Exclusively breastfeeding vs Pumping?

[jayteeclark]

@offgridgenz It is double the work cleanliness wise but stress wise it worked for us. Though I tried BF for months, I ended up exclusively feeding my girl (who was born via c section at 35 weeks) from bottle because at her birth my milk hadn’t yet come in. Then it had and she wouldn’t latch. Then I was able to get her to latch but then she wouldn’t stay on. Met with lactation consultants and kept on trying. It was getting so frustrating that I just ended up exclusively pumping and it took the pressure off both of us. I fed her while I pumped so we still bonded and I got the skin to skin benefits without her actually feeding from the boob. Do what feels best and don’t feel you need to do something out of judgment. At the end of the day she’s still getting your milk and there’s nothing wrong with that!

 

[offgridgenz]

@jayteeclark Oh for sure I’m sorry I absolutely did not mean to imply that it wasn’t best for some families! I had a really rough go of getting nursing to work. I was teetering on the edge of exclusively pumping. I made it to a year with nursing and pumping at work, but I know there’s no way I would’ve made it to a year EPing because it’s so much harder to fit in the time to pump when they’re bigger and more mobile.

My hat is totally off to all the EPing moms, including some of my best friends. I just mean that if it is possible to nurse, and the mom is willing to nurse (some moms just don’t want to and obviously that is totally their right) and all things are equal, I do think that time and effort wise, nursing is easier, or maybe I should say more efficient, especially as the baby is older and takes less time to nurse and has more head control

Nursing moms are great! Pumping moms are great! Combo feeding moms are great! Formula moms are great! I meant zero judgment from my comment

 

[micangde]

@robinrocks In my experience exclusive breastfeeding was more restful and relaxing. Pumping isn't nearly as pleasant for me personally, now that I have to do it part time since I returned to work 4 months ago. There's no harm to baby either way and ultimately it's up to you.

 

[prayerwarrior2011]

@robinrocks My wife started out with the same perspective that pumping is easier because I can help her feed the baby at night. However, when the baby eventually got better at breastfeeding she realized breastfeeding is actually way easier than pumping at night, which she was still having to do. Just grab the baby, feed him without getting out of bed and plop him back down.

 

[rdclmn72]

@prayerwarrior2011 It saves so much time!! (And so many dishes)

 

[mariposa101]

@robinrocks FWIW I almost exclusively pump and do not find the process exceedingly labor intensive. I simply have multiple sets of pump parts and bottles. Because I am well stocked, I do a round of washing just once or twice a day. It's really not a big deal . I nurse him directly some of the time so I feel like I get the best of both worlds

My boy had a stint in the NICU as well. I remember asking myself these same questions. If you want to keep breastfeeding, don't be afraid to use nipple shields. They really helped us get the hang of things. I used them off and on for a few months and then never needed them again.

Whatever you choose, you're doing a great job!!

 

[julie41]

@robinrocks I pumped the first week and then saw a lactation consultant and was able to exclusively breast feed. I was crying in pain the first few time.

It is so much more convenient, so much less isolating, quicker, and imo easier. I felt like a weight was lifted when she finally latched without pain. It was incredible for my lifestyle! I do pump once in the am and once at night so husband can feed her and I can get more thoughtful rest.

It's not to say you cannot do pumping. But my insurance which sucks covered up to 6 lactation visits. I'm so happy I did them. Pumping is hard. Like, really hard. You can do it but it's just such a challenge I think if rather formula feed if breastfeeding didn't work out..... Good luck on your journey and remember whatever choice works for you is the best choice!

 

[pnotley]

@robinrocks Have you seen a lactation consultant about your baby’s issues feeding? In my experience they’re miracle workers for things like that!
Only if you want to change things, of course. You do you boo!

 

[xneedhelp]

@robinrocks My baby was 6 weeks early. He had a week long NICU stay where he received bottles. (I couldn’t go there to breastfeed him because I had COVID.) That, combined with the fact that he was a preemie, made breastfeeding a challenge. I saw two different lactation consultants and they both encouraged me to keep trying with the breast but know that he will need some time because he was early. It took until he was 6 weeks old for him to really get the hang of it (but he totally did!). I’m glad I stuck with it and of course continued to pump around the clock those first 6 weeks because he needed to be fed above all else.

There is nothing wrong with exclusively pumping but for me it was miserable. My partner never got up at night to help with feedings, so each wake was over an hour of feed - change - pump - wash pump parts. I remember thinking that waking every 2 to 3 hours to just breastfeed and change them and go back to sleep would be heavenly.

I continued to pump until he was a year old since he goes to daycare, but that was just 2-3 times a day so I could handle it. I will also add that he had a tongue and lip tie so getting that corrected helped with his latch a bit.

 

[mythoughtsalone20]

@xneedhelp Wow your so strong! Going thru covid without being able to BF in nicu. That sounds super challenging!

 

[xneedhelp]

@mythoughtsalone20 Thank you! It was so sad to not see or hold him for 6 days but I kept reminding myself that we were so lucky he was healthy!!

 

[mythoughtsalone20]

@xneedhelp I can’t imagine glad that’s behind u

 

[autoul]

@robinrocks Check to see if your insurance covers a lactation consultant. Mine covers six sessions and it has made a huge difference!

 

[carelle]

@robinrocks Pumping is so much harder work then breastfeeding. Even just the pumping itself takes a long time, then on top of that you have to sterilise the bottles, cart bottles and milk around with you. It's just not fun. In your shoes I would definitely keep working on breastfeeding. Your baby is still so young - just because it's a struggle now does not mean it will stay that way. I would recommend getting as much professional help as you can. Breastfeeding is a skill that both you and the baby need to learn, the more help you can get the better. I was able to access a really good breastfeeding clinic run by local health visitors. If you don't have a service like that available, and you can afford it, a private breastfeeding consultant might be worth it.

 

[loyd]

@robinrocks Fed is best.

Your baby needs you more than she needs a boob. I exclusively pumped for a few reasons. First, my daughter had a tongue tie and she did NOT latch well. Second, I had postpartum preeclampsia and landed back in the hospital within 24 hours of being sent home. This was also at the height of the pandemic so they would not let my husband or my newborn back in with me, so the only recourse I had was to pump. I'd pump throughout the day, store on ice, and the hospital let my husband come once a day to the main lobby desk to pick up what a runner would take downstairs.

By the time we were able to really try actually breastfeeding again she was over a week old, still had the tie, and was just NOT interested in the boob. I worked with lactation nurses for 4 solid months trying to figure out latching vs pumping. I was really committed to making sure I could boost her immune system as much as possible due to Covid, so I pumped.

If I had to do it all over again I would use formula. Pumping was exhausting and I still have leftover issues from it. When she started sleeping through the night I was still getting up every 4 hours to pump, which did not make me the best mother because I was so strung out from all the interrupted sleep.

 

[stellis03]

@loyd Do you mind sharing about the "leftover issues" you are having?

 

[loyd]

@stellis03 I'm down to a lump in my right breast. They're 99% sure it's an artifact from milk production at this point, but I've been going in for ultrasounds or mammograms every 6 months since about December 2020 (the first couple were 3 months apart), and I have a breast health specialist they referred me to that I can contact directly if I notice any change at all in between scans. I've been told the suction from a breast pump, even the "hospital grade" one I had due to my daughter's tongue tie, isn't quite as good as the suction from a baby's mouth. But they can't say for certain that this is due to my exclusive pumping vs putting my kiddo directly on my breast.

 

[stellis03]

@loyd Oh wow, I'm so sorry to hear you've had to deal with that!

 

[nazkid]

@robinrocks Learning how to breastfeed is hard work for both you and bub. Especially if your baby had some NICU time. I'd say for the first month it's harder and then after that it's way easier than pumping.

Depending on what issue you're having you could try a nipple shield until baby's mouth is bigger and your breasts have softened. They can be a good bridge between bottle and breast.

 

[wini]

@robinrocks It's just easier and more convenient if your baby is able to feed directly from the boob. No need to pump (I personally hated pumping), no need to plan your outings knowing how long you'll be out and how much milk you need to bring or if you will need to pump while you are out no need to worry about safe storage of milk either for baby to drink or that you've pumped, no need to figure at the logistics around freezing/thawing or needing to serve it at baby's preferred temperature. No need to worry about of its a quick few sucks for comfort or a "full feed". Milk always fresh and available from the boob and no wastage if bub starts a bottle but doesn't finish it. Nothing to wash up (i mean do wash your boobs how you normally do when you shower but no bottles or pump parts).

My first baby breastfed and never took a bottle. She breastfed for 3.5 years. It really was as easy as us both being in the same place at the same time and once she was good at latching I just had to hold her in the vicinity of my boob. When she started childcare at 10 months I'd have to pump to relieve my boobs but sh wouldn't drink it, she had solids and water during the day and breastfed at night. Daycare was good enough to mix the pumped milk into her cereal so it didn't all go to waste. My supply regulated at I could stop pumping after a little while.

My second baby had more issues feeding. He did take bottles which was great because he had a tongue tie that was discovered at birth but we had to wait a week ro get it cut and my nipples got absolutely shredded. When they healed up i would mostly breastfeed but pump 1 bottle a day so my husband could feed him while I did bedtime with my older one. He developed bottle preference which was annoying because of all the reasons I mentioned above. When he also started refusing bottles I let my supply drop because what's the point of pumping if it isn't being drunk? Then I got told he wasn't getting enough milk for his age (he was eating a lot of solids but he was below 5th centile for length and weight). I had another child and being stuck pumping all the time to try and produce the required volume of milk that he would refuse to drink (he was diagnosed with oral aversion) was destroying my mental health. I found feeding directly from the breast (which he would only do when sleepy) and bottles of formula much, much easier than pumping milk. Did you know that you can take a bottle of water and dry powder and throw them in a bag no need to keep them cold and just mix them together? And because I didn't spend time hooked up to a pump to produce every last drop of the bottle contents I didn't care if he didn't drink it all. And if he did drink it all and wanted more I didn't agonise over making another bottle. Plenty more powder in the tin, plenty more tins at the shop, takes 2 seconds to grab a tin of formula while grocery shopping, takes 2 seconds to scoop formula into a bottle compared to at least half an hour hooked up to a pump to produce a single feed. He stopped breastfeeding before naps, then he was only breastfeeding in the middle of the night. Then he started sleeping through the night which was awesome but he wasn't breastfeeding at all. He was having cow's milk instead of formula in his bottles at bedtime but I managed to give him one pouch of breastmilk a day until 18 months thanks to milk I'd frozen so it wouldn't be wasted when i was trying to increas my supply. I wish I could have breastfed him as long as my first but I wasn't willing to keep him on bottles nor to pump to provide him with breastmilk.

Feed your baby however works for your family. Bottles didn't work at all for my first baby but worked great for my second. Pumping didn't work for me because of the amount of work it required (I might have felt differently if my babies actually drank pumped milk but they didn't and I really, really hated being hooked up to the pump as well as washing the damn thing up, I'd rather be spending time with my kids I also nrver got the hang of hping out and aboutvwhile pumping/ feeding pumped milk on the go. For some reason IDGAF breastfeedingin pumping but was really uncomfortablepumping in public). There are pros and cons to all ways of feeding your baby and what's a pro and what's a con vary person to person.