Breastfeeding or pumping?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those who pumped, did you follow your current feeding schedule or did you spread out your pumps? How often did you pump at 2 weeks old? Did you go a long period between pumps to get sleep at night? Did your supply decrease?

I stopped breastfeed and switched to exclusively pumping at 2.5 months with each of my two children. At 2 weeks, you should be removing milk every 3-4 hours, including overnight, to establish your supply. I slowly stretched that out and eventually dropped overnight pumping at about 4 months with my first and a little earlier with my second. But it is hard to give specific advice because a lot depends on your supply (I had an oversupply, and also wanted to build up a supply of frozen milk).

I'm this PP. Pumping (and cleaning and worrying about having milk where you need it) is a slog, and it would have been nice to breastfeed longer, but EP worked better for me due to (1) reflux, (2) strong letdown / oversupply, (3) slow babies at the nipple. So in short, there is no one size fits all solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those who pumped, did you follow your current feeding schedule or did you spread out your pumps? How often did you pump at 2 weeks old? Did you go a long period between pumps to get sleep at night? Did your supply decrease?

I stopped breastfeed and switched to exclusively pumping at 2.5 months with each of my two children. At 2 weeks, you should be removing milk every 3-4 hours, including overnight, to establish your supply. I slowly stretched that out and eventually dropped overnight pumping at about 4 months with my first and a little earlier with my second. But it is hard to give specific advice because a lot depends on your supply (I had an oversupply, and also wanted to build up a supply of frozen milk).

OP here. This is my schedule. Any advice to lengthen if I do switch to pumping is appreciated. Times are rough estimate as this can vary day to day.

7:30am - Breastfeed on one side and pump the other. I tend to get 6-8oz of milk from both breasts. We use the hatch to measure his intake.

9:30am - Breastfeed both sides. I use the Haakaa to catch the letdown. I get about 3-4oz during the day and baby eats about 2oz per feed.

11:30am - Same as last feed.

1:30pm - Same as last feed.

3:30pm - Same as last feed.

5:30pm - Same as last feed.

7:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

10:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

1:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

4:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

I breastfeed roughly every 2 hours during the day ( we feed on-demand) and every 3 hours at night. I make 40-50oz/day and he’s eating 20-24oz/day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those who pumped, did you follow your current feeding schedule or did you spread out your pumps? How often did you pump at 2 weeks old? Did you go a long period between pumps to get sleep at night? Did your supply decrease?

I stopped breastfeed and switched to exclusively pumping at 2.5 months with each of my two children. At 2 weeks, you should be removing milk every 3-4 hours, including overnight, to establish your supply. I slowly stretched that out and eventually dropped overnight pumping at about 4 months with my first and a little earlier with my second. But it is hard to give specific advice because a lot depends on your supply (I had an oversupply, and also wanted to build up a supply of frozen milk).

OP here. This is my schedule. Any advice to lengthen if I do switch to pumping is appreciated. Times are rough estimate as this can vary day to day.

7:30am - Breastfeed on one side and pump the other. I tend to get 6-8oz of milk from both breasts. We use the hatch to measure his intake.

9:30am - Breastfeed both sides. I use the Haakaa to catch the letdown. I get about 3-4oz during the day and baby eats about 2oz per feed.

11:30am - Same as last feed.

1:30pm - Same as last feed.

3:30pm - Same as last feed.

5:30pm - Same as last feed.

7:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

10:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

1:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

4:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

I breastfeed roughly every 2 hours during the day ( we feed on-demand) and every 3 hours at night. I make 40-50oz/day and he’s eating 20-24oz/day.

OP here. I made a mistake. I pump at 9:30am. I pump at 1:30am, 4:30am, 7:30am, and 9:30am. I tend to make the most milk during the first 3 pumps and not that much during the day. It’s usually about 3oz during the day except for the evening when I only make about 2oz.

7:30am - 6-8oz.
9:30am - 4-6oz
11:30am - 2-4oz
1:30pm - 2-4oz
3:30pm - 2-4oz
5:30pm - 2-4oz
7:30pm - 2oz
10:30pm - 2oz
1:30am - 6-8oz
4:30am - 6-8oz

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those who pumped, did you follow your current feeding schedule or did you spread out your pumps? How often did you pump at 2 weeks old? Did you go a long period between pumps to get sleep at night? Did your supply decrease?

I stopped breastfeed and switched to exclusively pumping at 2.5 months with each of my two children. At 2 weeks, you should be removing milk every 3-4 hours, including overnight, to establish your supply. I slowly stretched that out and eventually dropped overnight pumping at about 4 months with my first and a little earlier with my second. But it is hard to give specific advice because a lot depends on your supply (I had an oversupply, and also wanted to build up a supply of frozen milk).

OP here. This is my schedule. Any advice to lengthen if I do switch to pumping is appreciated. Times are rough estimate as this can vary day to day.

7:30am - Breastfeed on one side and pump the other. I tend to get 6-8oz of milk from both breasts. We use the hatch to measure his intake.

9:30am - Breastfeed both sides. I use the Haakaa to catch the letdown. I get about 3-4oz during the day and baby eats about 2oz per feed.

11:30am - Same as last feed.

1:30pm - Same as last feed.

3:30pm - Same as last feed.

5:30pm - Same as last feed.

7:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

10:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

1:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

4:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

I breastfeed roughly every 2 hours during the day ( we feed on-demand) and every 3 hours at night. I make 40-50oz/day and he’s eating 20-24oz/day.

This is PP. If you decide to switch to EP, I would start with every 3 hours for a week, and then if you still have such a vast oversupply, switch to every 3 hours during the day and every 4 at night, and then every 4 hours day and night, etc. and see how your supply decreases with each change. It is hard to advice you on your desired supply because it depends on (a) whether your want to build up a freezer supply, (b) how long you want to provide breastmilk for, (c) how big your baby is, etc. But personally, I'd be hesitant this early to let my supply drop below ~36 ounces because, among other reasons, your supply will naturally decrease on its own down the road. Also read the exclusive pumping blog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those who pumped, did you follow your current feeding schedule or did you spread out your pumps? How often did you pump at 2 weeks old? Did you go a long period between pumps to get sleep at night? Did your supply decrease?

I stopped breastfeed and switched to exclusively pumping at 2.5 months with each of my two children. At 2 weeks, you should be removing milk every 3-4 hours, including overnight, to establish your supply. I slowly stretched that out and eventually dropped overnight pumping at about 4 months with my first and a little earlier with my second. But it is hard to give specific advice because a lot depends on your supply (I had an oversupply, and also wanted to build up a supply of frozen milk).

OP here. This is my schedule. Any advice to lengthen if I do switch to pumping is appreciated. Times are rough estimate as this can vary day to day.

7:30am - Breastfeed on one side and pump the other. I tend to get 6-8oz of milk from both breasts. We use the hatch to measure his intake.

9:30am - Breastfeed both sides. I use the Haakaa to catch the letdown. I get about 3-4oz during the day and baby eats about 2oz per feed.

11:30am - Same as last feed.

1:30pm - Same as last feed.

3:30pm - Same as last feed.

5:30pm - Same as last feed.

7:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

10:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

1:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

4:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

I breastfeed roughly every 2 hours during the day ( we feed on-demand) and every 3 hours at night. I make 40-50oz/day and he’s eating 20-24oz/day.

This is PP. If you decide to switch to EP, I would start with every 3 hours for a week, and then if you still have such a vast oversupply, switch to every 3 hours during the day and every 4 at night, and then every 4 hours day and night, etc. and see how your supply decreases with each change. It is hard to advice you on your desired supply because it depends on (a) whether your want to build up a freezer supply, (b) how long you want to provide breastmilk for, (c) how big your baby is, etc. But personally, I'd be hesitant this early to let my supply drop below ~36 ounces because, among other reasons, your supply will naturally decrease on its own down the road. Also read the exclusive pumping blog.

*Advise not advice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those who pumped, did you follow your current feeding schedule or did you spread out your pumps? How often did you pump at 2 weeks old? Did you go a long period between pumps to get sleep at night? Did your supply decrease?

I stopped breastfeed and switched to exclusively pumping at 2.5 months with each of my two children. At 2 weeks, you should be removing milk every 3-4 hours, including overnight, to establish your supply. I slowly stretched that out and eventually dropped overnight pumping at about 4 months with my first and a little earlier with my second. But it is hard to give specific advice because a lot depends on your supply (I had an oversupply, and also wanted to build up a supply of frozen milk).

OP here. This is my schedule. Any advice to lengthen if I do switch to pumping is appreciated. Times are rough estimate as this can vary day to day.

7:30am - Breastfeed on one side and pump the other. I tend to get 6-8oz of milk from both breasts. We use the hatch to measure his intake.

9:30am - Breastfeed both sides. I use the Haakaa to catch the letdown. I get about 3-4oz during the day and baby eats about 2oz per feed.

11:30am - Same as last feed.

1:30pm - Same as last feed.

3:30pm - Same as last feed.

5:30pm - Same as last feed.

7:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

10:30pm - Same as last feed. I get about 2oz at this time. He will eat 1-2 ounces of formula after nursing.

1:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

4:30am - Breastfeeding on one side and pump on the other side. I get 6-8oz at this feeding.

I breastfeed roughly every 2 hours during the day ( we feed on-demand) and every 3 hours at night. I make 40-50oz/day and he’s eating 20-24oz/day.

This is PP. If you decide to switch to EP, I would start with every 3 hours for a week, and then if you still have such a vast oversupply, switch to every 3 hours during the day and every 4 at night, and then every 4 hours day and night, etc. and see how your supply decreases with each change. It is hard to advice you on your desired supply because it depends on (a) whether your want to build up a freezer supply, (b) how long you want to provide breastmilk for, (c) how big your baby is, etc. But personally, I'd be hesitant this early to let my supply drop below ~36 ounces because, among other reasons, your supply will naturally decrease on its own down the road. Also read the exclusive pumping blog.

OP here. I don’t have a desired amount but ideally 32oz because I read that’s the average amount most babies eat after 3+ months.

I would like to give him breast milk for 6 months and possibly 1 year.

He was a normal sized baby. Born 7lbs 12oz, down to 7lbs 1oz and he was at 8lbs 2oz at his 2 week appointment yesterday.

I plan to let my supply regulate on its own but will look into trying to decrease if slowly at 3 months if I still have a large oversupply.

I think I will give pumping a try for a week and see how I like it. I can always switch back to breastfeeding if it’s too hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I'm also an EPer by choice., currently 7 months into it for the 2nd time. If it's what you want to do and how you prefer to feed your kid, then DO IT and ignore what anyone else thinks. It definitely helps having your spouse/family support you because it is a commitment. Like the PP, I'm an oversupplier. We have an extra chest freezer just for the milk. With my first, I weaned completely at 11 months and my kid had milk for an additional 6 months. I pump 4x a day.

[Anonymous]

NP here. Just wanted to also chime in to give OP support if she wants to EP.

OP, I EPd for a year and it was manageable. I think if you decide to EP, then stopping attempting to breastfeed will help reduce the time/effort overall.

What I did was rent a hospital pump and use it almost exclusively for the first 12 weeks to establish supply (and yes, there were definitely middle of the night pump sessions). Once I felt like supply was regulated more, I used a hands-free pump to go out and about and to pump at work, still using the hospital-grade pump for almost 9 months.

I gradually dropped pumping sessions and found that my sweet spot was 4x a day, yielding 36-40 oz. I had to buy 2 freezers to store the extra milk. You’ll find little tips to make it easier too. I’ll say that my husband was a very willing and active participant in doing things like washing pump parts/bottles and getting up at 5am to feed the freshly pumped bottle.

The one downside for me was that I tended to get clogged ducts easily- I guess because the pump wasn’t as efficient as a baby’s mouth?

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Any updates, OP. I’m currently going through this right now and leaning towards exclusively pumping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any updates, OP. I’m currently going through this right now and leaning towards exclusively pumping.

My kid stopped latching at 6 months except first thing in morning so I had to exclusively pump 6 x a day to make enough (well i'd make one extra bottle most days and now have a nice freezer stash given that i weaned at 12 months and can keep giving 4 oz a day).. my supply was very sensitive, if i pumped less my supply would drop...

but your logic isn't making sense OP- if you're supplementing with formula you are telling your body to make less milk- it's very normal to nurse more than every 2-3 hours in the beginning- it's called cluster feeding. if you don't want to have to supplement then nurse or pump more... but also totally fine to just give formula as much as you prefer and pump as little as you want

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any updates, OP. I’m currently going through this right now and leaning towards exclusively pumping.

OP here. I didn’t know this thread was still active.

I’ve decided against exclusively pumping. As much I though I would prefer it, I didn’t. Between pumping and feeding, it took about the same time for a nursing session. It didn’t seem worth it because he was still eating every two hours during the day and I felt like I was doing double the work.

I did it for a day and then realized it wasn’t going to work. I did, however, stick to pumping at night and bottle feeding him since that feeding takes like 1 hour and I have to pump the other side. I’ve been doing 3-4 pump sessions for 2 night feeds, and the 1-2 more feedings. I feed him a bottle at the same time and it’s much easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any updates, OP. I’m currently going through this right now and leaning towards exclusively pumping.

My kid stopped latching at 6 months except first thing in morning so I had to exclusively pump 6 x a day to make enough (well i'd make one extra bottle most days and now have a nice freezer stash given that i weaned at 12 months and can keep giving 4 oz a day).. my supply was very sensitive, if i pumped less my supply would drop...

but your logic isn't making sense OP- if you're supplementing with formula you are telling your body to make less milk- it's very normal to nurse more than every 2-3 hours in the beginning- it's called cluster feeding. if you don't want to have to supplement then nurse or pump more... but also totally fine to just give formula as much as you prefer and pump as little as you want

OP here. I’m not telling myself to make less milk by supplementing. As noted in a previous reply, I only feed him formula for two feedings in the evening after I nurse. My supply is low and he really likes a fuller feed before going to bed since he goes every 3 hours between eating during the night. I’m not skipping a feeding time give formula. He nurses first and then I give him formula at those two feedings.

[Anonymous]

I did a combo of all three and I’m happy I kept up the breastfeeding. It was nice to have the option for 5am wakes up that persisted until 18 months, on the plane, and out and about. A few times while flying, the milk spoiled from my flight delays so breastfeeding saved us. Regardless of what you do, parenting is so hard!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did a combo of all three and I’m happy I kept up the breastfeeding. It was nice to have the option for 5am wakes up that persisted until 18 months, on the plane, and out and about. A few times while flying, the milk spoiled from my flight delays so breastfeeding saved us. Regardless of what you do, parenting is so hard!

OP here. I will definitely be down breastfeeding by 1 year but glad extended breastfeeding worked for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any updates, OP. I’m currently going through this right now and leaning towards exclusively pumping.

I’m one of the EPers who recommends trying to continue to breastfeed if you are able. You see that there are others on here saying that EPing went great for them, and for some that is the case. And that’s great! I’m glad it worked for them.

I’m a part of some EPing groups on FB, and I feel like you hear more from people for whom it works well because they are less likely to have quit before their goal.

Ultimately you can’t predict how your EP journey is going to go. Some people can drop pumps without seeing a decrease in supply, while others will see a drop in ounces each time. You could end up finding out you have elastic nipples, which can be really challenging for EP. You could find out you don’t respond to wearables and are tied to the wall for months. Or it could be really easy for you! Pumping can even differ with each baby.

I’m heading into month 5 of pumping for this baby, and it is hard. I’m continuing to do it because I make enough to feed him and it helps keep my cycle from returning, but I wish I could have been able to make breastfeeding work, even if just for convenience.