Is Exclusively Pumping Worth it?

[Anonymous]

I have been trying to get my baby to latch for weeks with no success. We have been to many LC consultation and pediatrician consultants. Nothing helped and once LC suggested I exclusively pump. There is nothing wrong with baby - he just doesn’t want to take the energy to eat or latch. We have been bottle feeding for two days and it’s been so much better. I’ve been pumping ( 8 times a day) and have a good supply ( about 20 ounces) but I really wonder if it’s worth it? We have been supplementing with formula and I wonder if yet easier to just switch to formula? What was your experience?

[Anonymous]

Not if it’s making your crazy. I’d cut back from 8 pumps too.

[Anonymous]

I exclusively pumped through leave and back at work for 9 months. My baby wouldn’t latch either. He had no interest. Looking back, it wasn’t worth it. However we were tight on money and pumping meant I could feed him for “free”. I used formula samples and if it was in our budget I would have switched. Waking up to pump in the middle of the night even after the baby slept through the night was miserable. I had to do that pump to have enough milk for the day.

I say all this to encourage you to release any guilt you feel for not EP. it was a time suck that always interfered with our scheduling or being out.

[Anonymous]

I personally don’t think it’s worth it and I did it for six months. It’s good from the standpoint of no additives and natural but all the recent studies on Day milk vs night milk and the nipple-saliva connection are sort of pointing it to “not worth it”.

It’s time away from your baby, too.

[Anonymous]

I did it for 8 months. Looking back, I would not recommend it. I mostly continued it as she had a milk protein intolerance to start and the special formula was crazy expensive.

[Anonymous]

I did because formula isn't a perfect replication of breast milk.
We had milk protein intolerances, too. If we used formula at any point it was the expensive goat's milk versions or alimentum.

Do what is best for you, though.

[Anonymous]

I had a premie who was too small to latch, so I EP for 6 months. I have already told DH if we have a second with a similiar situation we are formula feedin from day 1.

[Anonymous]

Something to think about is that part (all?) of the immune benefit really comes from actual breastfeeding and not pumped bottle feeding. I think without that, it seems like formula is very similar to breastmilk, so you might as well just do formula?

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks. We can afford the formula ( not to sound snobby) and I personally don’t mind formula. I feel a little guilty because I can pump enough and I think it’s important he get the breast milk during the pandemic and cold/flu season. I would quit right away if I had low supply and couldn’t pump enough, but I can.

[Anonymous]

I did it for 8 weeks and couldn’t handle it so switched to HIPP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something to think about is that part (all?) of the immune benefit really comes from actual breastfeeding and not pumped bottle feeding. I think without that, it seems like formula is very similar to breastmilk, so you might as well just do formula?

Is this really true ?

[Anonymous]

For me, no. But I hated pumping. Everything about it. Not pumping just made me a happier person and a better mom. But if you don't mind it and it makes you feel good to be providing milk for your baby, I could see the tradeoff being worth it. But if you know your are going to pump exclusively, it's time to move to a schedule that works better for you because the current one sounds really challenging.

But please remember: formula is really good. Really, really, really good. Formula-fed babies thrive. The difference between breastmilk and formula is the difference between driving the safest car on the road, and the second safest car on the road. I would happily and proudly drive the second safest car on the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did it for 8 weeks and couldn’t handle it so switched to HIPP

OP here. We will not be comfortable using that formula.

[Anonymous]

No. It's tedious and stressful. I would go straight to formula if the baby isn't latching.

[Anonymous]

I had a premie who couldn't latch, so exclusively pumped. By about 8 weeks I had it down to around 6 times a day and never pumped overnight. I made it about 11 months with exclusive pumping, and then supplemented and started the transition to cows milk. We also supplemented at the very beginning because she needed the calories, etc. I was also fortunate that I worked from home full time already (pre-pandemic) and that simplified soo much because everything could go straight into our home fridge and I had a lot of privacy.

Anyway, if it doesn't make you crazy and you have a good enough supply, keeping at it is an option. In retrospect, I kind of wish I'd stopped around 6ish months, but momentum and hormones, etc. If you don't have a good supply and/or you don't like the pumping experience or another part of your life makes it difficult, feel no guilt whatsoever about stopping, your baby will thrive either way.