Pumping

My son is 18 months old today. When he was first born I had a lot of trouble breastfeeding him. I did the pumping, but your supply does not stay up where your baby needs it to be. I am not trying to tell you what to do, but I feel that it is more beneficial to you and your baby to try and nurse when you can, but still pump also. Still today my son is what the doctors consider under what he is supposed to weigh. but he is healthy. Yea he might be on the smaller side, but he eats a lot and has a high metabolism.

M. Whitchurch

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Kuddo's that you are making a great choice to give your baby breast milk!!!!, The most natural and nutrious choice even though the nursing was hard. The norm is for most moms to quit altogether. You are making the healthiest choice for your babe and how he recieves the milk is your choice. Your ped should be congratulating you for not giving in to formula. I know plenty of moms who strictly pumped. You body will supply the milk, just as you would if you nursed naturally. I have not read if you have received any notes from any LaLeche leaders, but here is what I know from being in a support group for two years. Pump every time you are feeding the babe. As well as every other hour in between, in the beginning. Then you will be able to stretch out the times as you go along. Basically you will feed by bottle holding her on your left side, while pumping on the right side for approximately 10 minutes. Then switch her to the right side of your body and pump on your left side. Then the opposite hour, pump both breasts. You will eventually up-stock your freezer. One of my friends pumped for 6 months straight and ended up with over a year supply. Therefore her child could still have breast milk beyond the age of one.
Please contact your local LaLeche League for more support.
Again Congratulations for making a very smart choice..!!!
p.s. invest in breast milk freezer bags, not bottles, to save on space. M. N.

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Of course you want what's best. It's great that you're trying to nurse, and I'm sorry it's been a struggle. The first weeks are so hard, so don't feel bad about any problems... breastfeeding is natural, but it's not easy. I think you're getting some great responses here.
You could try talking to a lactation consultant. I have the number of an awesome one, and she could give you advice on nursing and pumping and all that.
That said, don't let the nursing issue stress you out too much. People can be very emotional about it, but ultimately you know what's best for you and your baby. Good Luck!

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I nursed with my baby for the first couple months but I just wasn't supplying enough, he was always hungry. My doctor told me after he was done eating to pump for another 15 mins and that would help my milk supply come in. But it got to be such a pain and once he was introduced to having the milk in the bottle he liked that much better. So I finally just pumped all the time. I found that if I just pumped ever 3 hours for about 15 mins on each side I started supplying more. I did it that way until my son was about 6 months old. It worked for me better this way. I would just do what works best for you!! Good Luck!!

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My baby is tongue-tied and had a hard time latching on. After two weeks of trying to get her to latch on I decided ot pump. I asked my Doctor and she said that was fine as long as I was producing enough milk. I pumped 3 months and then around the holidays all the time away from home made it hard to pump. Pumping is really hard due to the fact that you need to pump everytime your baby eats and that makes feedings that much longer. My milk supply gradually decreased as time went on. My baby now is on formula and is doing well. My doctor said that a pump does not give your breast the same stimulation that the baby would which makes it hard to produce enough milk. I think with my upcomming babies I will try a little harder to get them to latch on. I would have to say breastfeeding is one of the hardest things about having a baby. Good Luck!

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Thats not right. I had trouble nursing also. I have been just pumping for the last month and a half. He has put on sufficient weight and is doing fine. Just keep up with what you're doing. Breast milk is the best thing for them.

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E.,

My son had acid reflux and my doctor encouraged me to put him on formula with added rice. I refused. I pumped and fed my son breastmilk, with added rice, for 4 months. It was hard keeping up with the pumping (I felt like I was either pumping or feeding him with a bottle)...but, I would do it the exact same way again. Best of luck!

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I pumped for 6 months and my daughter never breastfed due to oral-motor difficulties. She was hospitalized for 2 months following heart surgery, so I stored my breastmilk until she was able to receive it at 3 months of age. I then bottle fed her a mixture of new and frozen breastmilk until I ran out of frozen and gave her only fresh.

I have a few thoughts. If you really would like to breastfeed, I would urge you to give yourself and your baby time to adjust. It can take a month or two before you really feel like you both have a handle on it. I now have a 3 month old child who is breastfed and given the occasional bottle. I can say in the end, breastfeeding will be WAY easier than exclusively pumping and bottle feeding. And probably will be more sustainable.

That said, if you're sure you don't want to or can't breastfeed, there's no reason you can't pump as much as you need...but it will be a full- time job. You'll need to get up every three hours at night and during the day for the first month or two in order to firmly establish your supply. Invest in or rent a hospital grade pump. I rented one for 3 months and then found the Medela Pump-in-style Advance to be sufficient. If you can use a double-pump it will be more efficient (and thus you'll be less likely to stop pumping before your breasts are empty). Find ways to help you relax and encourage let-down while you're pumping - a heating pack on your shoulders or across your chest, a hot cup of tea, relaxing music, staring at your newborn on your lap. Pump until your breasts are empty and masage your breasts to help bring all the milk down while you're pumping. This will increase and maintain your supply. You can take Fenugreek supplements or tea if you think your supply is waining.

Right now, while the baby sleeps a lot, it might feel easier to pump and bottle feed, but when they get older, it's really hard to do both. I eventually quit when my daughter was 6 months old because I couldn't care for her AND pump AND feed her all day...it was exhausting.

Finally, if possible, get hooked up with a local LaLeche League group. They will encourage you on your breastfeeding/pumping journey and can answer LOTS of questions. Remeber though, any breastmilk you feed your child is a gift. Even if it's one bottle a day. Good luck on deciding what to do!

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E.-
When I had my little girl a little over a year ago, she had a terrible time latching onto me. I wanted to breastfeed her so bad but she just couldn't get the hang of it. My doctor encouraged me to continue pumping as long as I wanted to or was able to supply milk. I was very discouraged about not being able to actually breastfeed. I had a very good support group including my hubby, my mother and my doctor. They constantly kept telling me that the baby was still getting my milk regardless of it was from a bottle or directly from my breast. I pumped for 3-months and even though it was very tiring and got really old, I am so very glad I did it for as long as I did!!! And honestly, I kind of enjoyed not being tied to my little girl during all of her feedings. It was nice having the option of having her daddy or grandma feed her. They enjoyed the bonding time as much as I did!! I'm sorry your doctor has made you have mixed feelings about this. I am convinced that if it wasn't for the support of my doctor and my family, I would have given up on the pumping all together. I hope this helps! GOOD LUCK!!!

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I pumped when my baby was not quite a week old because he didn't drink enough to relieve the pain. I breastfed and pumped, almost exclusively pumping when he was six weeks old. He had breastmilk until he was almost a year old.

Just do what you need to do. Don't worry about what the doctor says... if you can feed your baby just pumping, keep it up! There is a pump (Medela, I think) that helps stimulate a let-down reflex. It helped a bit.

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Hi E.,

I didn't have time to read all the responses, so maybe somebody already said this..... I have a friend who successfully pumpped till the baby was a year old with no other breastfeeding. She was millitant about pumping every 2-3 hours, however. That being said, if you decide to try to breastfeed, did you know that we have a La Leche League right here in Ottawa? They are super nice (they sure helpped me!)They meet the 3rd Monday of the month at 7:00 pm at the Presbyterian church. Here's the website with contact info: http://www.lllusa.org/web/OttawaKS.html

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Initially you should have enough milk supply for your baby. However, strictly pumping has decreased MY supply. I know I produce enough milk b/c I breastfed my daughter for 1 year. My son does not eat orally so I have pumped for about a year. I pump every 3 hours, I have taken Fenugreek (breastmilk stimulant,hydration,etc) and my supply struggles. Pumping does not have the same effect on the 'let down reflex' as breastfeeding does. I have to supplement him with formula b/c I don't produce enough. HOWEVER, the most important thing is that he got straight breastmilk for the first 8 months of his life. Even though the baby may need some supplementation, at least he is getting breastmilk. That is my experience.

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You shouldn't feel guilty for this, no matter what the outcome is.....you tried!

I do recommend that you still try to nurse because I felt that it was such a tremendous experience for me with my son. Words cannot explain how it feels to have that baby nursing and just being absolutely content. I really had a rougher time than he did after weaning because I missed this special time with my son!

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I know a women who only pumped for 10 months. She said she got down to only having to pum 3x a day.
I also had problems nursing, but I continued to try, while still pumping. Eventually my son latched on well. I had a great supply from pumping and feeding him. I would not have nursed if it weren't for the pump. Good Luck!

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