After I had Charlie, I started pumping early and often because I had trouble breastfeeding. Pumping was much easier because there was no learning curve, and no dealing with poor latch or sore nipples. Breastfeeding on the other hand, requires both mom and baby to have a lot of practice to learn how to do it properly. I was so scared about failing at breastfeeding, I was glad that I was at least able to pump, and still provide exclusive breastmilk and all its benefits for Charlie.
I did try to breastfeed the first couple months, but most of the time Charlie was bottle fed pumped breastmilk. A lactation consultant that came to our house told me that Charlie had trouble removing enough milk, even when he had a good latch. So around 4 months, I decided to pump exclusively, and kept going until Charlie was 9 months old. I would have gone on much longer, had I not ingested pesticides after we got bed bugs (a post for another day!). I would have loved to have breastfed Charlie, and I don’t think I tried hard enough. But the time Mr. Bee spent bonding with Charlie over his many bottles was well worth it, and I don’t feel any less bonded to Charlie now because I didn’t breastfeed.
Pros of Exclusively Pumping
- no learning curve
- no sore nipples
- you know exactly how much your baby is eating
- you can eliminate hunger as a cause for crying/fussiness
- easier to get your baby on a schedule
- other people can help feed the baby
- gives dad lots of opportunities to bond with baby
- you can drink alcohol because you can pump and dump
- no need to worry about nursing in front of others or in public
- your baby gets both foremilk and the rich, fatty hindmilk, so you don’t have to worry about a fore/hindmilk imbalance
- your baby still gets almost all the benefits of breastfeeding
- I lost the baby weight just as quickly with pumping as I did when I was breastfeeding (I gained 45 pounds with Charlie and around 25 pounds with Olive and lost everything within 5 months both times)
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My experience with Olive has been completely different. She didn’t have a problem latching on perfectly. And though it took her a little practice to become an effective nurser, she was a pro in no time. I wasn’t expecting that at all since I had so many problems with Charlie, but breastfeeding the second time around was actually…. pretty easy. It’s been an incredibly bonding experience with Olive, and I probably will feel a little sad when I eventually wean. I’m so glad that breastfeeding worked out because I don’t think I could find the time to pump exclusively with two kids! I love that I don’t ever have to worry about the logistics of feeding Olive, because I can do it anytime, anywhere without any gear.
Mrs. Wagon recently linked to a Time Magazine article about women who choose to exclusively pump. I know there are many of you out there, whether it’s because you had preemies, poor latchers, or you just felt more comfortable pumping than breastfeeding. Now that I’ve experienced both, I would definitely say that I enjoy breastfeeding more, it’s much easier, and I think it has more pros than exclusively pumping (if only for the reason that I can sleep during night feedings!).
Pros of Breastfeeding over Exclusively Pumping
- baby stops feeding when they’re full so they learn how to self-regulate, which helps prevent obesity later in life
- can’t overfeed breastfed baby
- breastfed babies need to be burped less; bottle-fed babies swallow more air
- no pump parts and bottles to wash
- hungry baby doesn’t have to wait for bottle to be warmed, especially in the middle of the night, since breastmilk is always there at the perfect temperature
- you can sleep during night feedings
- less prone to clogged ducts (my personal theory)
- breastfeeding is more of a bonding experience (in my personal experience)
- breastfeeding is more comforting for baby
- babies can remove more milk from breasts than a pump can, and some moms are not able to produce enough milk with pumping
Even with the best intentions, I know that things don’t always work out as planned. However, most lactation consultants don’t suggest exclusive pumping as a viable option, and posit breastfeeding as all or nothing. Perhaps that’s to help moms who want to give up to keep going. I think that’s really great for moms when it works, because it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you’re in the thick of things. But I’ve also heard of many moms who start formula and whose milk supplies dry up, before they learn that pumping exclusively is an option. I do encourage women not to give up on breastfeeding, even if it’s difficult in the beginning, because breastfeeding can definitely be rewarding, enjoyable and easy! But if it doesn’t work out for some reason, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and pumping exclusively can be an option.
Did you choose to exclusively pump?
Pumping & Increasing Milk Supply part 7 of 11
1. Increasing Your Milk Supply by Checklists2. Pumping Up the Volume by Mrs. Bee
3. My Pumping System by mrs. wagon
4. Don't Pay for a Breast Pump Until You Read This by Mrs. Tricycle
5. More milk, more milk, more milk! by Mrs. Hopscotch
6. Building up a Breastmilk Freezer Stash by mrs. wagon
7. Exclusive Pumping vs. Breastfeeding by Mrs. Bee
8. How To Clean a Medela Pump by Mrs. Bee
9. My Pumping, Freezing, and Defrosting Strategy by Mrs. Bee
10. Project Milk by Mrs. Bee
11. Feeding and Storing Expressed Breastmilk by Checklists
Exclusive Pumping part 1 of 4
1. Exclusive Pumping vs. Breastfeeding by Mrs. Bee2. Building up a Breastmilk Freezer Stash by mrs. wagon
3. My Pumping System by mrs. wagon
4. My Exclusive Pumping Journey by mrs. wagon
grapefruit / 4120 posts
I don’t think the bonding part is “your opinion” — I think some of the benefits are breastfeeding are linked to all that time holding the baby and feeding him or her directly from your body.
Having said that, all my respect to exclusive pumpers… that is hard work and few people seem able to make it work long term!
I support women who exclusively pump when necessary, but sometimes I worry that some people do so without adequate counsel and therefore it may be unnecessary work in their cases!
guest
I wish I could breastfeed directly but my baby was too freaked out when he could not latch on properly. I am glad I pump though because apparently my milk supply is not that much, I could not imagine my baby getting so frustrated everyday coz i don’t have much milk. With pumping, he gets to drink without freaking out and I just supplement with formula when I don’t have enough. Now that I am going back to work, I don’t have to go through a painful transition to bottle. I really have no strong preference if I have to choose in the future, whatever works for my LO. Also, my LO is used to not getting a warm milk so he is fine with room temperature breastmilk, which is great and I don’t have to deal with him shrieking impatiently for momma to warm up the milk
honeydew / 7968 posts
i’m going to try both and hopefully that will work for us.
honeydew / 7917 posts
I wish I could have had the opportunity to establish a breastfeeding relationship with my LO, but he had issues with latching and sucking when he was born. After a week of making no progress, I knew that it just wasn’t meant to be. I never knew that exclusively pumping was even an option until my husband brought up that question to the pediatrician on day 2. I am so glad that he did because I have been pumping ever since. It’s a lot of hard work, and I still can’t believe that I have been pumping for 11 months. I have one more month to go before I start to wean off the pump.
While breastfeeding didn’t happen as I originally planned, pumping did provide me with an alternative means to provide my LO with breast milk.
guest
I am one of the mommy’s that loves breastfeeding- I love holding the baby so close, his smile when he knows he’s going to eat, holding his tiny, little hands– but I HATE pumping! Alas, I work full-time so I pump 2-3 times a day. And dread it every time. I hate the feeling, the noise, the inconvenience, the cleanup, how long it takes me.
So I give the exclusively pumping moms tons of credit! Wow. I don’t think I could do it.
pea / 17 posts
I am still breastfeeding at 8 months and am glad that I stuck it out. It was grueling the first month or so. My milk didn’t come in for almost two weeks so we had to supplement with formula until my body could catch up. We had some latching problems early on and my mother couldn’t help much because she didn’t breastfeed me. I’m very glad I took the class the hospital offered because I think I probably would have given up pretty early on. The class provided a lot of anecdotal information as well as facts and my doctor was great about reassuring us that supplementing with formula while waiting for my milk to come in was completely fine as long as I nursed beforehand. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the lactation consultants at the hospital really worked for me. They just kind of made me feel handled rather than coached. I definitely recommend them to every new mother – just don’t feel like you have to stick with one out of loyalty. Keep switching until you find “the one.” Never was informed that exclusive pumping was an option! Of course. But I do have a friend who is doing that with success and sounds like a great middle ground.
pomegranate / 3053 posts
Pumping is a lot of work and I give moms a ton of credit who have to do it exclusively. I was SO happy to stop pumping once my son was getting enough. Despite that it took me a while to get my supply up, I really enjoyed breastfeeding once I started doing it exclusively and hope that I have success with #2 as well.
cherry / 207 posts
I am an exclusive pumper. For my first, I made it to 10 months with enough freezer stash to last ODD a year. With my twins, it has been 141 days and counting.
All my girls are preemies and latched fine but don’t seem to have much energy to suck. They don’t exactly lurch or seek out the boob even when it’s there either!
My bestie was an exclusive pumper and had her DS a few years before ODD so I always knew that pumping exclusively was an option.
The LC wants me to breastfeed then pump after each feed and that was just too much work especially when caring for a newborn without any help. That was the key reason I decided to pump exclusively.
blogger / apricot / 366 posts
I hope to exclusively breastfeed for my 12-week maternity leave. But, obviously, when I go back to work I will be both pumping and breastfeeding. I’m not looking forward to having to pump at work, but I guess I have no choice
coffee bean / 30 posts
Thought I’d share this article in the NYT parenting blog for those moms who are pumping at work and feel a little embarrassed. Enjoy!
coffee bean / 30 posts
It would help if I included the link.
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/getting-over-my-embarrassment-about-pumping-at-work/?scp=2&sq=pumping&st=cse
GOLD / grape / 82 posts
After Olivia was in the NICU at birth, she struggled to nurse. Finally at 7 weeks I gave up. I had been nursing, pumping and then bottle feeding. It was a full time job. I felt like I was neglecting my other two kids, so I decided to just stop pumping. As a result, I lost my milk. It was very sad and emotional for me. Somedays I wish I’d kept pumping. Good for you.
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
@mrsbee: after many, many problems with breastfeeding and meeting with an LC, I’ve decided to exclusively pump at this point (DS is almost 6 weeks). Any tips??
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@winniebee: this post might be helpful:
http://www.hellobee.com/2012/03/08/my-pumping-strategy/
i was able to keep my supply high with pumping, so i was pumping 5 times a day. that was enough plus some to freeze for charlie.
you’ll have to just start and see how much you can produce, and then pump as many times as you need to to make enough milk for your lo.
breastfeeding is definitely easier, but your lo can still get all the benefits of breastmilk if you are pumping.
good luck! let me know if you have any specific questions!
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
@Mrs. Bee: Thanks so much. The tip about storing spare pump parts in the fridge is a godsend as I feel I would always be washing the parts (I have 2 sets going to order 2 more). The middle of the night feeding is definitely much harder (up for an hour instead of 1/2). Did you use a bustier bra to pump while you fed Charlie? I figure if I can get that down pat than it will cut down 15 mins. Oh, and I also spilled 1 ounce of milk today – talk about crying over spilled milk!
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@winniebee: couldn’t live without the pumping bra! i still use one every day. in fact i have two so when one is in the wash i still have one.
i actually didn’t pump in the middle of the night after 4 1/2 months because we sleep trained charlie and he pretty much slept through the night for most of his life from then on. hopefully you have a sleeping through the night baby soon too because pumping and feeding is a lot of work! or hopefully mr winniebee does the middle of the night feedings!
guest
Hi Mrs bee thanks so much for sharing! Did you use a hospital grade pump when you exclusively pumped?
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@kelly – no i used a medela in style. i rented a hospital grade pump for a couple of weeks, but i got the same amount as i did from my in style, so i returned it. most people get more from a hospital pump though.
guest
Thx so much Mrs Bee. Can you give approximate oz when you started pumping (2oz?) and when it ramped up? How much Didi you produce in beginning and toward end? Thx!
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@kelly – if you create an account and subscribe to this thread, you will get an email alert when i reply.
here is a post i wrote on increasing my supply with olive:
http://www.hellobee.com/2011/10/24/pumping-up-the-volume/
i was producing a lot more milk with charlie. i started around 2 oz with him, started taking supplements around 1 month, and saw huge results within a month. eventually i was able to pump as much as 12 ounces? in my morning session (when i would get the most).
guest
I have been exclusively pumping my son for 7 months. He was in the NICU for 2 weeks, and we tried breastfeeding the whole time with no luck. At 4 weeks old, my son got pneumonia and we found out that he was aspiring the breastmilk into his lungs, so we started adding a gel thickener to his bottles. It has been a lot of work, but it gets easier over time. Keeping the pump parts in the fridge is a huge time saver. I use a pumping bra from Simple Wishes, which was the best of 4 different pumping bras I bought and tried. After each pumping session, I let the tubes run for a few minutes to make sure they dry out well, and this will keep mold from forming, so you don’t have to replace them very often. I would also recommend the Lansinoh brand freezer bags and nursing pads over other brands. Even though Medela makes the best pumps and parts, I like the Lansinoh bags and pads better. Exclusive pumping is a commitment, but it’s worth it for the health of my son. My son (who was 5 weeks early and struggled through his first few days of life) is now a healthy 22 pound 7 month old. My goal is to continue pumping through his first birthday.
guest
I EP’ed for 9.5 months. My baby bruised my nipples so bad the lc suggested pumping until I healed but I never went back to breastfeeding. To build my supply, I pumped every 2 hrs -even at night for the first couple weeks. It required a lot of feeding help because I was usually pumping while she was eating. Once my supply picked up, I dropped down to 5-6 pumps per day with no night pumps. It was hard work, but well worth it. I was even able to donate over 250 oz to the hospitals milk bank and over 200 oz to a friends baby.
guest
Pumping really has its benefits! But breast feeding though, it really has that mom-child bond in it. Nothing wrong with pumping though, I just prefer breastfeeding but if you encounter problems with breastfeeding then pumping will be a good solution. Knowing that pumping doesn’t have that much of a disadvantage over breast feeding.