Comments on: Breast Pumping: The Alternative Feeding Option

By: Laura Pritchard

Laura Pritchard — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 15:41:51 +0000

It’s so good to finally see information about exclusively pumping. My intention was to breastfeed but my nipples went completely flat after birth & my son wouldn’t latch on…not helped by breastfeeding-obsessed midwives who were literally forcing my breast into his mouth repeatedly – stressful for both of us and, I believe, a guaranteed way to put the baby off breastfeeding. What gets me is that they are so “pro-breastfeeding” but no one seems to admit that the only extra benefit to breastfeeding is that the baby gets breast milk…well, with pumping the only difference is a different teat! They still get the good milk & you still bond just as much. There’s far too much pressure to breast feed & no one admits that pumping is just as good for babies even if it is more inconvenient at times. Health workers should be pro-breast milk, not pro-breast feeding.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:32:59 +0000

I nursed for 12 months with my first child and pumped while at work and she never had to have formula but guess what, she wouldn’t take a bottle from anyone if I was around, only at daycare. For my 2nd child I said I was going to pump exclusively. I did have to supplement with formula here and there and she’s now 5 weeks old and I only pump a couple times a day and supplement with a couple bottles of formula a day too. I sometimes get sick of the time it takes to pump and then bottle feed when I’m home alone with her so once in a while I will put her to the breast and she latches right on with this funny look but starts suckling away and she about passes out in 5 minutes with joy! I do like the bonding and it’s nice to know I can switch back and forth between breast/pump and formula and it doesn’t phase her one bit! You just have to do what works for you.

By: iisha

iisha — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:03:57 +0000

Ahhh…relieved that I came across this site. My baby boy is only 6 days old but seems to be hungry constantly. He literally feeds on my breast for 2-3 hrs and will still want more. Seems like I’m not producing enough milk. I actually got so frustrated last night that I ended up giving him a bottle of formula last night just so I could rest. I do perfer breast milk over formula so I decided that I would pump only this morning I then came across this site. I feel better, almost like my decision has been validated.

By: taslu

taslu — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:52:20 +0000

I am to hear this. i would like to buy breastpump because my LO cries even after feeding for an hr, i amgiving one full bottle milk. then only he satisfies. i think my milk supply is less. will breastpumping increases my milk supply? i will be greatful if i feed him only my milk.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:06:56 +0000

Thank you, thank you for this article. I was getting so frustrated with breastfeeding because my baby had jaundice, wasn’t meeting the diaper “quotas,” etc. I just felt that he was never getting enough. I am so glad to know that he can still get MY milk with this exclusive pumping option.

By: Review: The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding | Reviews | Babies Online The Blog

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:09:46 +0000

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By: JK

JK — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:52:21 +0000

I have a 30 day old baby and decided from the day we found out we were pregnant that I would do an all natural birth and breastfeed, because it would be the very best thing for my son. I was able to deliver without pain medicine or an epidural, and figured he would take to the breast quicker. He did latch the very first time I tried him at the breast, however from day one his latch was not proper. I have worked with the lactation consultant for four weeks now, my nipples are cracked and soar and I have managed to get mastitis. The doctor has me on an antibiotic now to clear the infection. I finally decided to research exclusively pumping, this article made me feel like I am not a bad mom for pumping into a bottle and giving it to him. I have tried and worked hard to let him feed from the breast but the pain isn’t worth it, we both end up in tears at the beginning, middle and end of the feeding. I know he is still getting breast milk in the bottle, so as long as he is getting my milk I don’t think it matters how he gets it.
I am only able to pump 1.5 to 2 ounces a pump session which I do every 2 hours, however he is only eating about 2.5 ounces so I am producing enough for him now. I just hope I get a larger supply in soon. Thank you all for your stories, I for once don’t feel exhausted and stressed about feeding time.

By: Hollie

Hollie — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 05:27:52 +0000

I wish I had found this website when I was having difficulty breastfeeding. I strictly breastfed my daughter for the first 4 months of her life. At two weeks, I got my first yeast infection of the breast. So painful! I worked through it (and the double dose of antibiotics it took to clear it up… This took almost a month!) things were starting to go well and then I got ANOTHER yeast infection. My daughter never showed signs of thrush, but I definitely had another infection. I decided that I had to pump or else I would quit breastfeeding all together. I have been solely pumping now for about 6 weeks. I started out pumping every two hours and felt like I was glued to the couch most days. Pump-clean pump pieces-feed baby-clean bottle pieces-change diaper-pump-etc. I have now cut back to pumping four times a day. I usually pump about 20 ounces in a day and supplement about 8-10 ounces of formula. My nipples still get sore, but no more yeast infections! I still spend a lot of time pumping and feeding… But I try to spend my time at the pump talking to and playing with my daughter. I invested in a power converter for my car and frequently pump in the car in parking lots. I remind myself that it’s only temporary and the best thing for her. Hang in there and rest assured there are a lot of women out there feeling the same way as you!

By: MelissaMc

MelissaMc — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:23:20 +0000

I exclusively breastfed my baby until she was 6 weeks old. I had no problem whatsoever breastfeeding. She always latched on right away. Since she turned 6 weeks old I decided to exclusively pump and its been going great. I have more freedom, I get more sleep, and it’s so much faster to nurse than to pump. I know alot of women think I must be crazy that the breastfeeding was going so good and I’ve decided to stop and only pump, but I was going insane because it just took way to long. I feel that I did it long enough and I’m still providing my baby with nutrition that formula cannot provide!

By: Smilinbabyboy

Smilinbabyboy — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:35:46 +0000

I just had my second child and he is now 6 weeks old. He was born 3 weeks early and was given a bottle in the hospital. When I tried to breast feed he had difficutlites latching on, so I started pumping and giving him formula. Now I barely get 1/2 oz of breast milk when I pump…so I am saddened because I guess I am not going to be able to continue with pumping. With my daughter, I breastfeed for 7 months no problem…I just hope he was able to get benefits from breast milk even though it has been for a short amount of time.

By: Beth

Beth — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:59:02 +0000

I will agree wholeheartedly with A. As I sit here and pump, I see my four month old cooing and giggling for daddy. I began pumping after having latching issues and a baby with jaundice. I was convinced that breastfeeding would be so natural and I had beautiful visions of rocking my little one and stroking his hair as he fed at my breast. Jaundice shut down our breastfeeding pretty quickly and we began supplementing with formula. I knew how strongly I felt about giving my baby breastmilk, it just had to be delivered differently than I had planned. I purchased a wonderful Medela pump and began the cycle. There are times (especially in the beginning) where the last thing I wanted to do was pump. However, it’s been a great experience for me. I still continue to try to breastfeed, but my little one has to work to hard for milk from the breast and he’s clearly agitated. The bottle is too easy for him. Pumping has been great because it allows other people to feed baby and it made my transition back to work much easier. I pump 5 times a day currently. I am proud that I’ve kept it up this long, but I’m ready to slowly cut down on my sessions because I feel like I’m missing out on this amazing time in my baby’s life. He laughs and giggles and coos and it’s difficult to snuggle and enjoy those things when you’re hooked to the pump. I would tell anyone who is thinking about pumping exclusively three things:
1) You’ll spend lots of time washing bottles and pump accessories
2) Massage your breasts as you pump – it helps your yield tremendously
3) You may feel like you can’t venture far from home because you’re always needing to pump, feed, wash bottles, and do it all over again.

I think I’ve given my son a good start with breastmilk exclusively pumped for the last 4 months. It’s time for me to retire the pump and spend more time cuddling my sweet baby, but I’m so glad I was able to give him my milk for this long. I’m trying not to feel guilty for wanting to stop, but rather feeling good that I didn’t give up in the beginning and automatically move to formula.

Good luck to all you EPing moms. Bless you!!

By: A.

A. — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:04:41 +0000

I exclusively pumped for 4 months with my first (after weeks of trying to breastfeed, many, many lactation consultations, etc). I tried again with my second, but no luck, and have now been exclusively pumping for 2 months, with a goal of getting to 4 months.

I agree with Jackie–while I’m glad that sites like this are trying to educate mothers that there’s an alternative to formula when breastfeeding doesn’t work out, and to tell mothers not to feel guilty if they wind up pumping, I wouldn’t want anyone to read this site and decide to go straight to pumping without at least trying to breastfeed directly.
There are certainly some advantages to pumping, most importantly that it allows dad to feed the baby, freeing the mother to sleep, spend quality time out and about with older children, etc.
BUT, in my experience it is very, very hard to keep up the pumping long-term:
1.it is very time-consuming (feed, pump, wash bottles, repeat);
2. you pretty much have to be able to get home to pump every 3 hours or so, which is very restricting;
3. Once the baby gets older, you may find yourself getting up to pump even though your baby is sleeping through the night
4. when the baby becomes more interactive it’s very hard to have to pump when you could be holding, comforting, or interacting with your baby;
5. if you have older children it’s really hard, especially during the morning and evening scramble to get everyone fed, ready for school/bed, etc, because you’re tied to the pump and it puts a lot of pressure on your spouse.

I’ve noticed that a lot of the people who write in to websites EP for very long periods, but most people I know personally only did it for 3-4 months, and probably would have continued direct breastfeeding (at least in the mornings and evenings) for a longer period of time.

I am no fervant defender of breastfeeding, and I think more people should know that EPing is a realistic possibility, but I do think people should also be aware of the downsides as well before making the choice to pump.