Comments on: Breast Pumping: The Alternative Feeding Option

By: lisa

lisa — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:08:40 +0000

i too, pump exclusively – and i love it.

i was unfortunate to have suffered from PUPPPs at the end of my pregnancy and after being in pre-labour for 4 days and 24hrs of active labour that ended with a 3rd degree episiotomy tear and hemorrhaging, i was too exhausted to nurse my baby boy and fell unconscious as i was being taken to the recovery room

to my horror i awoke 6 hours later to find my son cold and alone in his bassinet next to me. unfed. i called the nurses immediately and was greeted with being lectured on how i was SUPPOSE to nurse him every 2-3 hours. which is something an unconscious person should be held accountable for. right. in a fog, he was taken to the nursery and was fed formula.

over the next 2 days i had nurses that did not wake me to feed my son and ones that simply yelled at me to “just make him latch!” even though it hurt like hell – which i knew was wrong. the nurses at the hospital were so unsupportive that by the time i got home, i was falling into the pits of postpartum depression.

i knew my husband strongly leaned towards breastfeeding, but with a horrible recovery and the stress of having to be the only feeder to my son, the pressure of it all just kept me crying constantly. my milk wasn’t coming in and nursing him for 1.5hrs meant that by the time i put him down, he was starving again.

at 10 days postpartum, my husband came home with a medela symphony hospital grade pump in efforts to up my milk supply. at first i was offering the breast, and then pumping and bottle feeding.

and then, 2 days later i simply decided to pump every 2 hours and bottle feed. once my milk supply came in, i began pumping 6-8oz each session, every 3 hours. by day 14 postpartum, i was able to start storing milk in the freezer because i was ahead of what my son was consuming.

pumping has relieved the pressure of being the only person responsible for feeding him. it has allowed me to get more sleep. anyone in the household can feed him and my husband gets some quiet time with his first born. knowing that my son is still getting the “good stuff” and seeing my stock in the freezer assures me that he will be healthy for when i go back to work in 4 months (only 6 months of mat leave)

i highly suggest pumping to any mother looking for an alternative to breastfeeding but is still able to produce milk.

By: DP

DP — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:12:35 +0000

I really enjoyed this article, especially for the support and comeraderie that is out there for exclusive pumping. My 1st born (son) is now 15 days old, and I decided to pump exclusively since Day 4. The reasons are as follows: I had a c-section, which made for a groggy baby and a pained mom. The baby was found to have tongue-tie and latching issues. The first days of his life, we had to have donor milk for him….and I did provide him with colostrum (what little that I was able to produce). Now I pump every 2.5 hours via the hospital grade pump called Medela Symphony (hospital rents them for $75/month). I pump for 15 minutes and get about 1.5 oz each session. I will begin fenugreek and Mother’s Milk Tea tomorrow to try an increase supply. Good luck to all you out there who pump exclusively. DO NOT LET OTHERS MAKE YOU FEEL GUILTY>

By: AKuri

AKuri — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:32:44 +0000

Thank you for sharing your comments. I am unable to breastfeed but still want to feed my newborn breastmilk. I have been working to build my supply by exclusively pumping for at least 15 minutes every 3 hours or so – but have not seen an increase. How long does it typically take to build a healthy milk supply through exclusive pumping? Thanks.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:59:19 +0000

Also, in response to Sandy, a doctor cannot “force” you to do anything that you do not want to do, although I don’t believe that pumping immediately will be fruitful. In the first hours and many times days of your baby’s life your body produces colostrum, probably not enough to coat the sides of the bottle you pump into, but just enough to start up the digestion of your newborn.
This re-emphasizes my point of being informed about the decision to or not to breast feed. Not that feelings aren’t important, but basing major decisions about your children on feelings without facts is not the best way to start parenting.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:30:17 +0000

Not that I think that pumping exclusively is necessarily a bad choice if that is what works for you, but I am concerned that women who are pumping exclusively might be missing the natural cycles that occur when you are breast feeding. There is a direct correlation between establishing a good supply of breast-milk and breast-feeding simply because your body is responding to the length of time that your baby spends at the breast.
Also, the content of your milk changes from day to day and sometimes even from hour to hour, the benefit of which can be lost by pumping exclusively. After reading some comments, I am wonder how informed some are about breastfeeding. For instance the concern about the baby not receiving enough to eat. Very simply, monitor the number of diapers, color and consistency of bowel movements and wet diapers. You don’t need to know how many ounces your baby is taking until you remove breast-feeding from the equation, and then it’s a guessing game.
Also, supplementing with formula, although nutritionally sound also interferes with milk supply as the baby is removed from the opportunity to encourage your body to produce more milk thereby putting you and your child in a “vicious cycle” of sorts many times leading to an ever decreasing supply of milk.
Breast is best not only because of the content of breast milk but also due to the delivery method. Choice is most valuable when it is informed.

By: Celebrate World Breastfeeding Week | Breastfeeding | Babies Online The Blog

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:02:39 +0000

[...] (unless it is pumped) needs no refrigeration for storage, requires no heating or added water, and involves no [...]

By: Angelica

Angelica — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:09:51 +0000

I’ve had my baby since my last comment, and though he can nurse, he doesn’t really get enough. I got a loaner pump from the hospital and I love it! The first couple of days when I was only getting a few drops were disheartening, but now I’m starting to make more and I’m really happy. My boy is three days old and on formula for now, but I have an ounce in the fridge waiting on him. It’s so worth it! And Sandy, I asked the nurse in the delivery room for a pump and she brought one to me. Don’t let them make you feel bad for your choice, they gave me crap about supplementing with formula, but this is my baby, and I’ll feed him whatever I want! If someone says something, remind them that pumping is breastfeeding, it’s food from your breasts. I probably won’t nurse much once i have a good established supply, but he still gets my milk. Feed your baby, that’s the most important thing!

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:13:09 +0000

I will be a first time mom Feb 2010 and never had the desire to breastfeed because of many reasons: i cant see myself doing it, i’ve heard of all the pain, i want my husband to experience feeding the baby, i can see how much milk the baby is intaking and it would give me assurance that I am feeding the baby correctly, and many other reasons. Every time I mention pumping exclusively I get weird looks and negative comments and it makes me feel like im a bad mother for not wanting to breast feed. I never said i will deny my child the milk, i just prefer to pump. It seems like so much pressure from everyone around to do this and no support for pumping, well at least my husband supports me! But this article was wonderful and the comments were extremely uplifting. It really made me feel like I was not the only one out there who felt this way. Since this is my first child, i have no idea, but i was told that they literally force you to breast feed once the woman gives birth, Is this true? what if I dont want to even try breast feeding and want to begin with the pumping right away?

By: Heidi

Heidi — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:42:09 +0000

This is a great article! I have been pumping for 5 months now and my supply is great and my baby has only had breast milk. I was told by so many people when I started doing this that my supply would go away..blah, blah, blah. I didn’t really like the breastfeeding itself so I tried the pumping when my milk came in – 2 days- post birth. I don’t always like pumping, but now have it down to 4 times per day. I have over 4,000 oz. frozen and my husband can feed the baby. It’s an all around good situation.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:42:45 +0000

I am so glad to see this article. I exclusively pumped for my son for a year. And I am now doing the same for My daughter. It isn’t time comsumimg for me, I feel it is a great option for moms, and hope it becomes more mainstream as an option. Don’t EVER let anyone make you feel weird or guilty about it. It is fantastic and the best thing i’ve ever done.