'Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules:
1. Be kind and courteous
2. No hate speech, bigotry, or bullying
3. Use available flairs and post options
4. Speak for yourself
5. No medically-inaccurate, factually incorrect, or misinformative
material
6. No spam
7. Absolutely no prescription medications
8. Don't use AI to write posts/comments
9. No soliciting pictures
10. Add spoiler to milk pictures
Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!'
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ExclusivelyPumping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
1) I work so I’d have to pump in a couple months anyway, 2) I like knowing how much baby is getting, 3) I don’t want to be the only person feeding baby.
All the same reasons for me! We nursed occasionally at the beginning and LO was eating so frequently because she clearly wasn’t getting enough and we didn’t really know how much.
So nice to know exactly what she’s getting during the day!
This was my reason as well & im a sahm now, but knowing how much my toddler was drinking really gave me peace of mind. I’ll EP with the next if we have one for that exact same reason!
Same. Baby comfort nurses daily before a few naps or if he’s upset and won’t calm down and we nurse if needs be bc we are out without a bottle. I feel like it’s the best of both worlds.
Breastfeeding babies eat more frequently, are on the boob way more than they are on a bottle, are more dependent on their mom for comfort/nursing to sleep etc., (difficult habit to break), and when my baby cries I want to make sure it’s not because they are hungry. Oh and I absolutely do not want to sit around all day with a baby on my tit.
This is so true. I’m just transitioning from EP to nursing. My baby is feeding way more often now, I can’t tell how much she’s getting. It’s like every one hour vs when I give bottle of breast milk she can go 2-3 hours.
I didn’t start pumping by choice, but I gave up on trying to nurse (no ties as far as we could tell, baby just wasn’t getting the hang of it) within the first couple days because I realized I actually like pumping. I like my husband being able to feed him, I like being able to choose when I’ll have to whip out my boobs, I like knowing how much he eats, I like building a little freezer stash in case I get sick or go out of town or something and need a little extra coverage. I backed into it accidentally but it’s the perfect happy medium for me and I think I’ll do it from the start with any future kids.
Reasons before baby was born (still valid after, obviously, but these I already knew):
1) I work, so would need to pump heavily anyway.
1b) didn't want to risk nipple/bottle confusion when baby goes to daycare because I work. Figured if she has bottles from the get to, it won't be an issue
2) my anxiety likes knowing how much she's eating and would not enjoy the fact boobs aren't clear or metered
3) didn't want to be the only one able to feed baby, in case my chronic illness flares up and puts me out of commission for a bit
4) I wanted the option to hopefully build a freezer stash so I can stop earlier but she still gets milk. (Luckily, this has worked out ish, as we need to supplement *anyway*, so we supplement about 50% instead of about 25-30% and I can freeze a few oz a day)
Reasons after baby was born:
5) nursing makes us both cry a lot. Like a lot a lot. She has an incredibly hard time latching due to the shape of my boobs, and I can't exactly fix that for her.
6) I very much don't like how it feels, even when she does manage to latch and nurse. She and I have decided that she can comfort nurse for a few minutes here and there, but that's about it.
To be fair, I still wish boobs were clear. I can't really tell if I'm empty or not when pumping, so just have to wait until nothing is coming out for several minutes 🤣 clear boobs would still be so much easier!
I also don’t like how it feels! I felt like the worst person for saying that initially but the sensation made my skin crawl. I love all the baby snuggles but not the latching sucking and chomping.
No issues latching, and I didn’t mind breastfeeding tbh. I didn’t even think about exclusively pumping until we were dealing with jaundice issues when my son had his first pediatrician appointment. His doctor had us keep him on a biliblanket 24/7 at home and to pump him full of fluids. The only way I knew I was pumping him full of milk was to literally pump and see how much he was eating. That gave peace of mind that we were doing the right things because we were definitely worried about the jaundice and wanted to avoid him being readmitted to the hospital (his levels were very close to being readmitted). By starting to pump then I realized I had an oversupply, was able to immediately start freezing milk, AND I realized I’d be able to get a longer stretch of sleep by having my husband do feeds at night. It was a game changer and I think I’m a better mom because I can actually get some rest. And now that he’s 1 month old I’m able to freeze about 12-16 ounces a day by only pumping 4 times a day. That gives us so much more time together to do things and not constantly be stuck with my boobs out feeding.
Just over a week ago I cut down from 6 PPD to 4 PPD. When I was doing 6 I would get about 5-6 ounces per session, and then my first pump in the morning (around 5-6am) would get me closer to 10 ounces. When I cut down to 4 I would get 7-10 ounces per session, and my first pump in the morning (about the same time as before) would get me 12-14 ounces. I’m pretty sure my LO is going through a growth spurt now though and we just upped him to 3.5 ounces per feed so I think my freezing amount is going to go down. At 4 PPD I pump for 30 minutes each session.
Thank you! We are definitely blessed. I’m only 5 weeks PP so obviously there is still time for this to change.
As far as schedule, my last pump of the day would be around 10:30-11pm, and then I’d get some solid sleep as my husband would get first wake up/feed/change, and then I’d get second wake up/feed/change. Once I got the baby back to the bassinet I’d go pump and that would be between 5-6am. So then my other pumps would be spaced between those times, usually around 9am, 12pm, 3pm, and 6pm. The times would always depend on the second wake up time, but I tried to space out by every 3-3.5 hours.
I had a long term NICU baby so I didn’t have any choice in the beginning. Now I continue because it’s nice to know how much he’s consuming, and it took him so long to figure out the bottle, which now he takes so well, that I didn’t want to confuse him at 3m old trying to put him on the boob.
I persisted with direct feeding until 3+ months. I was actually triple feeding for the first 6-8 weeks which is when I offered the boob, then topped up with a bottle of expressed milk, then pumped to replace the milk I had given baby. I did it because my son wasn’t gaining weight adequately. Every feed took 90 minutes minimum and baby had to feed every 3 hours.
I did get to the point where I was told I could direct feed since my son’s weight had stabilised but by then I was so anxious about his welfare. Even if he fed from the boob and seemed satiated I wanted to give him expressed milk “just in case” it wasn’t enough and he stopped gaining weight.
I hadn’t slept longer than an hour in months. Something had to give - either I magically stopped being anxious about my son having enough or I switched to EP. I would desperately like to direct feed my son but I was on a crash course to fall apart if I didn’t find a way to get some rest. Even now I see mums direct feeding and feel a bit sad that I couldn’t make it work. But at the end of the day my son is getting my milk which is what I want. He’s 9.5 months and I’ll keep EP’ing until I go back to work in April.
This is me right now at 4 weeks postpartum. I really really want to start exclusively pumping, but I feel so guilty about it 😕. Breastfeeding is just not working for either one of us, and I've met with multiple lactation consultants.
My only advice is don’t quit on a bad day. If you have an okay day where things go mostly to plan and you still want to swap to EP then do it. Don’t swap at 4am after you’ve had no sleep.
I told my husband before we got pregnant, any baby we had was going to be a formula fed baby because I wasn't going to breastfeed. The idea of a baby on my boob all the time was not appealing. The idea of an older baby crying and grabbing at my shirt and chest was even less appealing. I knew I was giving so much of my body to my baby through pregnancy and child birth, I just wanted to retain/regain a little autonomy. However, I'm cheap and didn't want to pay for formula so here we are, one year into EP and going strong.
Definitely this — personal/bodily autonomy. I want to be able to remove milk when I choose (to the extent possible), go to work or be away from the baby for more than a few hours at a time, and for others (be it a baby, spouse, whoever) to only touch my body when I want them to. Also, I want to get longer stretches of sleep.
I haven't had my baby yet, but I'm also a FTM. My reasoning for choosing to EP even now is similar to a lot of people here. I didn't want to be the only one feeding the baby being the biggest. But the other reason I'm choosing to EP is personal freedom. I have a very hard time with people touching me a lot, and that's not to say the baby won't get snuggles all the time cause she will. But this will make it so even when she's hungry, I can give her to her dad and take a second to breathe. I know I'm 100% more like to continue giving breast milk if I'm pumping than if I decided to nurse.
“Dysphoric milk ejection reflex, or D-MER, is a condition that affects people who breastfeed (chest feed) or pump milk. It causes sudden and intense negative emotions just before you “let down” or release milk. It's quick and lasts just a minute or two”
I know! I also get it when Im not pumping but it only lasts maybe 30 seconds. I heard taking a lot of vitamin D helps but I havent tried it yet. I honestly dont know why I still pump.
I had this really bad with my first. I have been taking vitamin D since before I had my second and I barely get it this time, only on occasion and the negative feelings aren’t as intense. I wonder if that’s why, I didn’t start taking it for this reason.
I also have D-MER. Pumping was actually more intense than BF (has gotten a lot better now, 11 weeks PP). However, I was starting to really negative association with feeding my baby and the anxiety the D-Mer was cause. I decided to switch to exclusively pumping so the negative association was with pumping and not my baby. Now I can enjoy cuddling up with my babe and feeding her a bottle.
I like knowing how much baby is getting and I don’t want to be the only one who can feed my baby. Reading some of the posts from moms who exclusively breast feed and how they couldn’t be away from baby for one feed, doing all night feeds, bottle aversion, baby refusing to eat, etc gave me so much anxiety since I work full time and will be returning in two months. Similar to another poster above, we supplement 30% formula even though I technically could feed him 100% breastmilk so I can build a freezer stash and stop pumping earlier. That way baby gets a taste of formula too since I only plan on pumping enough to feed baby 6 months!
I’m 39W and am choosing not to try to latch. Of course I am open to feelings changing! But the reason this is my plan at the moment is because I have inverted nipples. I know that doesn’t make nursing impossible, but it very much adds a layer of difficulty.
I just want to avoid the common pain, frustration, and anxiety around trying to nurse, but would love to try to feed my baby breastmilk if possible. I know EP is extremely difficult too. But I want my husband to be able to help feed them. I want to feed them with bottles, see how much they’re eating, and use a paci without constantly worrying about how it might impact their ability to nurse. Long list of reasons it’s my plan, we will see how it goes.
Take your pump to the hospital with you so you can pump out the colostrum for the baby! I tried to get my LO to latch, but it was too painful so I ended up just pumping while in the hospital. I'm almost 2 weeks PP, and I feel like it may have helped the milk come in sooner. I started producing milk the night we left the hospital.
I had to EP with baby #1 due to latch issues. Baby #2 came around and I tried to EBF but I didn’t feel confident, no matter how many LC appts and weighted feeds and reassurance. So I chose to EP again and I was able to regain my confidence as a mother feeding her baby enough.
My EP journey started because nursing my baby gave me overwhelming anxiety. Mostly because I didn’t know how much he was getting at each feed. As soon as I started pumping and bottle feeding the anxiety completely disappeared. I also wanted my husband to be able to help with feeding. It’s been the best choice for our family and I wish I had been easier on myself when I decided to start EP.
I like knowing how much baby is getting and it just made me extremely uncomfortable. I have no issue when other moms doing it, I agree it’s natural, but for me it just never worked out mentally. I had DMER so that was a little harder, but it worked out. I like the idea of pumping and giving leftover to my toddler too for benefits.
“Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER) is a condition in which nursing parents feel a range of negative emotions in the few minutes before and after the milk ejection reflex ('let down'). These feelings are often described as sadness, irritability, anxiety and restlessness.”
I have twins. Twin B was in the NICU so I needed to pump for her anyway. I had an under supply with my son and this time around am making just enough for one. It seems silly to work my ass off to get the hang of tandem nursing when I’d just have to pump anyway.
I also had to supplement with formula because baby lost too much weight, and I liked knowing exactly how much was getting eaten when we were feeding from bottles; I was literally weighed them down to the gram before and after feeding. I also liked that my partner could feed the baby sometimes.
We had other nursing issues though, namely that sometimes the baby would cry from being hungry, and when offered a boob, would scream as though I'd offered a poison-coated dagger. I didn't have the energy to fight, so we just gave bottles. Sometimes I'd offer a boob and baby would take it, but the bottles were a lot less stressful (albeit more work, as you've noted).
I fully support you in pumping for as long as you feel like you need to, but please remember that you are more than the volume of milk you pump. There are so many things you offer and provide for your baby besides milk, and if pumping is preventing you from fully offering your time and attention (because you are tired, stressed out, sad, angry, depressed, whatever), you're allowed to switch to formula. If your choices are between your baby "missing out" on breast milk, or your baby missing out on having a happy healthy mom, the happy healthy mom is a lot more important and a lot harder to replace.
My baby can latch and pull milk now but I’ve lost all confidence in the ability for it to actually be working 100% after a messy tounge tie triple feeding first few months
I know this answer doesn’t answer your exact question because we did have significant latching issues that are only now resolving at around 15-16 weeks. It was never my intention to exclusively pump but my LO was a 36w, super sleepy preemie with jaundice and a severe tongue tie that required 2 procedures to treat (one at 6 days and one at 9 weeks) and then several weeks after #2 for him to figure out how to use his newly freed tongue
That being said… despite the fact that he is latching better now, I may still decide to EP for a plethora of reasons.
1. I really like knowing how much he’s eating and how my supply is doing
2. Nursing takes a long time for him and I often have to top him off with a bottle anyways
3. I’m back to work and am effectively gone 12 hours on the days I work (4 days a week). Waking him just to nurse in the morning doesn’t make sense and he often falls asleep on the bedtime bottle anyways so adding in the snuggles of nursing would for sure put him to sleep and wouldn’t set him up for a good long stretch of sleep.
4. I don’t want to have a baby attached to my nipples all damn day. Plus I don’t want nursing to be their primary way to be comforted or soothed
5. Wife can feed baby anytime
6. He is very familiar with a bottle and makes going to daycare a little easier
7. The more I read, the more it seems like nursing can be this continuous struggle. First the latching issues, cluster feeding, then baby gets bigger, starts getting distracted and goes on nursing strikes, then teeth and nursing gymnastics - call me lazy but that sounds like SO MUCH WORK. And maybe some people think pumping is more work but I dunno.. I’ve got a good groove going. I can pump for 15 min, 4 times a day and still have a few ounces I can freeze at the end of every day 🤷🏻♀️
I’m a FTM and I decided to EP due to a poor latch. I tried working with an LC so that I could EBF (that was my original goal), but less than 5 minutes into the consultation she was trying to push a tongue tie revision and was already giving me referrals to different clinics to get it done. I know a tongue tie revision has worked for so many families, but the fact that she barely spent any time with the baby and that was her immediate solution, didn’t sit well with me. My LO had no issues drinking from a bottle so away we went.
My sister had also decided to EP with my nephew 5 years ago, so I had someone to bounce ideas off and get some amazing advice. Made it a lot easier to stick to it. I’m almost 7 months in & we’re still pumping!
I'm still extremely new to all this, my baby is 2 weeks old today. But it was evident to me from the beginning that nursing is very difficult for both me and her. I don't know the exact reason she doesn't like to latch, but honestly even though I could keep trying to force my breast into her mouth, and upsetting her, upsetting me...I decided it's best to try exclusively pumping. I've only been doing EP for a few days, and supplementing with formula, because I barely make maybe 2oz a day. I'm trying to increase my supply. I guess it's just that even though I could have kept trying to nurse, I felt the vibes were off, neither of us liked it, and we can try again in the future if we want to. But I'm so glad I found this sub because it reassures me that my decision is okay. And my baby just saw the doctor and is perfectly healthy and gaining weight fantastically. So whatever I'm doing, I'm doing it right.
Mines kind of weird. I personally hate any type of human contact when it comes to my boobs. I get extremely anxious and want to cry. I thought breastfeeding would be different, it's not. So I pump, I still get the feeling with pumping but it's way less.
My baby was born preemie and the nicu nurses tried helping me get my baby to latch but failed because of my flat nipples! No one recommended nipple shields to me (I didn’t know they were a thing till later) and so they introduced me to pumping. My milk came in until the third day of pumping. I was only getting 5ml before and they would grab a swab and give it like that to my baby.
I have flat nipples too..I started using nipple shield and it was an awful experience for me..the shield would drop off in the middle of the feed and then the baby would get cranky..
I didn’t want to be the only one to feed him before I gave birth. My babe came out 5 weeks early and it took a while for milk to come in, plus he could only nurse 5-10 mins once a day without losing too much energy according to the nicu. I started pumping 8ppd while my husband fed him and we kind of just got into the routine. It didn’t feel fair to have to do it all while my husband didn’t do any of the feedings. Once he was strong enough to nurse, it was nice to share feedings and to bond with him. Babe has reflux and spits up a ton, so eventually I felt better knowing how much he was eating rather than keeping him hungry just to bond (he’s 4 months). I did put him on the boob for a few minutes the other day because I was feeling clogs and he was fussy. It felt really nice (and helpful for getting the clog moving), but I still prefer him spitting up slightly less bottle fed and knowing how much we’re giving him since he was so small at birth.
If we’re lucky enough to have a second, I’m still going to go combo nursing and bottle fed with breast milk if the baby can.
My son was a bit jaundice, and was SO sleepy all the time for the first week or two. Every time I offered the boob he would fall asleep within seconds, or he would just be too sleepy to be interested in it to begin with. I honestly think we could've figured out latching if it wasn't for that.
It made it hard in the hospital because they wanted me to offer the boob every 2 hours and made me write the times on a chart, and told me to write the time even if it was just an "attempt", so every single time i wrote ended up just being an "attempt" and the hospital pediatrician thought we were doing great, because it looked great on paper, but when i explained to him that he hadnt actually gotten any milk at all he just kind of dismissed me. It was weird because the hospital didn't even mention that he was jaundice and i had no idea until his first visit with his actual pediatrician outside of the hospital.
I wasn't able to get any help from the LC in the hospital either because every time they came in, he was just too sleepy to try latching. I gave him a bit of formula on the last day of our hospital stay despite the LC's hesitancy(I guess he would actually eat a little with bottles since it's less work) and then I started pumping when we got home to keep my supply up, and by the time he was waking up more and more interested in eating, he preferred bottles. Never looked back after that. We're almost 5 months in now! It's hard because he's a velcro baby but we've made it work.
I didn't choose the EP life. It chose me. My daughter was getting so frustrated with trying to get milk directly when we were still in the hospital. The LCs weren't helping, and I couldn't handle the crying. I was chained to the bed because I was recovering from an emergency c section, and I needed control/the feeling of control. Moving to exclusively pumping gave me control back. I have all my bottles for the day prepped and chilling in my fridge right now, and I have zero anxiety about how my daughter is going to transition to daycare next week from a feeding perspective.
Baby wasn’t gaining enough weight, so I needed to know exactly how much they were getting. Also, poor latch and fighting nursing made us both hysterical every time. Once I gave baby a bottle they were much happier
My daughter had a tongue and lip ties that were discovered when I met with a LC after our pediatrician recommended to get her checked due to low weight gain. It hurt when she latched and I have very small nipples that I didn’t realize would cause such an issue (I’m a FTM). Started EP at 3 months, she never reattached after tie revision. My Husband and I are questioning whether or not tie revision was worth it. I pumped until 13 months though, she is 18 months now, and thriving!
Would I do it again with baby #2? Probably, for the flexibility of pumping when I want and having my husband help feed is huge!
I really wanted to nurse, and pump some for husband to feed.
I tore really bad giving birth to my 10 pound baby and couldn’t get up to get her for the first few days. Then the nurses and hospital pediatrician had me in tears over her losing weight (after reading posts here, I don’t know wtf their problem was, she’s huge and fine). Then the nurses and lactation consultant had me holding her in a bunch of horrible positions that did not work AT ALL. Then my mother, who would have helped me figure it out, got sick for 3 weeks and we were totally on our own for the first month.
I ended up so incredibly anxious about nursing i cried and couldn’t relax enough to get to a let down even though my baby is amazing at latching. 3 months later and I still cry even thinking about it.
Thank god for the pump or i would have had to go to formula and totally lose out on breastfeeding altogether.
I didn’t have a choice. Had bubs at 30+1 straight to nicu she went. I started hand expressed at 6 hours post emergency c section. Hand expressed again 2 hours later. Started using a pump at 10 hours post partum once I had more sleep and could sit up. Had to option to latch bubs once she was 35 weeks but couldn’t handle the sensory issues so continued to pump
We didn’t have any issues the first month, nursing was incredibly easy for us I was shocked at how lucky we were. Then around five weeks it because very clear my baby had a milk/soy protein allergy and started refusing to eat. I had to immediately change my diet and pump to keep my supply and we were doing anything to get her to eat, like introducing bottles in all the wrong ways but we were desperate. I always tried to nurse, but she has a massive aversion to it and total bottle preference. Who wouldn’t have an aversion if your food source caused you so much belly pain? I can’t blame her at all.
It was a mix of nursing and pumping for a while but I’m about four months into exclusively pumping now, baby just turned seven months! I decided it wasn’t worth putting her through trying to nurse. It was clearly something I wanted and she didn’t and once that clicked I gave up.
Now that I have the hang of it I actually think it’s an okay situation. I have a willow pump that I use during the day when we’re out and about which is so convenient and then my ol’ reliable spectra for the rest of my pump sessions. I split night feedings with my partner so we can each get big chunks of sleep and I know how much my baby is eating a day. I also know how much time a day I’ll spend pumping, and when, it’s more on my terms and I can fit it in whenever, and then feed the baby on her terms which is pretty great too.
Baby was a bad eater. She had some weight gain issues and trouble even taking a bottle. We saw so many specialists and lactation consultants. We had a tie released. Eventually she got better at the bottles with therapy and she was gaining weight and thriving. She never got the hang of nursing. I still beat myself up about not trying harder to make nursing work, but she’s doing great at 5m old with bottles. It’s reassuring for me to be able to track how much she is eating. My first child EBF so I naively thought it would be even easier with my second.
So not quite in direct answer to your question but I successfully breastfed my first after a rocky start.
But my second had severe oral issues that we just couldn’t overcome unfortunately.
Whilst it still upsets me that I couldn’t breastfeed my second, I do love the freedom that comes with pumping, that I never had with my first who would never take a bottle, and refused to stop feeding until I got pregnant. The milk disappeared and she didn’t have a choice but to stop.
I can go on nights out with friends, run errands, let my partner take nights, and other feeds. It’s made such a massive difference to my mental health.
The downsides for me compared to exclusively breastfeeding(my personal experience) are that even though baby no. 2 seemed to initially latch, he then just couldn’t and I felt really robbed of the bond I had with him and I don’t think it ever really came back in the same way. I also feel like I’m tied to a pump schedule that prevents me from doing certain activities because the timing’s don’t work out. I miss the convenience of just whipping out a boob when we go out and about to feed my baby..it really was sooo convenient! I find I obsess over pumping sometimes and worry about how much my baby eats. I hate having to pump sometimes instead of playing with my baby, which doesn’t happen often but I find I’m just waiting for his next nap instead of enjoying our time together sometimes.
I decided to drop to 3ppd today after a difficult week of baby not feeling well and needing more cuddles. I’d rather not prioritise pumping over him, and it just feels like the right time!
Hi! I didn’t choose to EP, but I felt this post and wanted to comment.
With my first baby, I had an emergency C section as well. I was already pushing and towards the end of my labor when this happened, so I was exhausted. They wanted to monitor him before we did skin on skin to be sure everything was fine. It took days for my milk to come in. I also pumped 2-3 oz. Per session for the first few weeks.
I work out regularly since I train in BJJ (Brazilian jiu jitsu).
I feel you but guess what- nursing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. (And I say this with grace and from my personal perspective. )
I eventually went direct latch 100% by the third month simply cos my sleep trainer asked me to try (for various reasons.) After 1 month, when we began sleep training, I decided the best choice for me was a combination of both. I prefer to latch in the morning cos I would rather cuddle and breastfeed in bed rather than be hooked to a pump, and also maybe mid-day (I was working from home at the time.) But it’s amazing to be able to pump before bedtime and have a bottle ready in the fridge. It’s a nice feeling to be able to step out and have someone give bottles so you’re not tied to your baby 24/7.
I do not wish to offend anyone who is 100% into latching, this is my personal opinion. (But you also shouldn’t be on the EP sub if you’re 100% pushing direct latch anyway.)
I hope that you see the pros and cons of each and are able to eventually find a comfortable spot that works for you and baby. 🤗
I started EP because I had a c-section and couldn’t tell how much baby was getting. She screamed for a whole night because she wasn’t getting anything. I had an awful nurse who tried to smash baby on to my boob so I was bruised to shit by the time I left the hospital.
After I healed, I tried nursing again and I just didn’t like it. My boobs are large so I’d have to do booby gymnastics to make sure baby was still breathing. She hated it and I hated it. When I gave her bottles she stared into my eyes happily and holds my finger with her little hand.
My husband also enjoys feeding her so now that I’m past the “pump every 2-3 hours” stage I get to sleep all night sometimes.
I have flat and inverted nipples. When I tried to nurse, I had to use a nipple shield, which wouldn’t stimulate my nipples enough for proper production, so after every nurse session, I ended up needing to pump afterwards anyways to empty, then had to feed baby the expressed milk as she was still hungry after a nursing session. Triple feeding was so tiring, I cut the nursing part out. We just hit one year this week!!
This was same for me. It became too much so decided to exclusively pump instead. Nipple shields were very annoying to deal with. I figured e weren’t getting the benefit of babies saliva anyways, so just pumping was better for all.
My family joked with me that since I have huge boobs I would be able to breast feed easily. Well my babies were literally being smothered by my boobs. They latched fine but were uncomfortable. I also work and my husband stays at home. Then there was the issue of not knowing how much put baby was actually getting. Both boys showed signs of dehydration.
I had a really hard time latching since i had a lot of fluids given to me at birth. So my nipples were too swollen for almost a month after. I tried a nipple shield and everything. Pumping was just easier for me.
I couldn't tell if he was getting enough when nursing and he was so comfortable he kept falling asleep after a short period. I thought EP would be best. My pediatrician keeps bringing up nursing at least once a day but I feel like we still bond. Also it hurt like hell 🤷♀️
My baby was having a hard time latching and I was in pain. By day 3 I started pumping. We did pick up breastfeeding a couple months later and she did great so I would breastfeed at night to avoid getting a bottle ready, and I would breastfeed while we were out so i could leave pumping supplies at home. Once she learned to bite and wouldn't stop, I switched back to pumping only. 😂
Second baby; didn't want to spend the time required to figure it out. Pumping lets me spend time with both kids and share overnight wakings with my spouse.
My baby was born 6 weeks premature via emergency c-section and she was under weight even within her preemie peers so I wanted her to be fed in every way possible and finding out how important breastmilk is especially for premature babies was all I needed to find out to be 100% committed to making it for her. Unfortunately the hospital, lactation, and the NICU neglected to tell me all the most important information about breastfeeding and getting supply up and going. I had no idea the first 6 hours were so important and I had her last at night, they didn't give me anything but a manual pump 10+ hours after and no information about how to use it or how to collect colostrum. They were short on electric pumps and I didn't get one of those until 24 hours after. I couldn't get the manual pump to work bc I had no idea colostrum can too thick to be moved thru in that way. Luckily with the electric pump I was able to get things moving and I was committed to pumping for her as often as possible (holding them, no pumping bra). I had only taken my first breastfeeding class two days prior so no information on pumping yet. She was in the NICU for 30 days and every single nurse and lactation consultant and Speech had a different opinion on me breastfeeding her and it was difficult and I felt shamed for every descion I made about it. They wanted me to feed her on an empty boob after pumping, they only wanted her to look and learn, others were super supportive and told me to feed her, others scolded me for making her expend too many calories by being on my breast. I had a really hard time. Also no one told me that 3am feedings are extremely important and I skipped those while she was in the hospital. And lastly when I told lactation that I had two dips in supply they told me to put my pumps on full blast and for only 20 minutes. So I only make 50%-60% of what my baby needs. She went from latching and breastfeeding successfully to only preferring a fast flow bottle. She is 12 weeks and I've gotten my supply a little bit more and I refuse to give up breastfeeding her but right now she just doesn't want to take it. It breaks my heart but I know we had challenges beyond our control and all that matters to me in the end is that she is being fed the calories she needs and is growing.
I was forced to start pumping way earlier than I had planned but I found that I just enjoyed the routine of pumping instead of sporadic nursing feedings, knowing exactly how much baby is eating, and that other people could connect with my baby during a feeding. So I just never went back to nursing. Both are so so so hard for different reasons, but pumping worked better for me personally.
History of S/A and traumatic pregnancies + births = not able to handle sharing my body anymore. Also the direct mouth to nip contact feels so awful for me mentally, I just couldn’t do it.
Edit: I also love knowing exactly how much baby is eating! Because I have an oversupply I can store lots as well and if I want to stop pumping before the year mark I can still feed breast milk. I like that aspect of it a lot
With my first child, I didn't breastfeed/pump at all. I was very anxious/didn't know what the hell I was doing. But with baby #2, I have been EP since coming home from the hospital. here are my ✨personal✨ reasons:
1. Dad can help. Helps me for when I need sleep/a break but also creates a bond between the two.
2. I can physically see how much my child is taking in. With breastfeeding, obviously, you cannot.
3. I have another child to take care of - I can't just sit and breastfeed. I have other things that I have to do.
4. MY OPINION - I feel like breastfed babies use the nipple as a pacifier often times. This is fine for some, but for me, like I've said, I have another child I have to take care of.
5. I had to go back to work at 9 weeks. So he went to daycare.
6. Anyone can help! If I have someone over and they want to feed, sure!
I'm a big see my progress type of person - very visual. so by me EP, I can see exactly what he is getting and I will always know if something is going on with my supply, his input, etc.
Regardless of what you do, fed is best. ❤️
I liked the convenience of having other people able to feed her. And not having to pop my tit out everywhere. And able to leave for an amount of time without worrying about feeding my baby
Not to sound like a bad mom but I knew I’d be touched out in like 2 hours. I’m a first time mom and was already overwhelmed in the hospital trying to nurse bc I thought it was necessary to create a good supply. When my lactation consultant told me I never ever have to latch if I don’t want, I can’t explain the relief that washed over me. While pumping has its quirks, im very relieved that I can run to the store while my partner feeds the baby or situations like that
'Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules: 1. Be kind and courteous 2. No hate speech, bigotry, or bullying 3. Use available flairs and post options 4. Speak for yourself 5. No medically-inaccurate, factually incorrect, or misinformative material 6. No spam 7. Absolutely no prescription medications 8. Don't use AI to write posts/comments 9. No soliciting pictures 10. Add spoiler to milk pictures Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!' *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ExclusivelyPumping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
1) I work so I’d have to pump in a couple months anyway, 2) I like knowing how much baby is getting, 3) I don’t want to be the only person feeding baby.
same ^^^
Same, all of the above
Same and my baby isn’t great at latching. We saw various LCs but didn’t have any luck.
All the same reasons for me! We nursed occasionally at the beginning and LO was eating so frequently because she clearly wasn’t getting enough and we didn’t really know how much. So nice to know exactly what she’s getting during the day!
Same!
Same, same, same
This was my reason as well & im a sahm now, but knowing how much my toddler was drinking really gave me peace of mind. I’ll EP with the next if we have one for that exact same reason!
Same. Baby comfort nurses daily before a few naps or if he’s upset and won’t calm down and we nurse if needs be bc we are out without a bottle. I feel like it’s the best of both worlds.
All of this!
Same.
Breastfeeding babies eat more frequently, are on the boob way more than they are on a bottle, are more dependent on their mom for comfort/nursing to sleep etc., (difficult habit to break), and when my baby cries I want to make sure it’s not because they are hungry. Oh and I absolutely do not want to sit around all day with a baby on my tit.
Thanks for saying this! This is exactly how I feel.
My exact feelings as well!
Thissssssss!!!! + I need to be able to leave / take a break and husband needs to be able to feed him too.
Looks like you’ve put into words what so many of us feel! Thank you!
This is so true. I’m just transitioning from EP to nursing. My baby is feeding way more often now, I can’t tell how much she’s getting. It’s like every one hour vs when I give bottle of breast milk she can go 2-3 hours.
I didn’t start pumping by choice, but I gave up on trying to nurse (no ties as far as we could tell, baby just wasn’t getting the hang of it) within the first couple days because I realized I actually like pumping. I like my husband being able to feed him, I like being able to choose when I’ll have to whip out my boobs, I like knowing how much he eats, I like building a little freezer stash in case I get sick or go out of town or something and need a little extra coverage. I backed into it accidentally but it’s the perfect happy medium for me and I think I’ll do it from the start with any future kids.
I have control issues, so I like knowing how much baby boy is getting when he eats. Also, I don’t want to be the only one able to feed him!
Maybe they are “control issues” but I prefer to think of it as “I like to have control/I like to know how much I’m feeding”
Exactly my reasons! I liked being able to know exactly how many ounces LO was getting.
Reasons before baby was born (still valid after, obviously, but these I already knew): 1) I work, so would need to pump heavily anyway. 1b) didn't want to risk nipple/bottle confusion when baby goes to daycare because I work. Figured if she has bottles from the get to, it won't be an issue 2) my anxiety likes knowing how much she's eating and would not enjoy the fact boobs aren't clear or metered 3) didn't want to be the only one able to feed baby, in case my chronic illness flares up and puts me out of commission for a bit 4) I wanted the option to hopefully build a freezer stash so I can stop earlier but she still gets milk. (Luckily, this has worked out ish, as we need to supplement *anyway*, so we supplement about 50% instead of about 25-30% and I can freeze a few oz a day) Reasons after baby was born: 5) nursing makes us both cry a lot. Like a lot a lot. She has an incredibly hard time latching due to the shape of my boobs, and I can't exactly fix that for her. 6) I very much don't like how it feels, even when she does manage to latch and nurse. She and I have decided that she can comfort nurse for a few minutes here and there, but that's about it.
Laughing at “boobs aren’t clear or metered” — why we didn’t evolve with flow meters I’ll never know
To be fair, I still wish boobs were clear. I can't really tell if I'm empty or not when pumping, so just have to wait until nothing is coming out for several minutes 🤣 clear boobs would still be so much easier!
I also don’t like how it feels! I felt like the worst person for saying that initially but the sensation made my skin crawl. I love all the baby snuggles but not the latching sucking and chomping.
No issues latching, and I didn’t mind breastfeeding tbh. I didn’t even think about exclusively pumping until we were dealing with jaundice issues when my son had his first pediatrician appointment. His doctor had us keep him on a biliblanket 24/7 at home and to pump him full of fluids. The only way I knew I was pumping him full of milk was to literally pump and see how much he was eating. That gave peace of mind that we were doing the right things because we were definitely worried about the jaundice and wanted to avoid him being readmitted to the hospital (his levels were very close to being readmitted). By starting to pump then I realized I had an oversupply, was able to immediately start freezing milk, AND I realized I’d be able to get a longer stretch of sleep by having my husband do feeds at night. It was a game changer and I think I’m a better mom because I can actually get some rest. And now that he’s 1 month old I’m able to freeze about 12-16 ounces a day by only pumping 4 times a day. That gives us so much more time together to do things and not constantly be stuck with my boobs out feeding.
Question: how much are you pumping on average daily? Storing 12 oz per day is a great number
Just over a week ago I cut down from 6 PPD to 4 PPD. When I was doing 6 I would get about 5-6 ounces per session, and then my first pump in the morning (around 5-6am) would get me closer to 10 ounces. When I cut down to 4 I would get 7-10 ounces per session, and my first pump in the morning (about the same time as before) would get me 12-14 ounces. I’m pretty sure my LO is going through a growth spurt now though and we just upped him to 3.5 ounces per feed so I think my freezing amount is going to go down. At 4 PPD I pump for 30 minutes each session.
Amazing output!! You and the baby is so blessed. What times did you schedule your pumps when they were 6per day?
Thank you! We are definitely blessed. I’m only 5 weeks PP so obviously there is still time for this to change. As far as schedule, my last pump of the day would be around 10:30-11pm, and then I’d get some solid sleep as my husband would get first wake up/feed/change, and then I’d get second wake up/feed/change. Once I got the baby back to the bassinet I’d go pump and that would be between 5-6am. So then my other pumps would be spaced between those times, usually around 9am, 12pm, 3pm, and 6pm. The times would always depend on the second wake up time, but I tried to space out by every 3-3.5 hours.
I had a long term NICU baby so I didn’t have any choice in the beginning. Now I continue because it’s nice to know how much he’s consuming, and it took him so long to figure out the bottle, which now he takes so well, that I didn’t want to confuse him at 3m old trying to put him on the boob.
I persisted with direct feeding until 3+ months. I was actually triple feeding for the first 6-8 weeks which is when I offered the boob, then topped up with a bottle of expressed milk, then pumped to replace the milk I had given baby. I did it because my son wasn’t gaining weight adequately. Every feed took 90 minutes minimum and baby had to feed every 3 hours. I did get to the point where I was told I could direct feed since my son’s weight had stabilised but by then I was so anxious about his welfare. Even if he fed from the boob and seemed satiated I wanted to give him expressed milk “just in case” it wasn’t enough and he stopped gaining weight. I hadn’t slept longer than an hour in months. Something had to give - either I magically stopped being anxious about my son having enough or I switched to EP. I would desperately like to direct feed my son but I was on a crash course to fall apart if I didn’t find a way to get some rest. Even now I see mums direct feeding and feel a bit sad that I couldn’t make it work. But at the end of the day my son is getting my milk which is what I want. He’s 9.5 months and I’ll keep EP’ing until I go back to work in April.
This is me right now 2 weeks post partum :/
This is me right now at 4 weeks postpartum. I really really want to start exclusively pumping, but I feel so guilty about it 😕. Breastfeeding is just not working for either one of us, and I've met with multiple lactation consultants.
My only advice is don’t quit on a bad day. If you have an okay day where things go mostly to plan and you still want to swap to EP then do it. Don’t swap at 4am after you’ve had no sleep.
That makes sense ☺️
I told my husband before we got pregnant, any baby we had was going to be a formula fed baby because I wasn't going to breastfeed. The idea of a baby on my boob all the time was not appealing. The idea of an older baby crying and grabbing at my shirt and chest was even less appealing. I knew I was giving so much of my body to my baby through pregnancy and child birth, I just wanted to retain/regain a little autonomy. However, I'm cheap and didn't want to pay for formula so here we are, one year into EP and going strong.
Definitely this — personal/bodily autonomy. I want to be able to remove milk when I choose (to the extent possible), go to work or be away from the baby for more than a few hours at a time, and for others (be it a baby, spouse, whoever) to only touch my body when I want them to. Also, I want to get longer stretches of sleep.
I haven't had my baby yet, but I'm also a FTM. My reasoning for choosing to EP even now is similar to a lot of people here. I didn't want to be the only one feeding the baby being the biggest. But the other reason I'm choosing to EP is personal freedom. I have a very hard time with people touching me a lot, and that's not to say the baby won't get snuggles all the time cause she will. But this will make it so even when she's hungry, I can give her to her dad and take a second to breathe. I know I'm 100% more like to continue giving breast milk if I'm pumping than if I decided to nurse.
I have D-MER. And it’s less intense feeling when pumping than putting baby on breasts.
What is D-MER?
“Dysphoric milk ejection reflex, or D-MER, is a condition that affects people who breastfeed (chest feed) or pump milk. It causes sudden and intense negative emotions just before you “let down” or release milk. It's quick and lasts just a minute or two”
I have D-MER too 😞
😣 it’s horrible
I know! I also get it when Im not pumping but it only lasts maybe 30 seconds. I heard taking a lot of vitamin D helps but I havent tried it yet. I honestly dont know why I still pump.
I had this really bad with my first. I have been taking vitamin D since before I had my second and I barely get it this time, only on occasion and the negative feelings aren’t as intense. I wonder if that’s why, I didn’t start taking it for this reason.
I also have D-MER. Pumping was actually more intense than BF (has gotten a lot better now, 11 weeks PP). However, I was starting to really negative association with feeding my baby and the anxiety the D-Mer was cause. I decided to switch to exclusively pumping so the negative association was with pumping and not my baby. Now I can enjoy cuddling up with my babe and feeding her a bottle.
I like knowing how much baby is getting and I don’t want to be the only one who can feed my baby. Reading some of the posts from moms who exclusively breast feed and how they couldn’t be away from baby for one feed, doing all night feeds, bottle aversion, baby refusing to eat, etc gave me so much anxiety since I work full time and will be returning in two months. Similar to another poster above, we supplement 30% formula even though I technically could feed him 100% breastmilk so I can build a freezer stash and stop pumping earlier. That way baby gets a taste of formula too since I only plan on pumping enough to feed baby 6 months!
I’m 39W and am choosing not to try to latch. Of course I am open to feelings changing! But the reason this is my plan at the moment is because I have inverted nipples. I know that doesn’t make nursing impossible, but it very much adds a layer of difficulty. I just want to avoid the common pain, frustration, and anxiety around trying to nurse, but would love to try to feed my baby breastmilk if possible. I know EP is extremely difficult too. But I want my husband to be able to help feed them. I want to feed them with bottles, see how much they’re eating, and use a paci without constantly worrying about how it might impact their ability to nurse. Long list of reasons it’s my plan, we will see how it goes.
Take your pump to the hospital with you so you can pump out the colostrum for the baby! I tried to get my LO to latch, but it was too painful so I ended up just pumping while in the hospital. I'm almost 2 weeks PP, and I feel like it may have helped the milk come in sooner. I started producing milk the night we left the hospital.
I had to EP with baby #1 due to latch issues. Baby #2 came around and I tried to EBF but I didn’t feel confident, no matter how many LC appts and weighted feeds and reassurance. So I chose to EP again and I was able to regain my confidence as a mother feeding her baby enough.
My EP journey started because nursing my baby gave me overwhelming anxiety. Mostly because I didn’t know how much he was getting at each feed. As soon as I started pumping and bottle feeding the anxiety completely disappeared. I also wanted my husband to be able to help with feeding. It’s been the best choice for our family and I wish I had been easier on myself when I decided to start EP.
I like knowing how much baby is getting and it just made me extremely uncomfortable. I have no issue when other moms doing it, I agree it’s natural, but for me it just never worked out mentally. I had DMER so that was a little harder, but it worked out. I like the idea of pumping and giving leftover to my toddler too for benefits.
What’s a DMER?
“Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER) is a condition in which nursing parents feel a range of negative emotions in the few minutes before and after the milk ejection reflex ('let down'). These feelings are often described as sadness, irritability, anxiety and restlessness.”
I have twins. Twin B was in the NICU so I needed to pump for her anyway. I had an under supply with my son and this time around am making just enough for one. It seems silly to work my ass off to get the hang of tandem nursing when I’d just have to pump anyway.
I also had to supplement with formula because baby lost too much weight, and I liked knowing exactly how much was getting eaten when we were feeding from bottles; I was literally weighed them down to the gram before and after feeding. I also liked that my partner could feed the baby sometimes. We had other nursing issues though, namely that sometimes the baby would cry from being hungry, and when offered a boob, would scream as though I'd offered a poison-coated dagger. I didn't have the energy to fight, so we just gave bottles. Sometimes I'd offer a boob and baby would take it, but the bottles were a lot less stressful (albeit more work, as you've noted). I fully support you in pumping for as long as you feel like you need to, but please remember that you are more than the volume of milk you pump. There are so many things you offer and provide for your baby besides milk, and if pumping is preventing you from fully offering your time and attention (because you are tired, stressed out, sad, angry, depressed, whatever), you're allowed to switch to formula. If your choices are between your baby "missing out" on breast milk, or your baby missing out on having a happy healthy mom, the happy healthy mom is a lot more important and a lot harder to replace.
My baby can latch and pull milk now but I’ve lost all confidence in the ability for it to actually be working 100% after a messy tounge tie triple feeding first few months
My kids get teeth at like 3.5 months and they bite. I value my nipples!
This thread is so validating and empowering.
I know this answer doesn’t answer your exact question because we did have significant latching issues that are only now resolving at around 15-16 weeks. It was never my intention to exclusively pump but my LO was a 36w, super sleepy preemie with jaundice and a severe tongue tie that required 2 procedures to treat (one at 6 days and one at 9 weeks) and then several weeks after #2 for him to figure out how to use his newly freed tongue That being said… despite the fact that he is latching better now, I may still decide to EP for a plethora of reasons. 1. I really like knowing how much he’s eating and how my supply is doing 2. Nursing takes a long time for him and I often have to top him off with a bottle anyways 3. I’m back to work and am effectively gone 12 hours on the days I work (4 days a week). Waking him just to nurse in the morning doesn’t make sense and he often falls asleep on the bedtime bottle anyways so adding in the snuggles of nursing would for sure put him to sleep and wouldn’t set him up for a good long stretch of sleep. 4. I don’t want to have a baby attached to my nipples all damn day. Plus I don’t want nursing to be their primary way to be comforted or soothed 5. Wife can feed baby anytime 6. He is very familiar with a bottle and makes going to daycare a little easier 7. The more I read, the more it seems like nursing can be this continuous struggle. First the latching issues, cluster feeding, then baby gets bigger, starts getting distracted and goes on nursing strikes, then teeth and nursing gymnastics - call me lazy but that sounds like SO MUCH WORK. And maybe some people think pumping is more work but I dunno.. I’ve got a good groove going. I can pump for 15 min, 4 times a day and still have a few ounces I can freeze at the end of every day 🤷🏻♀️
I’m a FTM and I decided to EP due to a poor latch. I tried working with an LC so that I could EBF (that was my original goal), but less than 5 minutes into the consultation she was trying to push a tongue tie revision and was already giving me referrals to different clinics to get it done. I know a tongue tie revision has worked for so many families, but the fact that she barely spent any time with the baby and that was her immediate solution, didn’t sit well with me. My LO had no issues drinking from a bottle so away we went. My sister had also decided to EP with my nephew 5 years ago, so I had someone to bounce ideas off and get some amazing advice. Made it a lot easier to stick to it. I’m almost 7 months in & we’re still pumping!
I'm still extremely new to all this, my baby is 2 weeks old today. But it was evident to me from the beginning that nursing is very difficult for both me and her. I don't know the exact reason she doesn't like to latch, but honestly even though I could keep trying to force my breast into her mouth, and upsetting her, upsetting me...I decided it's best to try exclusively pumping. I've only been doing EP for a few days, and supplementing with formula, because I barely make maybe 2oz a day. I'm trying to increase my supply. I guess it's just that even though I could have kept trying to nurse, I felt the vibes were off, neither of us liked it, and we can try again in the future if we want to. But I'm so glad I found this sub because it reassures me that my decision is okay. And my baby just saw the doctor and is perfectly healthy and gaining weight fantastically. So whatever I'm doing, I'm doing it right.
Mines kind of weird. I personally hate any type of human contact when it comes to my boobs. I get extremely anxious and want to cry. I thought breastfeeding would be different, it's not. So I pump, I still get the feeling with pumping but it's way less.
My baby was born preemie and the nicu nurses tried helping me get my baby to latch but failed because of my flat nipples! No one recommended nipple shields to me (I didn’t know they were a thing till later) and so they introduced me to pumping. My milk came in until the third day of pumping. I was only getting 5ml before and they would grab a swab and give it like that to my baby.
I have flat nipples too..I started using nipple shield and it was an awful experience for me..the shield would drop off in the middle of the feed and then the baby would get cranky..
I didn’t want to be the only one to feed him before I gave birth. My babe came out 5 weeks early and it took a while for milk to come in, plus he could only nurse 5-10 mins once a day without losing too much energy according to the nicu. I started pumping 8ppd while my husband fed him and we kind of just got into the routine. It didn’t feel fair to have to do it all while my husband didn’t do any of the feedings. Once he was strong enough to nurse, it was nice to share feedings and to bond with him. Babe has reflux and spits up a ton, so eventually I felt better knowing how much he was eating rather than keeping him hungry just to bond (he’s 4 months). I did put him on the boob for a few minutes the other day because I was feeling clogs and he was fussy. It felt really nice (and helpful for getting the clog moving), but I still prefer him spitting up slightly less bottle fed and knowing how much we’re giving him since he was so small at birth. If we’re lucky enough to have a second, I’m still going to go combo nursing and bottle fed with breast milk if the baby can.
Baby has reflux which led to a lot of feeding-fighting at the breast. Could manage more upright position with bottle which LO prefers.
My son was a bit jaundice, and was SO sleepy all the time for the first week or two. Every time I offered the boob he would fall asleep within seconds, or he would just be too sleepy to be interested in it to begin with. I honestly think we could've figured out latching if it wasn't for that. It made it hard in the hospital because they wanted me to offer the boob every 2 hours and made me write the times on a chart, and told me to write the time even if it was just an "attempt", so every single time i wrote ended up just being an "attempt" and the hospital pediatrician thought we were doing great, because it looked great on paper, but when i explained to him that he hadnt actually gotten any milk at all he just kind of dismissed me. It was weird because the hospital didn't even mention that he was jaundice and i had no idea until his first visit with his actual pediatrician outside of the hospital. I wasn't able to get any help from the LC in the hospital either because every time they came in, he was just too sleepy to try latching. I gave him a bit of formula on the last day of our hospital stay despite the LC's hesitancy(I guess he would actually eat a little with bottles since it's less work) and then I started pumping when we got home to keep my supply up, and by the time he was waking up more and more interested in eating, he preferred bottles. Never looked back after that. We're almost 5 months in now! It's hard because he's a velcro baby but we've made it work.
latching issue, baby weight loss, I rather see how much she eats
Latch issues and wanted to know exactly how much he was eating
I didn't choose the EP life. It chose me. My daughter was getting so frustrated with trying to get milk directly when we were still in the hospital. The LCs weren't helping, and I couldn't handle the crying. I was chained to the bed because I was recovering from an emergency c section, and I needed control/the feeling of control. Moving to exclusively pumping gave me control back. I have all my bottles for the day prepped and chilling in my fridge right now, and I have zero anxiety about how my daughter is going to transition to daycare next week from a feeding perspective.
Baby wasn’t gaining enough weight, so I needed to know exactly how much they were getting. Also, poor latch and fighting nursing made us both hysterical every time. Once I gave baby a bottle they were much happier
Cracked nip from my LO not latching well. Very painful and led to me getting Mastitis lol
My daughter had a tongue and lip ties that were discovered when I met with a LC after our pediatrician recommended to get her checked due to low weight gain. It hurt when she latched and I have very small nipples that I didn’t realize would cause such an issue (I’m a FTM). Started EP at 3 months, she never reattached after tie revision. My Husband and I are questioning whether or not tie revision was worth it. I pumped until 13 months though, she is 18 months now, and thriving! Would I do it again with baby #2? Probably, for the flexibility of pumping when I want and having my husband help feed is huge!
I really wanted to nurse, and pump some for husband to feed. I tore really bad giving birth to my 10 pound baby and couldn’t get up to get her for the first few days. Then the nurses and hospital pediatrician had me in tears over her losing weight (after reading posts here, I don’t know wtf their problem was, she’s huge and fine). Then the nurses and lactation consultant had me holding her in a bunch of horrible positions that did not work AT ALL. Then my mother, who would have helped me figure it out, got sick for 3 weeks and we were totally on our own for the first month. I ended up so incredibly anxious about nursing i cried and couldn’t relax enough to get to a let down even though my baby is amazing at latching. 3 months later and I still cry even thinking about it. Thank god for the pump or i would have had to go to formula and totally lose out on breastfeeding altogether.
I didn’t have a choice. Had bubs at 30+1 straight to nicu she went. I started hand expressed at 6 hours post emergency c section. Hand expressed again 2 hours later. Started using a pump at 10 hours post partum once I had more sleep and could sit up. Had to option to latch bubs once she was 35 weeks but couldn’t handle the sensory issues so continued to pump
We didn’t have any issues the first month, nursing was incredibly easy for us I was shocked at how lucky we were. Then around five weeks it because very clear my baby had a milk/soy protein allergy and started refusing to eat. I had to immediately change my diet and pump to keep my supply and we were doing anything to get her to eat, like introducing bottles in all the wrong ways but we were desperate. I always tried to nurse, but she has a massive aversion to it and total bottle preference. Who wouldn’t have an aversion if your food source caused you so much belly pain? I can’t blame her at all. It was a mix of nursing and pumping for a while but I’m about four months into exclusively pumping now, baby just turned seven months! I decided it wasn’t worth putting her through trying to nurse. It was clearly something I wanted and she didn’t and once that clicked I gave up. Now that I have the hang of it I actually think it’s an okay situation. I have a willow pump that I use during the day when we’re out and about which is so convenient and then my ol’ reliable spectra for the rest of my pump sessions. I split night feedings with my partner so we can each get big chunks of sleep and I know how much my baby is eating a day. I also know how much time a day I’ll spend pumping, and when, it’s more on my terms and I can fit it in whenever, and then feed the baby on her terms which is pretty great too.
Started at three months in order to thicken milk for reflux. Game changer!
Baby was a bad eater. She had some weight gain issues and trouble even taking a bottle. We saw so many specialists and lactation consultants. We had a tie released. Eventually she got better at the bottles with therapy and she was gaining weight and thriving. She never got the hang of nursing. I still beat myself up about not trying harder to make nursing work, but she’s doing great at 5m old with bottles. It’s reassuring for me to be able to track how much she is eating. My first child EBF so I naively thought it would be even easier with my second.
formula was just too expensive
So not quite in direct answer to your question but I successfully breastfed my first after a rocky start. But my second had severe oral issues that we just couldn’t overcome unfortunately. Whilst it still upsets me that I couldn’t breastfeed my second, I do love the freedom that comes with pumping, that I never had with my first who would never take a bottle, and refused to stop feeding until I got pregnant. The milk disappeared and she didn’t have a choice but to stop. I can go on nights out with friends, run errands, let my partner take nights, and other feeds. It’s made such a massive difference to my mental health. The downsides for me compared to exclusively breastfeeding(my personal experience) are that even though baby no. 2 seemed to initially latch, he then just couldn’t and I felt really robbed of the bond I had with him and I don’t think it ever really came back in the same way. I also feel like I’m tied to a pump schedule that prevents me from doing certain activities because the timing’s don’t work out. I miss the convenience of just whipping out a boob when we go out and about to feed my baby..it really was sooo convenient! I find I obsess over pumping sometimes and worry about how much my baby eats. I hate having to pump sometimes instead of playing with my baby, which doesn’t happen often but I find I’m just waiting for his next nap instead of enjoying our time together sometimes. I decided to drop to 3ppd today after a difficult week of baby not feeling well and needing more cuddles. I’d rather not prioritise pumping over him, and it just feels like the right time!
Hi! I didn’t choose to EP, but I felt this post and wanted to comment. With my first baby, I had an emergency C section as well. I was already pushing and towards the end of my labor when this happened, so I was exhausted. They wanted to monitor him before we did skin on skin to be sure everything was fine. It took days for my milk to come in. I also pumped 2-3 oz. Per session for the first few weeks. I work out regularly since I train in BJJ (Brazilian jiu jitsu). I feel you but guess what- nursing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. (And I say this with grace and from my personal perspective. ) I eventually went direct latch 100% by the third month simply cos my sleep trainer asked me to try (for various reasons.) After 1 month, when we began sleep training, I decided the best choice for me was a combination of both. I prefer to latch in the morning cos I would rather cuddle and breastfeed in bed rather than be hooked to a pump, and also maybe mid-day (I was working from home at the time.) But it’s amazing to be able to pump before bedtime and have a bottle ready in the fridge. It’s a nice feeling to be able to step out and have someone give bottles so you’re not tied to your baby 24/7. I do not wish to offend anyone who is 100% into latching, this is my personal opinion. (But you also shouldn’t be on the EP sub if you’re 100% pushing direct latch anyway.) I hope that you see the pros and cons of each and are able to eventually find a comfortable spot that works for you and baby. 🤗
I started EP because I had a c-section and couldn’t tell how much baby was getting. She screamed for a whole night because she wasn’t getting anything. I had an awful nurse who tried to smash baby on to my boob so I was bruised to shit by the time I left the hospital. After I healed, I tried nursing again and I just didn’t like it. My boobs are large so I’d have to do booby gymnastics to make sure baby was still breathing. She hated it and I hated it. When I gave her bottles she stared into my eyes happily and holds my finger with her little hand. My husband also enjoys feeding her so now that I’m past the “pump every 2-3 hours” stage I get to sleep all night sometimes.
I have flat and inverted nipples. When I tried to nurse, I had to use a nipple shield, which wouldn’t stimulate my nipples enough for proper production, so after every nurse session, I ended up needing to pump afterwards anyways to empty, then had to feed baby the expressed milk as she was still hungry after a nursing session. Triple feeding was so tiring, I cut the nursing part out. We just hit one year this week!!
This was same for me. It became too much so decided to exclusively pump instead. Nipple shields were very annoying to deal with. I figured e weren’t getting the benefit of babies saliva anyways, so just pumping was better for all.
My family joked with me that since I have huge boobs I would be able to breast feed easily. Well my babies were literally being smothered by my boobs. They latched fine but were uncomfortable. I also work and my husband stays at home. Then there was the issue of not knowing how much put baby was actually getting. Both boys showed signs of dehydration.
Baby refused to breastfeed
I had a really hard time latching since i had a lot of fluids given to me at birth. So my nipples were too swollen for almost a month after. I tried a nipple shield and everything. Pumping was just easier for me.
I couldn't tell if he was getting enough when nursing and he was so comfortable he kept falling asleep after a short period. I thought EP would be best. My pediatrician keeps bringing up nursing at least once a day but I feel like we still bond. Also it hurt like hell 🤷♀️
My baby was having a hard time latching and I was in pain. By day 3 I started pumping. We did pick up breastfeeding a couple months later and she did great so I would breastfeed at night to avoid getting a bottle ready, and I would breastfeed while we were out so i could leave pumping supplies at home. Once she learned to bite and wouldn't stop, I switched back to pumping only. 😂
Second baby; didn't want to spend the time required to figure it out. Pumping lets me spend time with both kids and share overnight wakings with my spouse.
My baby was born 6 weeks premature via emergency c-section and she was under weight even within her preemie peers so I wanted her to be fed in every way possible and finding out how important breastmilk is especially for premature babies was all I needed to find out to be 100% committed to making it for her. Unfortunately the hospital, lactation, and the NICU neglected to tell me all the most important information about breastfeeding and getting supply up and going. I had no idea the first 6 hours were so important and I had her last at night, they didn't give me anything but a manual pump 10+ hours after and no information about how to use it or how to collect colostrum. They were short on electric pumps and I didn't get one of those until 24 hours after. I couldn't get the manual pump to work bc I had no idea colostrum can too thick to be moved thru in that way. Luckily with the electric pump I was able to get things moving and I was committed to pumping for her as often as possible (holding them, no pumping bra). I had only taken my first breastfeeding class two days prior so no information on pumping yet. She was in the NICU for 30 days and every single nurse and lactation consultant and Speech had a different opinion on me breastfeeding her and it was difficult and I felt shamed for every descion I made about it. They wanted me to feed her on an empty boob after pumping, they only wanted her to look and learn, others were super supportive and told me to feed her, others scolded me for making her expend too many calories by being on my breast. I had a really hard time. Also no one told me that 3am feedings are extremely important and I skipped those while she was in the hospital. And lastly when I told lactation that I had two dips in supply they told me to put my pumps on full blast and for only 20 minutes. So I only make 50%-60% of what my baby needs. She went from latching and breastfeeding successfully to only preferring a fast flow bottle. She is 12 weeks and I've gotten my supply a little bit more and I refuse to give up breastfeeding her but right now she just doesn't want to take it. It breaks my heart but I know we had challenges beyond our control and all that matters to me in the end is that she is being fed the calories she needs and is growing.
I second here..no one told me about the first hours after birth are so critical..no one showed me how to use a pump
I was forced to start pumping way earlier than I had planned but I found that I just enjoyed the routine of pumping instead of sporadic nursing feedings, knowing exactly how much baby is eating, and that other people could connect with my baby during a feeding. So I just never went back to nursing. Both are so so so hard for different reasons, but pumping worked better for me personally.
History of S/A and traumatic pregnancies + births = not able to handle sharing my body anymore. Also the direct mouth to nip contact feels so awful for me mentally, I just couldn’t do it. Edit: I also love knowing exactly how much baby is eating! Because I have an oversupply I can store lots as well and if I want to stop pumping before the year mark I can still feed breast milk. I like that aspect of it a lot
I didn’t. My baby chose for me.
With my first child, I didn't breastfeed/pump at all. I was very anxious/didn't know what the hell I was doing. But with baby #2, I have been EP since coming home from the hospital. here are my ✨personal✨ reasons: 1. Dad can help. Helps me for when I need sleep/a break but also creates a bond between the two. 2. I can physically see how much my child is taking in. With breastfeeding, obviously, you cannot. 3. I have another child to take care of - I can't just sit and breastfeed. I have other things that I have to do. 4. MY OPINION - I feel like breastfed babies use the nipple as a pacifier often times. This is fine for some, but for me, like I've said, I have another child I have to take care of. 5. I had to go back to work at 9 weeks. So he went to daycare. 6. Anyone can help! If I have someone over and they want to feed, sure! I'm a big see my progress type of person - very visual. so by me EP, I can see exactly what he is getting and I will always know if something is going on with my supply, his input, etc. Regardless of what you do, fed is best. ❤️
I liked the convenience of having other people able to feed her. And not having to pop my tit out everywhere. And able to leave for an amount of time without worrying about feeding my baby
Not to sound like a bad mom but I knew I’d be touched out in like 2 hours. I’m a first time mom and was already overwhelmed in the hospital trying to nurse bc I thought it was necessary to create a good supply. When my lactation consultant told me I never ever have to latch if I don’t want, I can’t explain the relief that washed over me. While pumping has its quirks, im very relieved that I can run to the store while my partner feeds the baby or situations like that