Exclusively breastfeeding vs Pumping?

[josephjourneyman]

@robinrocks You can come check out r/exclusivelypumping if you want some insight! Be warned though, that it is a support page and you'll see a disproportionate amount of moms there needing support, which can make the entire prospect of EP intimidating. I've been EP since day 3 because my son never latched and was losing a very alarming amount of weight, and while there are moments that are difficult (both mentally and physically), I've found it to be a very fulfilling journey and I would choose to go this route again because it was the best choice for me and my child. If you choose to EP then your baby is getting the same quality of breastmilk (antibodies, fat to water ratio, etc) and you even have the possibility of starting a freezer stash or being prepared if/when you return to work (or even if you just need to be separated for a period of time- my husband had surgery when baby was 3 months old and because I EP he had milk at home and I was able to pump at the hospital so I could stay with my husband and baby was safe at home with my mom).

 

[thickandthin]

@robinrocks Lots of people here have pointed out that exclusive pumping can be a lot more work in terms of bottle sterilising, cleaning pump parts, etc. This is just an educated guess, but potentially I could see this leading to stopping breastfeeding earlier - it would be interesting to know if there are any studies on this.

 

[johnbenjaminprice]

@robinrocks Exclusive pumping is fine, it just can be a LOT more work than exclusive breastfeeding. I had to pump a ton with my first because of latch issues and now I barely pump with my second and it is WONDERFUL in comparison. I still have PTSD about the sheer volume of pump parts and bottles I had to wash every day. If you don’t mind it, props to you!

 

[christianworldsoundtraks]

@robinrocks I breastfed when I was around baby because I hate dishes and it’s easier to get the boob out when out in public. I only pumped for work or if I was away for baby.

 

[nekavon]

@robinrocks Pumping is more challenging.
- Logistically you are doing twice the work- pumping and then feeding with a bottle. With BF you’re cutting out the “middle man” and giving milk at the source.
- You need to be aware of when you should increase your milk supply in order to keep up with baby’s growth. With BF, you feed on demand so when baby is growing and starts cluster feeding, the feeding signals the body to make more milk. With pumping, you need to signal your body with the pump. There’s more thought and planning going into it.
- You need a strict schedule to maintain / protect your supply. It’s huge commitment to sit and pump at the same times everyday and it may mean being somewhere you can do that. With BF, you can feed on the fly and not worry about a schedule.
- Bottles and pumps need to be cleaned/maintained which is a big added chore.
- Travel and going out requires more to pack (bottles,milk,pump,etc).
- Storing milk can be a hassle

Some other cons-
- Many don’t produce as much milk via a pump as they would by nursing. It depends on the person but if you don’t then you’ll be working very hard to keep up supply.
- Biologically stored milk doesn’t change its composition to suit the baby at that exact moment (off the boob milk reportedly does- ie changes temp according to baby’s body temp)

Pros-
- While it’s twice the work to pump, a partner can give bottles and bond with baby.
- you can see the amount of milk being given
- it’s routine heavy- this is important for some people.

If you want to feed off a boob then I’d recommend getting a lactation specialist to help. Latching is a skill baby learns so they need time to learn, using a bottle can create confusion. Also have them check tongue tie. If you continue with pumping then I’d also recommend a specialist who can guide you through cluster feeding and putting together pump schedules.

I say the above through my own experience and research. With my first i combi-fed and did a lot of pumping- I had supply issues and went to formula at 3mo. With my second I’ve been EBF off the boob for near 6mo. My second experience had been more successful because birth and recovery circumstances were better- very outside my control. BF is so tricky if you don’t get the right start, so just make sure you get support whatever you choose!

 

[katrina2017]

@robinrocks I had to exclusively pump because my LO had a class iv lip tie that no one caught.

It really wears you down mentally because it’s the worst of both. You have to express the same amount of milk as though you’re nursing, but you also have to wash and sterilize all of the bottles multiple times a day as though you were formula feeding. Oh, and pump parts.

Also, my therapist pointed out that you get all of the bad hormones that go with a letdown, but NONE of the serotonin boosts that come with a latch. So it’s literally all bad hormones.

I’m proud for enduring and pumping enough milk to feed my daughter for a year, but I didn’t have a choice. The formula shortage was at a crisis level during this time so even if I wanted to switch to formula I couldn’t because there wasn’t any on the shelves. When I did find formula and was tempted I didn’t buy it because it felt wrong. I had an oversupply. Even if my mental health was hanging by a thread it would have been selfish.

As another user commented: fed is best. My hippy holistic family constantly questioned my decision to pump exclusively and made me feel like I wasn’t trying hard enough to breastfeed, but turns out I did the best I could to protect myself and keep my daughter fed.

If it’s better for you to pump then go into it knowing it’s gonna be hard, but YOU know what’s best (even if you feel like you don’t know), and your baby isn’t missing out on anything by not latching. You can always cuddle and do skin to skin while bottle feeding.

Edit to fix typos.

 

[sarebear1992]

@katrina2017 This isn’t true. Breast pumping releases oxytocin just like nursing does.

Effect of mechanical breast stimulation Mechanical breast pumping was followed by a rise of oxytocin levels, which was generally of similar amplitude to the release caused by suckling [41]. However, no oxytocin peaks were observed before the onset of mechanical pumping [25]. More oxytocin was released in response to double pumping (both breasts together) compared to single pumping. In addition double pumping produced the highest milk yield, indicating a relationship between oxytocin levels and milk yield [17, 41].

Rs. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7406087/

 

[katrina2017]

@sarebear1992 Oh wow I didn’t know that. I just took my therapist’s word for it because I figured she would know. Perhaps she (and therefore I) was misinformed.

Pumping made me miserable and I wanted to cry every time I had a let down, so her explanation made a lot of sense to me. Maybe there was some PPA/PPD going on. That wouldn’t surprise me considering I don’t consider myself a suicidal person but I was really tempted the whole time I pumped.

 

[sarebear1992]

@katrina2017 Ugh I’m sorry you went through that. Motherhood is so hard and especially with all the pressure to breastfeed.

Did you look at DMER? That sounds like the most likely explanation to me. Obviously I’m not a doctor but I’ve seen a lot of posts about it.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24879-dysphoric-milk-ejection-reflex

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3126760/

 

[jasonryantruthalways]

@katrina2017 How you felt about pumping is not up for debate, and I don't know much about the serotonin boost that you mention from latching (personally all I ever got was a pain boost), but I do want to point out that the stimulation required for milk removal of any type activates oxytocin release. It's not all bad hormones.

 

[greenhammock]

@robinrocks I chose to exclusively pump for both of my boys and it worked for me. I didn't mind the bottles and extra cleaning because it meant I could get sleep and someone else could feed. Also it worked better for our family.

It's all about what works for you.

 

[snshort]

@greenhammock I’ve had a positive experience with exclusively pumping as well. Having others help you feed is huge!

A lot of people talk about how it’s more time consuming to pump, clean, sterilize etc. OP it really depends on how quickly you empty and how many times a day you pump. Also if you have a supportive partner who helps you clean bottles and sterilize when they’re home, then it saves you lots of time.

Also recommend wearable pumps (without any tubing) so that you can pump while playing with the baby, or be able to wash bottles while you’re pumping. It doesn’t have to be as labour or time intensive as others have mentioned here.

 

[gracefulsongonfire]

@robinrocks Hi there.

My second baby is now 5 months old and I’ve exclusively pumped for both of them, and not by choice. I have an extremely hard letdown and both boys eventually refused the boob for the bottle.

As to the claim that your baby will be overweight, that is insane. Some breastfed babies chunk up faster than even formula babies. I exclusively pumped for a year with my first and if anything, he gained less when bottle feeding because he wasn’t drowning in milk.

As to the tailoring of the milk to your baby via nursing I truly wonder to what extent. My milk has been different for both of my boys, more plentiful and richer looking for baby 1 and a bit thinner for baby 2 who came out 2 pounds heavier than baby 1.

There is absolutely no wrong way to feed your baby. No one will ask your child how they were fed as an infant at a future job interview. Do what works for you and honestly do what is best for your mental health. I pushed nursing so hard with my first and didn’t truly bond with him over the heartache of not nursing until I finally switched to exclusive pumping. Your baby benefits from a happy, sane mom more than she does from nursing from a frazzled mom.

 

[kbupdike]

@robinrocks Pumping is breastfeeding. If you feed your baby pumped milk and nothing else, she is exclusively breast fed.

 

[kamyawilliam]

@robinrocks So I am just finishing my pumping journey after almost a year.

I pumped due to poor latching caused my moderate tongue tie, and then combo fed/pumped for 4 months before she weaned off the boob herself.

Pumping is extremely labour intensive, you need to clean and sterilise all your parts spend time away from baby to pump (and if you are as unlucky as my to take 30 mins to fully empty it's a lot of time).

You have the pros and cons of both bottle and breast feeding. They get all the natural goodness of breastmilk, partner/family can help feed, you know how much they are taking at one time, and can prepare bottles in advance etc. But with that comes cleaning all the bottles, pump parts, sterilising them, needing to warm bottles to a temp baby will take them, and bottles can only be used within a time frame of being drank from then discarded.

There are probably a lot more that I can't think of now, but it's definitely not something to take lightly, but it is also rewarding as hell.

 

[veronica77]

@robinrocks I mostly pump and it’s been going pretty well.. except for when we go out. Not only do I have to plan out the timing of pumping, I also have to bring all the stuff (pump, bottles) with us.

In my opinion, if you can do a combination of both breastfeeding and pumping, that would give you the best of both worlds. You can breastfeed when it’s convenient and you can pump and bottle feed with it’s convenient. If your baby doesn’t mind switching, it would probably give you the most freedom.

 

[taniaandria]

@robinrocks I had to EP eventually because baby has a "high palette and short tongue" and always needed a bottle after nursing anyways. I think everyone saying that pumping is harder than nursing didn't have a baby who had nursing challenges. The downside is cleaning the parts. The upside is your partner can always help especially at night which was amazing for my mental health. My baby gained weight like a champ and loved her bottles and snuggles with mom and dad while feeding.

 

[lcece]

@robinrocks I exclusively pumped for 12 months and it’s really hard. Once you get into a routine it’s all good. I haven’t done any research but instinctively I felt it was better for my mental health than formula.

 

[toddwott]

@robinrocks I felt like the NICU nurses really pushed breast feeding over exclusively pumping and I wasn’t sure why until we came home from the hospital. Then I didn’t leave my house once because I was on with a tight pumping schedule. It was so isolating. It took a bit over a month (since being home from the hospital) but I switched to breast feeding and it’s so freeing! And honestly the night feeds are so much better because I don’t have to pump anymore. And baby most likely will start sleeping longer stretches in a few weeks so it will get easier!

 

[rdclmn72]

@robinrocks Just remember that when your partner helps with feeds you still have to pump so you’re not really being a break. Especially for the first 3 months.

I’ll be honest, breastfeeding SUCKED for the first 8-10 weeks for me (maybe 12, I repressed it).Thank god for nipple shields. Then! Awe turned a corner and it was so easy! It was my lazy mom hack, no packing bottles, no washing bottles, rarely washing pump parts, no warming bottles, no measuring formula, no extra work! it was so easy to just grab and feed the baby. Plus it really was a comfort to us both to send quite time together. Me at 2.5 weeks would have been SHOCKED I said that.