katrina2017
New member
@brandon_d why are you pumping?
i don’t wanna pump anymore
- Thread starter brandon_d
- Start date
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- Tags
- breastfeeding
@katrina2017 this is copied from a comment i left under someone else’s:
so i was advised to pump because my first 2 days pp i wasn’t producing milk at all so the lactation specialist said to pump 2-3 hours to stimulate lactation, she also said to keep doing this (and didn’t specify a solid plan of how long) to keep my breasts stimulated and make sure they are making milk constantly. since i’ve followed her advice i have no problem making enough to feed baby i just assumed that you’re always supposed to pump after to tell your body to keep making milk.
so i was advised to pump because my first 2 days pp i wasn’t producing milk at all so the lactation specialist said to pump 2-3 hours to stimulate lactation, she also said to keep doing this (and didn’t specify a solid plan of how long) to keep my breasts stimulated and make sure they are making milk constantly. since i’ve followed her advice i have no problem making enough to feed baby i just assumed that you’re always supposed to pump after to tell your body to keep making milk.
katrina2017
New member
@brandon_d i see. you don’t need to keep pumping if your baby is eating well 
dreamergirl
New member
@brandon_d I recommend a haaka or medela milk collector, the one that looks like a vase. When baby feeds off one breast, suction it to the other breast to catch letdown and encourage more milk. Store the milk you catch to use for a bottle feed if and when you have someone (friend, parent, whoever you can find) around who can help you look after the baby. Will let you get a bit of extra sleep.
@dreamergirl i will definitely try this. thank you!
eclipsewolfe
New member
@brandon_d You don't have to pump if your baby is gaining weight while nursing. I stopped pumping early on and never went back. My kid shot up from 1st percentile to 50th percentile in 3 months.
My LO nursed a lot. But it was still better than pumping. Pumps are a relatively new thing. My mom and mil never used them. But in America, many of us don't have the luxury of nursing for a year, so pumps are popular due to our capitalistic society.
If my supply dropped (covid), my LO clusterfed, and my supply bounced back. I had to stay hydrated, and I didn't lose weight until 9 months pp, but it was all worth it.
My LO nursed a lot. But it was still better than pumping. Pumps are a relatively new thing. My mom and mil never used them. But in America, many of us don't have the luxury of nursing for a year, so pumps are popular due to our capitalistic society.
If my supply dropped (covid), my LO clusterfed, and my supply bounced back. I had to stay hydrated, and I didn't lose weight until 9 months pp, but it was all worth it.
@eclipsewolfe your statement about moms in America is so unfortunate, it made me realize how much more time other countries prioritize for moms to take off. thanks for sharing your experience as well! i did notice that some days when i wasn’t hydrated enough my milk supply would dip
fawnmeadow
New member
@brandon_d You can just feed baby! You only need to pump if you are replacing milk he ate from a bottle.
@fawnmeadow thank you!
@brandon_d I just feed the baby. 8 weeks PP and she refuses bottles so I don’t see the point right now. My supply is great, baby is a little chunker. Your supply is fine. You only have to pump if you’re supplementing with formula.
brotherterry
New member
@brandon_d If your baby is gaining weight, pooping and peeing regularly you don’t need to pump after breastfeeding that is so much work! Keep an eye on the diapers and that will help you know if your baby is getting enough before you can get baby weighed at pediatrician
@brandon_d I barely pumped at all the first like 3 months. I still did occasionally if I felt like it so I had a little stash, but I built more stash with my haakaa than pumping those early days. I see you were told to do this to increase supply, are you nursing and then pumping and then nursing again? Because if that's the case that's probably why you only get a few ounces. If I don't feed my baby for 4 hours I get like 8-9oz for my morning pump but if I feed her and pump an hour later I'm lucky to get 2 oz.
If you just want to nurse only and she's gaining fine I don't see why you need to pump so much, but that's a question for an LC truly.
If you just want to nurse only and she's gaining fine I don't see why you need to pump so much, but that's a question for an LC truly.
@brandon_d I pumped with my first baby and it was a mistake. It was sooo difficult to keep up pumping. Breastfeeding was so much better once I stopped pumping.
With my second baby I didn’t pump at all, still exclusively breastfeeding, he’s four months old now.
But just check baby’s growth curve. If there are no issues with weight gain, you can definitely exclusively pump (edit: or exclusively breastfeed, I probably meant to say.)
With my second baby I didn’t pump at all, still exclusively breastfeeding, he’s four months old now.
But just check baby’s growth curve. If there are no issues with weight gain, you can definitely exclusively pump (edit: or exclusively breastfeed, I probably meant to say.)
@7even7eas thank you for sharing! i’m looking forward to my experience getting better after i stop pumping as well
greenteaandchocolatechips
New member
@brandon_d I pumped a few times in the hospital when my baby was born and haven’t pumped a single time since then! My daughter is 5 months old and thriving! I commend anyone who has to pump. It seems like so much work. Finding the time to do it and cleaning parts and bottles all the time sounded so overwhelming to me. I would have done it if I had to but since I didn’t I don’t.
@greenteaandchocolatechips it really is so much work i was literally about to give up
manches432
New member
@brandon_d I was only pumping twice a day before going back to work, and I didn’t pump at all 2 weeks pp! You’re totally okay to pump less since you’re feeding her so often. Go easy on yourself. I can’t imagine doing all of that alone. If you can have just one family member or friend help out, it would be life-changing. Good luck!
@manches432 thank you!!
@brandon_d Don’t worry about pumping! I used a haaka in the other breast while feeding just to slowly build a freezer stack for when I was gonna go back to work, but no need to pump and even less so in yoir situation! Take care of yourself