Breastfeeding - Exclusively Pump?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah there is something missing in this OP, unless your kid isn’t gaining weight you’re pumping to create an over supply. You may just have high capacity boobs and your kid only want one, or swap them in the middle of the feed. I would do 10 mins on one side then swap, he would do 10-15 on the other side and that was the feed. No pumping required

OP here. The lactation consultant said I make a normal amount of milk. She said she that you’re supply may be a lot in the beginning but it will balance out. She said to not try to secede my supply or not pump because then I will have a baby wanting more milk than I make and will need to supplement. The lactation consultant also said not to switch side mid feed because my baby will only get the milk in front and none of the fatty milk. She said to let him drain one breast and then offer the other if he wants it. He does take both sometimes during the evening when my supply decreases but he only eats 2-3oz every 2-3 hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get this at all. Your current plan just stimulates oversupply. Just let the baby eat off one breast and then at the next feeding offer the opposite breast. Your supply will regulate.

OP here. The lactation consultant said I’m not creating an oversupply because I’m not pumping extra. I only pump for about 5-10 minutes to get the retrs of the milk out and that’s it. I’ve been doing that since day 3 and it hasn’t created me to pump more than 2oz on one side.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I’m going to stick to what I’m doing and wait until he eats more to take both breasts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I’m going to stick to what I’m doing and wait until he eats more to take both breasts.

Sounds good. I tried to avoid EP at all costs. During the day I pumped the other side when she fed but at night just BF. Things got better as she got bigger and stronger so it’s not forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would give yourself two more weeks. If you're still miserable, switch to formula. By then the baby has gotten the biggest benefits from breastfeeding anyway.

bizarre comment- she currently has an oversupply. my baby is almost 6 months and still doesn't need 40 oz a day. our pediatrician said on the high end she needs 29-32 oz now. i'd focus less on trying to preserve oversupply. i did triple feed for a month and it was so exhausting. use haaka or hand express/manual pump after to catch extra but no need to pump up extra supply.

my supply fluctuates between oversupply/undersupply on any given week- but my worst fear about losing supply would be having to heat bottles in middle of the night and pump, so much easier to nurse then and on the go.

OP here. The pediatrician and lactation consultant said he would eat closer to 32oz/day by 3 months. Most of my friends who breastfeed ( track with scale), exclusively pump, or formula feed had babies taking in 28-32oz by 2-3 months and that stayed until like 9/10 months.

I’ve been exclusively pumping for 9 months now and my son has never taken even close to 32 ozs. The most he takes is 25 ozs and now that he’s 9 months, he averages 22-24 ozs a day max. Formula fed babies take a lot more than breastfed but I wouldn’t plan on your baby needing 32 ozs a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do whatever it takes to avoid exclusively pumping. It’s the worst of both worlds.

This. I did it with child 1 and swore never again.

I didn’t have considerable volume, so couldn’t stock much in advance so in a way was pumping for every feeding. It was joyless, it felt like I was attached to the machine all the time instead of the baby. It was hard to time the pumping cause needed to do it before the baby needed to feed. Feeding took double the time at least with first pumping, then feeding, then washing bottles etc. including at night.

It was hard to go out for any considerable length of time cause need to pump (even if bring pumped milk or formula, still need to pump because of discomfort, and to maintain supply). It’s literally worst that can be. If you cannot manage to breast feed, pump some and combine with formula to get some relief and be more mobile.

[Anonymous]

pp again, to answer your question, yes, keep BF & pumping if that’s what the consultant recommends. This gives a chance to at some point move to fully bf. Exclusively pumping would be much worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would give yourself two more weeks. If you're still miserable, switch to formula. By then the baby has gotten the biggest benefits from breastfeeding anyway.

bizarre comment- she currently has an oversupply. my baby is almost 6 months and still doesn't need 40 oz a day. our pediatrician said on the high end she needs 29-32 oz now. i'd focus less on trying to preserve oversupply. i did triple feed for a month and it was so exhausting. use haaka or hand express/manual pump after to catch extra but no need to pump up extra supply.

my supply fluctuates between oversupply/undersupply on any given week- but my worst fear about losing supply would be having to heat bottles in middle of the night and pump, so much easier to nurse then and on the go.

OP here. The pediatrician and lactation consultant said he would eat closer to 32oz/day by 3 months. Most of my friends who breastfeed ( track with scale), exclusively pump, or formula feed had babies taking in 28-32oz by 2-3 months and that stayed until like 9/10 months.

I’ve been exclusively pumping for 9 months now and my son has never taken even close to 32 ozs. The most he takes is 25 ozs and now that he’s 9 months, he averages 22-24 ozs a day max. Formula fed babies take a lot more than breastfed but I wouldn’t plan on your baby needing 32 ozs a day.

I’m a former nanny and mom of two. Most of the breastfeed babies took at least 28 ounces at 3 months when I started. All babies are different but 24-32oz/day is standard. I’ve even worked with a baby who took less formula than his breastfed sibling. Both of my boys were eating 28oz by 2 months and 32oz by 3 months and never took less than 24oz even when eating solids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would give yourself two more weeks. If you're still miserable, switch to formula. By then the baby has gotten the biggest benefits from breastfeeding anyway.

bizarre comment- she currently has an oversupply. my baby is almost 6 months and still doesn't need 40 oz a day. our pediatrician said on the high end she needs 29-32 oz now. i'd focus less on trying to preserve oversupply. i did triple feed for a month and it was so exhausting. use haaka or hand express/manual pump after to catch extra but no need to pump up extra supply.

my supply fluctuates between oversupply/undersupply on any given week- but my worst fear about losing supply would be having to heat bottles in middle of the night and pump, so much easier to nurse then and on the go.

OP here. The pediatrician and lactation consultant said he would eat closer to 32oz/day by 3 months. Most of my friends who breastfeed ( track with scale), exclusively pump, or formula feed had babies taking in 28-32oz by 2-3 months and that stayed until like 9/10 months.

I’ve been exclusively pumping for 9 months now and my son has never taken even close to 32 ozs. The most he takes is 25 ozs and now that he’s 9 months, he averages 22-24 ozs a day max. Formula fed babies take a lot more than breastfed but I wouldn’t plan on your baby needing 32 ozs a day.

I had a breastfeed baby who ate 35 ounces a day from 2-6 months. My second never took more than 28 ounces a day. Every baby is different. The average for infant is 24-32oz/day no matter if breastfeed or formula fed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah there is something missing in this OP, unless your kid isn’t gaining weight you’re pumping to create an over supply. You may just have high capacity boobs and your kid only want one, or swap them in the middle of the feed. I would do 10 mins on one side then swap, he would do 10-15 on the other side and that was the feed. No pumping required

OP here. The lactation consultant said I make a normal amount of milk. She said she that you’re supply may be a lot in the beginning but it will balance out. She said to not try to secede my supply or not pump because then I will have a baby wanting more milk than I make and will need to supplement. The lactation consultant also said not to switch side mid feed because my baby will only get the milk in front and none of the fatty milk. She said to let him drain one breast and then offer the other if he wants it. He does take both sometimes during the evening when my supply decreases but he only eats 2-3oz every 2-3 hours.

I think your lc is making me you anxious. Mine suggested switching sides after 10 min on each boob and pediatrician told us either doing half and half or switching breast each feed were both fine. An oversupply is making more than your baby needs- and can contribute to the foremilk/hindmilk issue as if you are making more than they need they're not going to get to the fatty spot. Pumping after nursing is what I do when I want my supply to go up. I wouldn't recommend missing a pump session if it's a replacement for a meal but does she know you're pumping after each nursing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah there is something missing in this OP, unless your kid isn’t gaining weight you’re pumping to create an over supply. You may just have high capacity boobs and your kid only want one, or swap them in the middle of the feed. I would do 10 mins on one side then swap, he would do 10-15 on the other side and that was the feed. No pumping required

OP here. The lactation consultant said I make a normal amount of milk. She said she that you’re supply may be a lot in the beginning but it will balance out. She said to not try to secede my supply or not pump because then I will have a baby wanting more milk than I make and will need to supplement. The lactation consultant also said not to switch side mid feed because my baby will only get the milk in front and none of the fatty milk. She said to let him drain one breast and then offer the other if he wants it. He does take both sometimes during the evening when my supply decreases but he only eats 2-3oz every 2-3 hours.

I think your lc is making me you anxious. Mine suggested switching sides after 10 min on each boob and pediatrician told us either doing half and half or switching breast each feed were both fine. An oversupply is making more than your baby needs- and can contribute to the foremilk/hindmilk issue as if you are making more than they need they're not going to get to the fatty spot. Pumping after nursing is what I do when I want my supply to go up. I wouldn't recommend missing a pump session if it's a replacement for a meal but does she know you're pumping after each nursing?

OP here. I don’t pump the breast he eats from, only the breast he doesn’t. I also switch breasts each feed and pump the other side. I have never been able to pump more than 2-3 ounces per pump session from one breast. The lactation consultant said she would tell me to not pump as often if I were making 4+ ounces from breast increasing over time, but I’ve steadily pumping 2-3 ounces from one breast.

I pump while he nurses on the other side or after on the opposite side after using the Haakaa to catch any letdown. I only feed from one breast and be completely drains me. I offer the other side but he often won’t take it. He is gazing weight well and has no signs of a hindmilk/foremilk imbalance. He’s only 4 weeks and 2-3 ounces is normal at this age. I’m saving all of the pumped milk because I plan to stop breastfeeding at 6 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah there is something missing in this OP, unless your kid isn’t gaining weight you’re pumping to create an over supply. You may just have high capacity boobs and your kid only want one, or swap them in the middle of the feed. I would do 10 mins on one side then swap, he would do 10-15 on the other side and that was the feed. No pumping required

OP here. The lactation consultant said I make a normal amount of milk. She said she that you’re supply may be a lot in the beginning but it will balance out. She said to not try to secede my supply or not pump because then I will have a baby wanting more milk than I make and will need to supplement. The lactation consultant also said not to switch side mid feed because my baby will only get the milk in front and none of the fatty milk. She said to let him drain one breast and then offer the other if he wants it. He does take both sometimes during the evening when my supply decreases but he only eats 2-3oz every 2-3 hours.

I think your lc is making me you anxious. Mine suggested switching sides after 10 min on each boob and pediatrician told us either doing half and half or switching breast each feed were both fine. An oversupply is making more than your baby needs- and can contribute to the foremilk/hindmilk issue as if you are making more than they need they're not going to get to the fatty spot. Pumping after nursing is what I do when I want my supply to go up. I wouldn't recommend missing a pump session if it's a replacement for a meal but does she know you're pumping after each nursing?

OP here. I don’t pump the breast he eats from, only the breast he doesn’t. I also switch breasts each feed and pump the other side. I have never been able to pump more than 2-3 ounces per pump session from one breast. The lactation consultant said she would tell me to not pump as often if I were making 4+ ounces from breast increasing over time, but I’ve steadily pumping 2-3 ounces from one breast.

I pump while he nurses on the other side or after on the opposite side after using the Haakaa to catch any letdown. I only feed from one breast and be completely drains me. I offer the other side but he often won’t take it. He is gazing weight well and has no signs of a hindmilk/foremilk imbalance. He’s only 4 weeks and 2-3 ounces is normal at this age. I’m saving all of the pumped milk because I plan to stop breastfeeding at 6 months.

I understand it's the opposite boob- but that's the definition of oversupply- you are pumping more than the baby needs. if your baby only needs 2-3 ounces no need to pump the other boob each time. you are choosing to do so to build a freezer stash-- but just as an fyi my pediatrician said frozen milk has less antibody properties, and i personally think is a pain compared to nursing (heating it, having it with you, etc)... and some babies reject it because of lipase. i'd nurse what your baby needs and do one extra pump session in the morning to make a freezer stash and not torture yourself

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah there is something missing in this OP, unless your kid isn’t gaining weight you’re pumping to create an over supply. You may just have high capacity boobs and your kid only want one, or swap them in the middle of the feed. I would do 10 mins on one side then swap, he would do 10-15 on the other side and that was the feed. No pumping required

OP here. The lactation consultant said I make a normal amount of milk. She said she that you’re supply may be a lot in the beginning but it will balance out. She said to not try to secede my supply or not pump because then I will have a baby wanting more milk than I make and will need to supplement. The lactation consultant also said not to switch side mid feed because my baby will only get the milk in front and none of the fatty milk. She said to let him drain one breast and then offer the other if he wants it. He does take both sometimes during the evening when my supply decreases but he only eats 2-3oz every 2-3 hours.

I think your lc is making me you anxious. Mine suggested switching sides after 10 min on each boob and pediatrician told us either doing half and half or switching breast each feed were both fine. An oversupply is making more than your baby needs- and can contribute to the foremilk/hindmilk issue as if you are making more than they need they're not going to get to the fatty spot. Pumping after nursing is what I do when I want my supply to go up. I wouldn't recommend missing a pump session if it's a replacement for a meal but does she know you're pumping after each nursing?

OP here. I don’t pump the breast he eats from, only the breast he doesn’t. I also switch breasts each feed and pump the other side. I have never been able to pump more than 2-3 ounces per pump session from one breast. The lactation consultant said she would tell me to not pump as often if I were making 4+ ounces from breast increasing over time, but I’ve steadily pumping 2-3 ounces from one breast.

I pump while he nurses on the other side or after on the opposite side after using the Haakaa to catch any letdown. I only feed from one breast and be completely drains me. I offer the other side but he often won’t take it. He is gazing weight well and has no signs of a hindmilk/foremilk imbalance. He’s only 4 weeks and 2-3 ounces is normal at this age. I’m saving all of the pumped milk because I plan to stop breastfeeding at 6 months.

I understand it's the opposite boob- but that's the definition of oversupply- you are pumping more than the baby needs. if your baby only needs 2-3 ounces no need to pump the other boob each time. you are choosing to do so to build a freezer stash-- but just as an fyi my pediatrician said frozen milk has less antibody properties, and i personally think is a pain compared to nursing (heating it, having it with you, etc)... and some babies reject it because of lipase. i'd nurse what your baby needs and do one extra pump session in the morning to make a freezer stash and not torture yourself

OP here. I’m doing it because that’s what I make and it’s a normal amount. If I let my supply dry up, I will not make enough for when he eats more in the bet. 1-2 months and will have to supplement. The lactation consultant said frozen milk is still nutritious. We have not had any issues with the frozen milk. I only plan to breastfeed until 6 months so we will be using bottles anyway.

[Anonymous]

I exclusively pumped with all of my kids. I breastfed and pumped for the first couple of weeks and then just used the hospital grade Medela pump for 3-4 months. It worked great for me. I always had my husband (or my mom for the first month) give one formula feeding in the middle of the night. I produced always more than the babies ate and was able to freeze a lot of milk. My 3 kids had 80% bm and 20% formula for th first 3 months and then 50-50 for another 3-4 months. I was in school with my first and needed to be away from the beginning for 3-4 hours most days. It worked well for me because I had help and needed to be away. I pumped 6 times a day. It worked so well that I did the same thing with my other 2 kids.

[Anonymous]

If you are actively nursing everyday to feed your baby. I think it's doubtful that your supply will just dry up.