Did anyone do only breastfeeding (no bottles of pumped milk or formula)

[Anonymous]

Following. I pumped when needed with my first, but it felt extra time consuming so I started supplementing with formula around 6 months. Since I’ll be on maternity leave/WFH for the rest of 2020, I might just use formula when I want a break. My baby is about 4 months now, and has reluctantly taken a pumped bottle twice at this point.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried the Haakaa?

I pumped a bit when my baby was prob 1-3 months old, once maybe every other day, after a feeding. It was a PITA but I thought I’d be heading back the office at 12 weeks, and the doc said it was good to get him used to a bottle before then. It gave me enough pumped milk to sleep through an 8 am feed once a week (glorious! For some reason I hated the 8am more than the middle of the night feeds). Then the pandemic hit, along with the 4 month sleep regression, and he started fighting the bottle, and I just gave up - my office was closed at that point anyway. So I totally understand - once the return to the office was no longer looming, it wasn’t worth it.

But once he started sleeping through the night at 4.5 months, I started using the Haakaa each morning on the right when he fed from the left. Then I take the Haakaa off and switch him. It’s sooooo easy, and gets me 2-3 ounces a day, effort free! That’s enough for a couple bottles a week, and probably enough so you feel less tethered. Highly recommend.

[Anonymous]

Most women I personally know who breastfed 3+ kids stopped pumping with the first or second and just nursed, no bottles. But we are all SAHMs. It’s less work to nurse than pump and feed if you are dealing with many other children.

[Anonymous]

If you pump, you have the option of someone else feeding the baby your breast milk (if no formula is important to you). You can go to lunch, run errands, get your nails done, exercise, do older kids activities with your other children etc. baby-free without having those calls that the baby is crying from hunger or rushing back after 2 hours. You can multitask better while pumping with a handdfree bra or pump. Pumping more efficiently empties the breast so get that full feeling less. Cleaning the pump parts is only about 15-20 minutes per day total.

[Anonymous]

I only breastfeed my firstborn and found it very easy to go out and about. I wore him in a baby bjorn and didn’t need to bring much with me besides a diaper and some wipes.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is 10 months old and only had bottles during emergencies- that time I had to go to the ER and another time when I had a GI bug and my supply tanked for a couple of days. Pumping is more time consuming because you pump then have to freeze the milk and clean everything. Takes twice as long when I just could have easily nursed for 5-10 min and been done. My first had bottles more often before he ended up rejecting them altogether around 7 months but once he was maybe 13 months, he dropped to only a couple 5 min sessions a day (before his nap and before bed) so it was truly NBD to work around that.

[Anonymous]

I've only EBF my children who were BF. Never used bottles, or pumped. Didn't even buy bottles because I had no plans of bottle feeding. I BF for 18 months, 3.5 years, and 2 years. But, with my first born she would not latch it was a huge struggle, and so I pumped for 2 months and then went to FF. Best decision ever! Pumping is tedious, and that time could be spent doing something better. IME pumping was a nightmare, and exhausting. BF was a lot easier.

[Anonymous]

Yes, but only because my DC wouldn't take a bottle. DC was so difficult to wean too. I don't look back at that time fondly, but we got through it.

[Anonymous]

Pumping is getting an overly bad rap here. Yeah it can be tedious, but it can also be very freeing. You can go out and about, or even pump at home and take a nap while someone else feeds the baby. Pumps are free with insurance so why not try it. It’s not that hard to wash the parts.

For reference, I breastfed, pumped, and very occasionally formula fed 2 babies to 8 months.

[Anonymous]

I did.

1 year with my first child.

18 months with my second.

My children had/have dairy allergies. Addiionally, I was at home throughout most of the breastfeeding period (except for months 9-11 with my older child-I was in school; the entiere 18 months with my second).

I tried pumping and hated it. It took up extra time(about 15-20 minutes to pump and wash all the tools), and it just seemed easier to give the baby directly from the breast.

[Anonymous]

When I was on maternity leave I would lazily pump in the morning to make enough for half a bottle or so. My DH used that for night feeds and the occasional babysitter. It was pretty easy. Pumping was very stressful when I had to do it at work, but it’s really NBD to pump for a little while while drinking coffee and watching TV!

[Anonymous]

I did with dc2. Breast feed for 15 months. Any other liquids he drank were from a sippy cup.

With dc1 I was too confused and ultimately never felt I had enough milk, so supplemrnted two bottles each day with formula.

Dc3 was all formula after the first week for unrelated reasons.

[Anonymous]

I should add I was home those years.

[Anonymous]

I did with my first. Sort of. I exclusively nursed him and pumped at work. He refused all bottles until 11 months old and would starve at daycare and nurse all night (before you think I'm evil, there was 16+ ounces of milk available to him and it is apparently okay to do your 8 hour stretch at daycare instead of overnight).

After about 6 months it got so much easier because he could get calories through food. He started dropping feedings and we were down to 3 a day by 10 months. Then we continued nursing for a really long time.

Second kid took bottles at school, but again I literally have never fed a baby a bottle. Supply kept up and he was on 3 solid meals by 7 months. His demand for milk dropped over time and we've been nursing well into toddler hood.

So hang in there. It'll get much easier!

[Anonymous]

My biggest advice is (1) pumping and bottles aren't bad for the baby -- do what makes you happiest, and (2) feeding in general gets easier as the baby ages because they feed less frequently.

My personal experience was that I almost exclusively breastfed until my kid decided she was done at about 13 months. I did pump sometimes so that I could leave bottles with my husband or a sitter, and that's a huge benefit of pumping. Even with the pandemic, you can take walks alone or go for a drive and read a book. Again, ignore the people who say that it will impact your bond with your baby. This is BS. You can bond with your baby a million different ways, and women who don't BF for many different reasons (low supply, medical issues, work schedules, mental health -- all valid!) still bond with and have good relationships with their babies. What your baby needs is a mom who is getting her needs met, and that might mean pumping or using formula. Your needs matter.

Having said all that -- as with most things with infants, give it a week or two. Everything changes quicker than you expect it to (feeding, sleeping, mobility, etc.). I look back at how exhausted I was when my daughter was 8 mo old, when I was thinking she'd never sleep through the night and that I'd be doing 2am feedings forever. Cut to three months later, and she was sleeping 12 hours a night in her own room, and I was actually quite sad when she decided she was done nursing. But that's how quickly things change.

You don't have to make a big change. If you feel captive, make a little change and see what happens. Maybe that means pumping in the evening so your partner can do at least one of the night time feeds. Maybe it's working formula and bottles into your baby's routine so that you can get away sometimes. Maybe you just need to change how you approach nursing (see if there's is a place or a way to do it that you actually look forward to -- I relished being able to take the baby to a quiet place to nurse while I read a book, and escape house guests and family for a little while). If a little change doesn't work, try something more. Prioritize your own happiness and know your baby needs you to be happy too!