=happier and healthier baby.

[Anonymous]

Honestly no. Formula is great.

[Anonymous]

Op you said you want to stop. That is a good enough reason to stop. EPing sucks and can really impact your postpartum experience/bonding with baby. Wishing you the best!

[Anonymous]

If you want to stop. Stop. I'm exclusively pumping now and someone told me EP is breastfeeding on hard mode and it absolutely is.

If it's cutting into snuggle time or your mental health health it's not worth it.

If you want to keep going and it feels sustainable go for it

[Anonymous]

F&ck no. Pumping was miserable. I would meet with a lactation consultant to see if you can breastfeed and if not just drop it.

[Anonymous]

If you need to pump for comfort, freeze and stockpile as much as you can while still pumping. But it's best if you can let your body regulate your supply while it's still early days. It's really early for your boobs to have regulated.

Also, ditto, on trying again to bf with nipple shields as the baby gets bigger and stronger. Try it when you can baby are calm, and possibly when baby is sleepy and doesn't notice. Prime the shield with some breast milk to help them accept it. Or start with a bottle and then switch to the breast.

[Anonymous]

You have probably tried all the things OP, but if baby is not opening mouth wide enough that ight be source of pain and frustration. You can push on baby’s chin to get a wider latch. And if baby is nipping that will stop any clamping or biting too.

[Anonymous]

I’m very pro breastfeeding but exclusively pumping is not worth it. I loved breastfeeding because it was easy (after first couple of weeks) and on demand. I loved the bonding with babies. I did pump while I was at work and it was fine but annoying. I can’t imagine spending time pumping when you could just be feeding your baby formula who is right in front of you. I think nutritionally they’re the same.

If you are on maternity leave, stop pumping entirely. Take lecithin. I swear by that stuff. I too got clogs. Make baby nurse more until you’re fully emptied. Pumping gave me too much milk and my babies were satisfied with 5 min of nursing. Nope. They weren’t getting the fatty milk they needed.