i don’t wanna pump anymore

@brandon_d Why though I wonder. Milk can take up to a week to come in. They only have colostrum for the first few days. And if she said it was because of the c section, she is wrong. The second the placenta is removed your body starts producing the hormone that triggers milk supply. It does not matter in what manner you bring a baby into the world.
 
@crystalsherie i’m not sure. i was just doing what they told me. i’m kinda thankful that i posted this thread because ive learned so much more than the lactation specialist has taught me in literally less than a day
 
@crystalsherie Sadly I think medical personnel know less and less about bf and pushing formula down our throats.. every person I ask if they bf they said no because the milk didn’t come and I’m like yeah it takes a little time not to mention other issues such as tongue tie or stress! Instead they just say pump and give formula right away smh so what did woman do back in the day?
 
@wellesleygirl16 I tried to bf only.. and the pediatrician at the hospital was freaking out telling me that 3 days after baby was born that he's lost weight. I had no idea that this was normal as I was trying to breastfeed only, the way that the LC at the hospital told me. LC had told me, feed baby every 2-3 hours for 10-15 mins at most on each side. That any more than that will damage nipples.
When I saw the pediatrician 3 days later she tells me to ignore what the LC says and gave me formula right then to "supplement" my bf'ing to make baby gain weight, and to see her a week after. After I did this supplementing, i haven't been able to make much supply myself.. baby is 6 weeks now but still low.. I think both LC's and pediatrician's advice with the supplementing may likely be the cause for the low supply..
 
@kayla701 Unbelievable..exactly what I’m talking about with these pediatricians..I wouldn’t be surprised if the benefit from us getting formula..and why would LC say that? having baby on demand is the main thing to make sure your body reacts! Your nipples suffer when the latch is not proper..and is normal to have them sore for the first two weeks but that’s worth it for what the baby is getting.. what makes you think your supply is low? I also like to drink Malta besides water to help with milk supply. Are you having your baby latch every time the baby wants?
 
@magnolia12 im a data scientist working as a contractor for multiple companies! i get hired for projects, but i have some connections that may be hiring if you have a background in tech
 
@brandon_d I didn’t start pumping until maybe 8 weeks. I also was only getting ~0.5-1.5oz. It’s sooo discouraging. And I was never finding a good time and felt like pumping took milk from my always hungry baby, because she’d really fuss if she needed on the boob right after. The other thing is your pump will never pull as much as your baby does either. So while you think it’s not much, I’m sure your baby is getting more/plenty.

Fast forward to 16 weeks now. I started pumping again around week 13 or 14 so we could get baby sitters or have her dad feed her. Now my milk is regulated and I can pump so much faster and get a decent amount, she doesn’t eat as often, and pumping doesn’t hurt supply if I need to feed her right after.

I was told that before about 12 weeks, your supply is anticipatory and then when it’s regulated it’s on demand, if that makes sense. Our last big cluster feeding was around 11-12 weeks and I feel like nursing and pumping all got a lot easier.

If you just let your baby eat whenever they want to eat, they should make your supply what they need. There will be lots of cluster feeding times before 3 months. I think week 3, week 6, and week 11-12 were ours. It’s tough and frustrating, but baby’s growing and getting your supply to where their needs are.

TLDR; don’t worry about pumping unless you are obviously seeing supply issues (baby super fussy at the boob, weighed feeding is below what they should be getting…). After about 12 weeks, it should be a bit easier—at least it was for me. Focus on breastfeeding for now. It’s already hard enough especially in the beginning!
 
@brandon_d When I had my first, I pumped very little milk and was desperate. When I let her be on the boob for however long she wanted though, things got better. At 6 weeks I was exclusively breastfeeding (with no pumping) and she latched on for the night so she would be drinking a LOT and stimulating my production. It was the easiest way for me because I also slept better and didn't have to do the cleaning and sanitizing like you said.
 
@kylievaduva123 I just noticed the typo, I was NOT coordinated enough to nurse in a carrier. I had the baby beluga wrap and ergo baby 360 and both were great for regular carrying purposes. You can check out a subreddit called r/babywearing!
 
@morganpettit97 I never pumped until later even though I was told to do so and I don’t understand why! Is already a lot of work just bf. Don’t get discouraged keep feeding your baby..I know people offer formula a lot but if you can bf stay with that and don’t worry about pumping..my body doesn’t react the same way to pumping like it does when my baby is latched so is definitely better to have your baby on you unless like someone else’s said there were issues with the latching. Keep pushing through later it will be SOOO much easier!
 
@brandon_d Your supply is constantly being tweaked up and down by your baby - they had a hungry day on Monday, so Tuesday there's a little more milk available. They had a sleepy day on Friday, so Saturday there's a little less milk available.

That's fine and is how your body is evolved to work - to feed your baby efficiently without leaving them hungry or wasting your energy by making milk they don't need.

Your body is operating really efficiently, and there's no need for you to pump to try and manipulate your supply - your baby is doing a great job of telling your body what they need.
 
@nileip thank you! it does makes me wonder though, if your baby tells your body exactly how much milk it needs, then how come others have oversupply and actually need to pump to avoid angorgement
 
@brandon_d Often it's because pumping tells your body to make more milk! So pumping to relieve engorgement is a vicious cycle, and it's not recommended to pump to relieve engorgement unless you're missing a feed - hand expressing until comfortable removes less milk, so is a better way to tell your body not to make so much.
 
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