Anonymous wrote:Pumping will make you feel far more “captive” than nursing. You connect yourself to a milking machine and wait. Then you wash all the parts.

Just keep going and see how you feel in a week or so. Plus your baby might not take a bottle and then there’s tears.

This. I would so much rather be tied to the baby than to a pump.

But if you’re not feeling it op, just add in some formula.

It's totally up to you what to do, and there's plenty of room in between the extremes. My first wouldn't nurse at the breast, so I exclusively pumped until about 6 months when I couldn't take it anymore and switched to formula.

I mostly exclusively breastfed at the breast with the second. I pumped occasionally and gave him a bottle on the rare occasions when I wasn't around (which honestly wasn't very often).

Both were fine. At this age, your baby might have some trouble taking a bottle but might not. If you want to, give it a try. I hated pumping because of all the pumping with DS1, which is mainly why I didn't with DS2.

I did this with both kids until I returned to work, 7 months and 9 months. I didn't like pumping and the babies didn't like being away from me. Also I knew I would go back to work eventually so I wasn't worried about being trapped long term. It was the easiest thing to do, and I tend to take the path of least resistance.

Yes I stayed home with babies and nursed ... it was easy and abundantly portable

Anonymous wrote:My youngest at 3mo old all of a sudden refused bottles after taking them from birth. We tried every bottle and it was a no go. It was stressful. I ended up just breast feeding her and I wish I did it with all of them. Cheaper, easier, nothing to buy, nothing to wash. No wasted time pumping and storing. I BF until she was 26 months old. Obviously once she started solids it was much further between. Basically AM, nap time and bedtime. I wish I could go back. It was a lovely time. And during Covid, it would be even easier.

Not OP here, but lovely comment. I wish I could go back! I also ebf'd until 26 months and all I got today when I tried to cuddle my 3 year old in my arms like I did in the good old days was a squirming squishy ready to get up and get going!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I went the whole time with nursing until kids were about 14 months. Even after they started solid foods. And yes, I also remember feeling a little penned in at times but it passed. The honest truth is that I was just too lazy to deal with the pump, washing parts, warning bottles, etc. I was working from home so it wasn’t like I had to prepare the baby for daycare.

If breastfeeding is easy for you just push past the feeling for awhile longer.

1. Same. My DD was only fed from my breasts because I am lazy. No gold stars - I took the path of least resistance.

+1 It was a decision derived of laziness. But like PPs have said, it really doesn't matter. Do whatever works for you.

Anonymous wrote:I know a mom whose kid wouldn't use bottles, so the kid would just eat solids at daycare and then do a massive feed as soon as she was picked up and a massive one in the morning before drop-off,

Another mom I know had a kid who also refused, and her son did reverse cycling, which was horrible because she was practically up the entire night.

OP’s baby isn’t going to daycare.

I know a mom whose kid wouldn't use bottles, so the kid would just eat solids at daycare and then do a massive feed as soon as she was picked up and a massive one in the morning before drop-off,

Another mom I know had a kid who also refused, and her son did reverse cycling, which was horrible because she was practically up the entire night.

I exclusively breastfed my two kids - 13 month each.

I mostly did it because I didn’t have much money to buy baby formula plus it was just easier than preparing + warming up bottles.

But it was not always easy.
In the beginning with my first child, I had cracked/bleeding nipples as well as engorgment of my breasts.
And of course I had to wear breast pads inside my bra all the time lest I have two huge wet spots on my chest.
(This was in the early ‘90’s!)

Later on as my children got teeth, the pain was horrendous when they bit down.
Ouch!!
But I persevered because it was so simple for me.

It did suck to have to abstain from caffeine, spicy food & chocolate 🍫 for 13 months....

I did it for a bit over two years. I was STHM at the time and towards the last few months the nursing had gone down a lot, so I could go out without the kid. My kid never took to bottles after weeks of trying, we just gave up. I liked breastfeeding and didn't mind it so we just let it be.

My youngest at 3mo old all of a sudden refused bottles after taking them from birth. We tried every bottle and it was a no go. It was stressful. I ended up just breast feeding her and I wish I did it with all of them. Cheaper, easier, nothing to buy, nothing to wash. No wasted time pumping and storing. I BF until she was 26 months old. Obviously once she started solids it was much further between. Basically AM, nap time and bedtime. I wish I could go back. It was a lovely time. And during Covid, it would be even easier.

Not a drop with either kid! Hated pumping so much with my first I quit and breast fed no bottles for two years with my second. Don’t quit now because at five months you’re right on the cusp of when it starts to slow. When you introduce solids soon breast feeding because a lot more “short” and also baby can power empty you very quickly and will want to finish fast so baby can go play again and look around.

I did this with three kids. The youngest is nursing right now. I tried pumping a few times with the first but hated it. You can only do this if you don’t work and can take the baby everywhere with you for the first 6 months. It definitely feels like a lot at first, but those 6 months go so fast. It was nice to never wash a bottle or deal with formula.